What Is This Fish? How To Handle Fish With Teeth? 2024
CC268 reply :
I was fishing out at Lake Mary today in Flagstaff, Arizona and caught this guy on a white Storm Wildeye Shad:
I am pretty sure it is a Walleye because the only other thing in Lake Mary is bass, crappie, catfish, pike, and sunfish. He was a decent size, maybe 2-3 pounds
My second question is how to handle these toothy guys when the shore is really rocky? Should I get some sort of fishing mat or what? I tried to be really careful with this guy and make sure I wasn't rubbing him on the dirt or rocks.
Scott F reply :
That is a walleye. You can grab them with one hand just behind the head, then put your other hand underneath the belly. Good eatin'!
CC268 reply :
On 3/27/2013 at 4:20 AM, Scott F said:That is a walleye. You can grab them with one hand just behind the head, then put your other hand underneath the belly. Good eatin'!
Alright...just seems hard to hold them behind the head like that while using the other hand to get the hook out
Scott F reply :
How long was that fish? 15, 16 inches? That's about a pound and a half. Not real big for a walleye. Those are the easy ones to hold by the back of the head. Holding them there or under the belly between the front fins is the way I've been doing it for many years.
If you aren't comfortable with that, you could get one of those grabbers so you don't actually have touch the fish. Just don't let your friends see you using it. 
CC268 reply :
Wish I had better pics so you could have some sort of reference....he was easily 20" or more and he had some decent weight to him, but I need to pick up a scale. I guess I will just try grabbing em from the top behind their gills or underneath on their belly
bullett 21 reply :
Walleye .a good eating fish white meat .delicious.Grab them by the eyes ,use your thumb & forefinger and squeeze .
BradH reply :
One nice thing about walleyes and sauger, they like to get stiff as a board when you handle them! As opposed to pike or sometimes bass anyway. Of all the gamefish they might be the easiest to handle. I just grab them behind the head or on the gill flap while supporting the belly as was already pointed out. I'm a big fan of rubber or coated knotless nets if you plan to release them.
BrettD reply :
Best eating freshwater fish I've ever had. Its one fish I really wish we had in FL.
CC268 reply :
Well I don't plan to eat one just catch and release haha...maybe I will keep one sometime though
Scott F reply :
On 3/27/2013 at 4:47 AM, CC268 said:Wish I had better pics so you could have some sort of reference....he was easily 20" or more and he had some decent weight to him, but I need to pick up a scale. I guess I will just try grabbing em from the top behind their gills or underneath on their belly
What kind and how big was the bait you caught him on? From the picture, I was guessing the bait was 4 to 5 inches long, and the fish is about 3 times that length, which would make him 15 to 16 inches. If the bait was 6.5 to 7 inches long, then he'd be about 20.
Hyrule Bass reply :
On 3/27/2013 at 7:38 AM, Scott F said:What kind and how big was the bait you caught him on? From the picture, I was guessing the bait was 4 to 5 inches long, and the fish is about 3 times that length, which would make him 15 to 16 inches. If the bait was 6.5 to 7 inches long, then he'd be about 20.
i know pics can be deceiving, but that fish looks longer than 15 inches to me...
slonezp reply :
Their gill plates are sharp. Delicious fish. Cut out the cheeks and fry those up as well
Bluebasser86 reply :
I'm not a fish eater, but I'll eat walleye. They're great eating and when the get about 18" or bigger you can get the cheek meat and it's the best tasting piece of freshwater fish I've ever had.
I like to cradle walleye by their belly. Put one and under their belly and lift straight up. Like BradH said, they pretty much go stiff when you handle them so you can lift them like that and they don't move. You can also grab them by their tail and hold them vertically because their scales are pretty rough so it's east to grip them like that.
SirSnookalot reply :
A fish that size should not be much of problem to hold behind the neck area, I'd use a little more caution with one larger, it's a wonderful eating fish.
CC268 reply :
I guess I should pick up a landing net, I don't have one and it would probably be useful with trying to get the hook out and stuff
Teal reply :
Get a decent set of pliers and put them in your pocket if your not comfortable handling the the fish with your hands. I wouldnt worry about the pliers hurting a walleye, because hes going in the frying pan anyway. I agree with everybody else, easily the best tasting freshwater fish.
Ive only caught a few walleye down here, but they are easy to handle with bare hands. Like a few others said, they tend to stiffen up and make it easy.
Hanover_Yakker reply :
Looks like a walleye to me. Another cool tool utilized by many in the kayak fishing world for all fish but real handy for toothy critters is The FishGrip. $12-14 and it floats!!!
http://kayakfishinggear.com/thefishgrip-madeintheusa-newcolorspinkandglowinthedark.aspx
CC268 reply :
I may pick up one of those fish grips
J Francho reply :
Turn it upside down, and it'll freeze.Just watch out for the dorsal spines.
