CC268 Posted March 26, 2013 Posted March 26, 2013 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. Quote
Super User Scott F Posted March 26, 2013 Super User Posted March 26, 2013 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'! Quote
CC268 Posted March 26, 2013 Author Posted March 26, 2013 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 Quote
Super User Scott F Posted March 26, 2013 Super User Posted March 26, 2013 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. 2 Quote
CC268 Posted March 26, 2013 Author Posted March 26, 2013 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 Quote
bullett 21 Posted March 26, 2013 Posted March 26, 2013 Walleye .a good eating fish white meat .delicious.Grab them by the eyes ,use your thumb & forefinger and squeeze . 1 Quote
BradH Posted March 26, 2013 Posted March 26, 2013 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. Quote
BrettD Posted March 26, 2013 Posted March 26, 2013 Best eating freshwater fish I've ever had. Its one fish I really wish we had in FL. Quote
CC268 Posted March 26, 2013 Author Posted March 26, 2013 Well I don't plan to eat one just catch and release haha...maybe I will keep one sometime though Quote
Super User Scott F Posted March 26, 2013 Super User Posted March 26, 2013 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. Quote
Hyrule Bass Posted March 27, 2013 Posted March 27, 2013 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... Quote
Super User slonezp Posted March 27, 2013 Super User Posted March 27, 2013 Their gill plates are sharp. Delicious fish. Cut out the cheeks and fry those up as well Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted March 27, 2013 Global Moderator Posted March 27, 2013 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. Quote
Super User SirSnookalot Posted March 27, 2013 Super User Posted March 27, 2013 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. Quote
CC268 Posted March 27, 2013 Author Posted March 27, 2013 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 Quote
Super User Teal Posted March 27, 2013 Super User Posted March 27, 2013 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. Quote
Hanover_Yakker Posted March 27, 2013 Posted March 27, 2013 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 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted March 27, 2013 Super User Posted March 27, 2013 Turn it upside down, and it'll freeze.Just watch out for the dorsal spines. 1 Quote
CoBass Posted March 27, 2013 Posted March 27, 2013 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. Quote
CC268 Posted March 27, 2013 Author Posted March 27, 2013 They got spines too?!? haha jeez man now I definitely want a fish grip Quote
Crabcakes Posted March 28, 2013 Posted March 28, 2013 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. 2 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted March 28, 2013 Super User Posted March 28, 2013 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. Quote
Super User SirSnookalot Posted March 28, 2013 Super User Posted March 28, 2013 Walleye, aka walleyed pike, pickerel, in the perch family Quote
airborne_angler Posted March 28, 2013 Posted March 28, 2013 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. Quote
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