The BEST Technique for Filleting Walleye | Boneless "Zipper" Method

Can't believe it took me until 2023 to learn this method for cleaning walleye. Awesome way to get boneless fillets.

[@banjohappy]

Just caught a nice walleye tonight. Gonna do zipper method.

[@jackwood6023]

Been doing this for over 20+ years when removing the blood vein from striped bass👊

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

That's awesome to know it works on other fish also.

[@jackmasters9953]

Nice job!! Just as easy to go around the ribs on the other side!! Save those wings too!!! Zipper works on many different fish😃

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

Good point on saving the wings. Is there a certain size walleye that makes it worth saving them? I usually don't keep any walleye over 20 inches. Are wings still good on the "smaller" males that are 15-18 inches?

[@jackmasters9953]

@@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors yes, for sure!! A half dozen wings and cheeks with coleslaw and hush puppies makes a great meal 😃😃

[@terrybaca4095]

I've been using this for years. Even tried once with the ribs attached. It didn't work.

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

Hmmm not sure why.

[@terrybaca4095]

@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors remove the ribs like you did it worked great. I just tried to cut out a step.

[@aaronekker3250]

@@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors i tried it it worked out amazing.

[@aaronekker3250]

Oh hell definetly trying it !

[@kirkenglish6942]

We have used that method for over 30 plus years. Glad you learned about it.

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

I've been chomping down on pin bones for no reason. A great method indeed.

[@adventurebob6898]

I first saw this method on an episode of like Canadian Angling or something like that in the 90s I think. They used it to make some bacon wrapped walleye fillets. I use this method most of the time now. Thanks for sharing.

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

Yum those sound incredible incredible. I'm not sure how I never came across it until this year.

[@morrispidlisny9556]

Great way to fillet, but never throw away the cheeks no mater how small, even the dime size are tasty

[@besearchingforwisdom6267]

Nice work. I'll refer to your channel and call it the Jackson Zipper

[@chuckwilliams1849]

Thank your dad that's great way to clean

[@drumking388]

Have you ever seen Walleye wings?

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

No but I’ve heard of them. Tasty and worth it even on smaller walleyes like these? I rarely keep anything over 20”

[@ffemtx4]

At 0:53...Da fuqq is "never used to always do"...???

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

Good question.

[@ffemtx4]

@@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors 🤣🤣🤣

[@jasonparker3226]

I've been doing this for a while now. Can't remember where I saw it online, but it's out there somewhere. This zipper technique does work on other fish too, provided they have the pin bones along that "mud line" like walleye do.

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

I'm curious to try it out on whitefish this winter and see if that works on them.

[@rocknfan100]

How about that recipe for the cornmeal based fish breading ... it looks scrumptious !

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

Truthfully it's just a variety of a bunch of random mixes. I think the mix makes it extra good.

[@blonko86]

Thank you

[@micbarca9777]

I'm going to try it on striper next time

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

Let me know if it works!

[@daleley7645]

Cool tip!

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

Yea definitely give it a try next time you get some Walter’s!

[@shawnjohnson9096]

Should work on Big perch???

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

I haven't tried it, but don't see why it wouldn't work!

[@MrBoratWOW]

Yeah, it works on big perch

[@bobpaulino4714]

Walleye are the largest member of the perch family

[@oldguyonacouch7216]

Oh manwhere have you been hiding???? LOL I'm 67 and this has been around longer then me as my mom showed me this when I was 8 years old. Nothing new. Maybe you should get out more , Just saying.

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

Valid question! I’m not sure how I’ve never came across this before. Definitely been missing out on an awesome technique

[@morrispidlisny9556]

What about the cheeks/

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

What about them?

[@darnwidecock5031]

Nice dinks😅

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

Perfect eaters. I prefer to release the bigger females

[@Scuba451]

I usually just pinch the tail In middle And zipper It

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

Interesting and it still works fine? That would be even less wasted meat I imagine.

[@robmannila7307]

When going down the back bone dont go so deep and u wont go through the bones, it is a little slower but with a few fish it doesnt matter. Nice u use the cheeks and tounge, now keep the angle wings, the 2 fins undrr the head.

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

I will try the angle wings next time. Is there a decent amount of meat even on smaller walleyes like this?

[@garyhofer8405]

We've been doing this for years, and I get my biggest kick out guys on KZbin just filleting then and then saying it's boneless without taking the pin bones out, we call it the mud line

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

Yea I’m glad I figured it out. Works great. And you’re right it gets rid of that red meat on the mud line that isn’t tasty especially on the bigger ones

[@milesrupert4815]

Do those pin bones cook out like crappie? It's been ages since I've had it and hope to start getting some now that I've gotten into ice fishing here in northern minne'snow'ta.

[@garyhofer8405]

No they dont

[@Scuba451]

That bone part of the meat I freeze that makes great catfish bait

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

True. Could definitely save that as cutbait.

[@ldonovan892]

Have you used this technique on pike?

[@richardwagner3542]

Will not work on pike.

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

I have not, but as another commented here I don't think it would be effective. Might try it just out of curiosity

[@bobkucharski9425]

Not legal in Minnesota if packaging/transporting. Fillets must be whole and a section of skin must remain for identification.

[@tagger1972]

You can zipper a fish and still be legal. Just don't pull the zipper all the way to the tail. There's no pin bones there anyways. Keeps the filets together and you can leave a skin tag on them.

[@charlesporter3667]

Make sure you look at you state game and fish laws. In North Dakota they just made it so each one of those pieces count as a fillet so each fish would count as 2 fish if you zipper them.

[@nickmiresse7755]

Just cut up at a sharper angle around the ribcage and theyre always bonless. I get no toine bone in the tail lateral line section. Idn what the issue people have with walleye but i get zero bone in any fillet without any of this zipper method dont matter if its a 15 or 20 incher.

[@timmy9845]

Don't forget the cheek meat!

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

If you watched the video I definitely didn’t let that go to waste

[@kerriknight]

Are those legal size ?

[@JacksonBaumgartOutdoors]

If they weren’t they would have been released so yes obviously I wouldn’t have posted a video of undersized fish