Filleting walleyes-pin bones

[minkman]

Do you guys take the pin bones out when filleting small walleyes ? Is it really necessary on a 16 inch walleye ? I never have for 40 years but maybe I should be . Like to hear your experiences on that.

[cast_and_blast]

Anything smaller than 15", probably not. I just feel the fillet - if I feel pin bones, I take them out.

Scott

[walleyecheek]

Why start now ?

[Dacotah Eye]

I do, because if my wife finds any kind of bone in a fillet she's done eating fish for the day.

[walleyecheek]

Usually the smaller walleye bones just discinergrat when cooking

[sdwalleye621]

I always remove them. Reason being is I give a lot of fish to friends and relatives. If it was just for me I'd leave in the eaters.

A lot of times in smaller fish they will disintegrate as well.

[Pooch]

Originally Posted by walleyecheek

Usually the smaller walleye bones just discinergrat when cooking

^^What he said^^^

Some of our guys take the fillet and make a tiny cut on the tail end of the fillet on each side of where the pin bones are. Then just pull like a zipper on each side of the fillet and the row of pin bones come out in one piece. Very little meat is lost.

Look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IMEF4ZSjxI

Most of the time we keep only small fish (15-17") for consumption and it really isn't necessary, but do it anyway to keep everyone happy at the dinner table.

Pooch

[Kevin23]

Are we talking about the ones along the lateral line? I cut those out of all fish, doing the traditional V cut to just past where the ribs end. Sometimes I take the whole lateral line out of bigger fish, and just have the top and bottom part of the fillet. Cleaner tasting and no chance of someone complaining because they found a micro tiny bone.

[Dacotah Eye]

I like to zip the pin bones out along with the lateral line but do it just before cooking since fillets have to be whole to be transported here.