Grizz (Dick Grzywinski) is now 80 years old and the legendary angler is still guiding customers several days a week. He walks down the boat ramp with the help of a cane, and his dark, slicked-back hair is now pale white. But he still fishes, and he and his wife still eat freshly caught fish several times a week.
While Grizz’s favorite fish to fry is pike, he certainly also loves to catch, fillet, and cook walleyes. This video shows the process that grizzlies have used for decades to filter out walleyes. He prioritizes getting the most meat possible – not speed.
There are plenty of walleye filleting tutorials out there, but Griz’s method is the traditional one. It’s true that the golden age of grizzly fishing media is long gone. YouTubers rule today, often relying on personality, entertainment and technology more than experience on the water. But that only makes Griz’s knowledge and perspective more important than ever.
Walleye Filthing Tips
Start with the cheeks. Before doing anything else, cut away the cheek meat from either side of the walleye’s head. This is the sweetest, most delicious meat of the entire fish. And the bigger the wallet, the bigger pieces of cheek meat you’ll get. You can fry it with the rest of the fish.
Don’t skip the belly “butterfly” cut. Dig out a solid piece of belly meat between the pectoral fins. Remove this piece of meat slowly so that the knife does not slip. You can leave the skin on here. Griz sears the piece whole, and then takes out the meat.
Carefully peel the rib bones. When Griz makes his fillets on either side of the fish, he cuts the rib bones (so both rib halves should be removed from both fillets). To do this, feel the bones with the tip of your knife and cut away the fillets, essentially peeling them off the cut side of the meat. This ensures that you save the greatest amount of edible meat as possible.
Remove pin bones. Like northern pike, the fillet will have a row of bones (Y-bones). You probably won’t be able to see them, so run your fingers from head to tail and you’ll feel the points of the bones. Remove it by making fine, straight cuts on either side of this line of bones. This line of bones will come out when you peel the skin with pliers.
Use pliers to skin the fish. Your fingers will have become slippery by now, so use tongs to hold the end of the skin while you remove the rest of the flesh. Cut large fillets into pieces.
Read Next: Lessons from Grizz, the North’s last great fishing legend
Rinse with cold water, but do not soak. Rinse all the meat with cold water and then pat dry with a paper towel. You want the meat to be slightly moistened, not soaked, before pounding. According to Gries, some people like to soak their fish in water or beer before grilling, but this isn’t necessary. Remember: Fish always tastes best when eaten the same day it is caught.