CoBass reply :
Nice Walleye, congrats. I rarely keep fish for the frying pan but when I do it's usually a walleye. As others have already said, they're very tasty. A bunch of the guys I fish with get together a few times a year at the lake for a walleye fry. It's a full day of stuffing your face and fishing for more eyes with your buddies. Doesn't get any better than that.
CC268 reply :
They got spines too?!? haha jeez man now I definitely want a fish grip
Crabcakes reply :
Not trying to be a wise guy or anything but you can also just wet your hand and grab it instead of spending money. It's not some kind of poisonous monster fish. Thousands of angler grab em behind the head and throw em back every weekend.
If you're set on it the fish grips are a good product. I use them a lot in saltwater. A rubberized net is a must have from the boat but if you're bank fishing that's a pain.
J Francho reply :
On 3/28/2013 at 4:50 AM, CC268 said:They got spines too?!? haha jeez man now I definitely want a fish grip
Ever catch a yellow perch? They're basically an overgrown version of that.
SirSnookalot reply :
Walleye, aka walleyed pike, pickerel, in the perch family
airborne_angler reply :
Speaking of Walleye, I'm about 30 minutes from thre border of Mexico and there's a restaurant here that serves Walleye. This fish really only exists up in N Az where the OP caught his. Makes me wonder if its really Walleye and just how fresh it is.I've never eaten Walleye, so if I ordered it, I probably wouldn't know if it actually was Walleye.
airborne_angler reply :
Walleye are also related to the Sauger
slonezp reply :
On 3/28/2013 at 10:45 PM, airborne_angler said:Speaking of Walleye, I'm about 30 minutes from thre border of Mexico and there's a restaurant here that serves Walleye. This fish really only exists up in N Az where the OP caught his. Makes me wonder if its really Walleye and just how fresh it is.I've never eaten Walleye, so if I ordered it, I probably wouldn't know if it actually was Walleye.
Probably farm raised in Europe. There is little to no commercial walleye fishing in the U.S. and Canada. Finding fresh walleye even up north is a rarity.
Scott F reply :
On 3/29/2013 at 7:09 AM, slonezp said:Probably farm raised in Europe. There is little to no commercial walleye fishing in the U.S. and Canada. Finding fresh walleye even up north is a rarity.
The Canadians commercially fish The Great Lakes, Lake of the Woods, Lake Nippegon and Eagle Lake among others.
SirSnookalot reply :
On 3/29/2013 at 7:09 AM, slonezp said:Probably farm raised in Europe. There is little to no commercial walleye fishing in the U.S. and Canada. Finding fresh walleye even up north is a rarity.
My dad was in the fish business for 30 years in Detroit, one of the best selling fish was lake Erie pickerel (walleye) netted commercially from Canada. Another very popular over the counter fish was Lake Superior whitefish commercially caught. Off the top of my head I can't think of any other fish as popular as those 2 for purchase at a fish market in our area of the country.
CyRaX reply :
nice catch, looks clean as heck. I see why people eat them
Capt.Bob reply :
It's a Walleye, my suggestion would be with a fillet knife! I have been killing them for the past week off Lake Erie in the Maumee River, this is their annual run and the Jacks that size are the best eating you will find. I prefer 19" to 23" as the best for the skillet! I usually catch 20 to 60 a day this time of year, I am only allowed 4 a day but by the first week of May I will have the freezer full and other than a few Bluegill and a couple Pike, Yellow Perch are the only fish I will keep the rest of the year, but nothing eats better than Walleye and Yellow Perch.
CC268 reply :
On 3/31/2013 at 2:15 PM, Capt.Bob said:It's a Walleye, my suggestion would be with a fillet knife! I have been killing them for the past week off Lake Erie in the Maumee River, this is their annual run and the Jacks that size are the best eating you will find. I prefer 19" to 23" as the best for the skillet! I usually catch 20 to 60 a day this time of year, I am only allowed 4 a day but by the first week of May I will have the freezer full and other than a few Bluegill and a couple Pike, Yellow Perch are the only fish I will keep the rest of the year, but nothing eats better than Walleye and Yellow Perch.
Bad thing is that there is a mercury warning in Lake Mary right now
Jig Meister reply :
On 3/27/2013 at 5:18 AM, BrettD said:Best eating freshwater fish I've ever had. Its one fish I really wish we had in FL.
The only fish I will keep if I catch them, worth it for 2 or 3 to make some dinner, besides perch I can't think of anything else around here that is as good....maybe crappie or bluegill
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