The Griz (Dick Grzywinski) is now well into his 80s and the legendary angler is still guiding clients several days a week. He walks down the boat ramp with a cane, and his once-dark, slicked-back hair has turned a wispy white. But he still hammers fish, and he and his wife still eat fresh-caught fish multiple times a week.
While Griz’s favorite fish to fry is pike, he of course loves to catch, fillet, and cook walleyes, too. This video captures the process the Griz has used to fillet walleyes for decades. He prioritizes getting the most meat possible — not speed.
There are a lot of walleye filleting tutorials out there, but the Griz’s method is the traditional one. It’s true that the Griz’s golden era of fishing media is long gone. YouTubers rule today, often relying on personality, entertainment, and technology more than experience on water. But that only makes Griz’s knowledge and perspective more important than ever.
Walleye Filleting Tips
Start with the cheeks. Before anything else, slice the cheek meat from both sides of the walleye’s head. This is some of the sweetest, most delicious meat on the entire fish. And the larger the walleye, the larger the slices of cheek meat you’ll find. You can fry this up with the rest of the fish.
Don’t skip the belly “butterfly” cut. Dig out the solid chunk of belly meat between the pectoral fins. Go slow, removing this piece of meat so the knife doesn’t slip. You can leave the skin on here. The Griz fries this piece whole, and picks the meat out afterward.
Carefully peel out the rib bones. When the Griz makes his fillets on either side of the fish, he cuts through the rib bones (so both rib sections should be removed from both fillets). To do this, feel the bones with the tip of your knife and slice down the fillet, essentially peeling them off the cut of meat. This ensures you save the most amount of edible meat as possible.
Remove the pin bones. Just like with a northern pike, there will be a line of bones (Y-bones) in the fillet. You probably won’t be able to see them, so run your fingers from the head toward the tail and you’ll feel the points of the bones. Remove this line of bones by making fine, straight cuts on either side of it. When you peel the skin off with a pliers, this line of bones will come out.
Use pliers to skin the fish. Your fingers will be slippery by now, so use a pair of pliers to hold the end of the skin while you fillet off the rest of the meat. Cut large fillets into chunks.
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Rinse with cool water, but don’t soak. Rinse all the meat under cool water and then pat dry with a paper towel. You want the meat to be slightly damp before battering, not dripping wet. Some folks like to soak their fish in water or beer before battering but that’s not necessary, according to the Griz. Remember: Fish always tastes best when it’s eaten the same day that it’s caught.
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