View Full Version : bleeding walleyes
i am fairly decent when it comes to fillets, but i heard of a technique called " bleeding " what does this term mean? thanks
Boatnut
03-25-2007, 05:44 PM
basically you induce the fish to bleed after it's caught. Several methods, "clipping" the gills, or poking a knife down by the gills until you see blood or...my favorite..just cuttin' their throats. Then put them in a 5 gallon bucket filled about 1/3 full with water for oh..ten minutes or so. You can also throw them in your livewell too. Then throw in cooler. BIG difference at the cleaning table...no blood, whiter fillets and I think they taste better. It works for chickens so gotta work for fish too!
old blood n guts,
Mike (aka Boatnut)
"Many fish bites if you got good bait. I'm a goin' fishin', yes, I'm a going' fishin' and my baby's goin' fishin' too" Taj Mahal, "fishing blues"
Steve B
03-25-2007, 06:31 PM
I've been bleeding my walleyes for years. Poke a sharp knife in the throat area (that white piece of meat right in front of the gills while the fish is belly up in your hand), and the blood will almost instantly start dripping out. Put fish in a five gallon bucket for about five-seven minutes. When you fillet the fish, there is hardly any mess at all. The fillets will look as white as paper.
We jigged up some walleyes on Erie yesterday. My buddy didn't want to bleed the fish out. While cleaning them, the fillets looked very unappealing. There was blood in every knook and cranny of the fillets. I must have stood at the sink cleaning them for an hour before I would bag them up.
hey thanks alot for the valued information i appreciate it. sure must have been nice to catch those fish today.
jerry bark
03-25-2007, 08:15 PM
I use side cutters to clip one gill of each fish just before i start to bring in the lines and clean up for the run back. works out great for me. I don;t know if the taste changes or not, but the do look nicer when you are done cleaning them and less of a mess. now that i have a big boat without a livewell i will probably use a bucket as mentioned above.
cheers
jerry