Bleeding Walleyes for Better Fillets (Side-by-Side Comparison) 

That fish was definitely not hit hard enough for proper stunning, it takes a good sharp hit!

I have NO CLUE why any sane fisherman would view this video and give a thumbs down, however THEY might want to rethink reality! Joel IS 110% correct on everything he said regarding the growth of bacteria. Bleeding them out and icing them immediately is another PLUS. Also, should you wish to preserve the fish for later consumption a quick blanch of lemon water with a little salt will assure those fish are AMAZING months from the day they were caught. Good preparation and storage make all the difference in the world to QUALITY. I use a chamber type vacuum sealer - and when months later I cut a package open - you'd likely swear they were caught the week before.

Simple, to the point and effective. Great video.

I've done this to all fish, it really makes a difference

I've been wanting to see exactly how to bleed the fish so thank you so very much for demonstrating this! Liked And subscribed

I just started filleting fish and have realized I need to start bleeding them out because its so bloody when I'm cutting it up. It's actually way bloodier than in the videos if you're cutting along the ribcage rather than knitting it straight across.

I use the same game shears I use for cleaning other tasty creatures with this. I find it quicker and safer than a knife, especially in rough water.

Ike-jime is two parts -- spiking the brain, inserting a metal wire through the length of the spinal canal, and then cutting the gills to bleed the fish. This needs to be done quickly while the heart is still beating. Once fully bled, the fish needs to be immediately iced. This technique greatly extends the shelf life, which is really important when aging the fillets (common in Japanese cuisine). The difference will be less pronounced if the fillets are consumed same-day, but it will make cleaning them less messy. The more you know!

I’ve seen some techniques where they make another cut at the caudal peduncle, especially for Ikejime, so it allows for another place for blood to drain. Have you tried that at all?

I’ve been using kitchen shears to do the task on board as is much safer than a naked blade

I prefer to come in close behind the pectoral fins instead of infront of them. It's a cut I make when fileting anyway, and it'll open up the heart itself.

Awesome demo, thank you!

Hi Joel! How long do you leave the fish to bleed out in the livewell?

Does it make sense to do/slit both the tail and the gills?

perfect. thank you

The fish that was not bled out was dead and stiff. I keep my walleyes alive until the moment of cleaning, and there is very little difference as they bleed out while I clean them. I also use a heavy pliers to stun them.

can you bleed them when they are dead ?

I can see it if your going to be packing in ice. If I have them in the live well I'm going to try to keep them swimming till I'm home and ready to fillet.

Is it really worth the mess? I'm being totally serious here! A delecate tasting fish like perch or walleye, egg and breadcrumbed, and then fried - would it really make that big an impact on the final taste? Everyone, weigh in.

Check out Hiroyuki Terada- Diaries of a master Sushi Chef, he explains how the Ikejime method keeps the build up of lactic acid can affect the meat. And you can Google the spinal wire thing first one i saw was around $17

nice. one of my future habit for sure.

I have done both and prefer the blood left in. For me better taste. Each to his/her own!

Yeah but do you still soak them in salt water for couple hours that's what I was taught was to soak the meat in salt water after filleting them to get the blood out

Blood is not where bacteria lives.

There's no audio

“Blood is where the bacteria lives” if that was the case that fish would be very ill

Thanks, did not know this

Ok, but why only walleye and not all fish?

You must think we are stupid. You didn't knock that fish out. You just caused him pain. You didn't really even stun him. Stunning doesn't eliminate pain anyway. Just their ability to react to it. My fish usually look similar to the fish you bled out and I don't bleed them. Sometimes I get fillets that are bloody but there usually isn't much blood. I soak them in salt water overnight to firm them up and that usually takes out any blood. I can wait to feed my face and I think blood or no blood they taste better after firming up from soaking in the fridge overnight.

No difference. Probably because I freeze mine in water. If it's fresh, cook it thoroughly and it makes NO difference.

I never put my fish on a stringer (I don't have a livewell) as I find the flesh gets mushy. As for bleeding, I have always simply soaked the blood up with a paper towel and that process gets rid of most of the blood. And what I hate seeing is guys knocking a fillet off their fish then toss it on the table thats covered in snot and slime. Why not simply take that fillet and flip it onto a clean platter?

Really really hate to be that guy but 90% of what you said is wrong. Blood is where the bacteria live? Lol

I use scissors.

Totally unnecessary. Walleye is a clean white meat, with no fishy taste at all if you fillet it properly. This is just for picky eaters, you might as well smoke it too lol

Same with meat I think

"Blood is where the bacteria lives". No, you just made that up.

If he would have gutted out the fishes before making filets, it would have less bacterias.

Not a very good job of stunning that walleye

Christ you don't have to cut their heads off just clip a couple gills putem on a stringer back in the water to bleed out

I wish they would do more videos on proper catch and release of walleyes. There are enough people that take them home.

Just wash the blood off the filet dude. Don’t need to bleed shit. It’s not a cow it’s a fish

i think bleeding out fish is total BS. JMHO

Looks like you've been skipping biology class...

"Walleye" is its own plural. Just like a moose or a deer. You don't say, "I caught four walleyes." You say "I caught four walleye."

I'm Swedish and here we love walleye. I typically stun them, bleed them by cutting the gill bridge (as in this video) and let them bleed out in a waterbucket for some minutes. Then straight into the cooler packed with ice cubes or crushes ice. Ice above and below. And always keep that baby drained. Never let the fish lay in melt water. I filet them later on, keep the head (gills removed), carcass and sometimes skin. Chins and fillets for food, the rest for stock. Lovely, lovely fish! If not eaten directly, fillets are vac sealed, put on ice for couple of hours, then deep frozen. Food tip: scale the fish before filleting and keep the skin on the fillets. Then fry in real butter, and go golden on the skin side. Food for gods.

Gi is where bacteria lives.

Never noticed a diff bleeding or not

I bought a pair of curved blade scissors on Amazon to snip the gills with. That knife thing on a flopping fish was making me nervous. These scissors are for cutting crab shell and legs. Works great. Snip snip and back in the livewell they go. Turn the pump on and head for shore.

Where was this filmed?

This is AWESOME! Thanks for sharing

Joel, does bleeding the fish out and keeping them in the live well - does it help with that slimy residue that makes it such a challenge when cutting up the filets later?

Bonk, bleed, ice. Every fish kept gets same treatment.

We use pair if heavy duty scissors. Safer and easier.

blood is where the bacteria lives...so i am going to cut it and put it in bacteria filled water......definitely a good idea to bleed them though, but not sure you do it because blood is where the bacteria lives. blood carries all sorts of things in it, minerals, proteins,hemoglobin/etc...and that does have a flavor which effects the meat though.

Blood is not 'where the bacteria lives' 🙄

my left ear feels very left out

When I am ice fishing, I usually do this with fish that I intend to keep- I let them bleed out on the ice for a few minutes before tossing them into the cooler for the trip home to get cleaned.

Never noticed a diff bleeding or not

How do you bleed a fish if your killing it first anyway? That doesn’t make sense to me?