Anchor Inn Resort

Popular Fish

The Gentle Walleye

Walleyes are one of the most popular fish in our lake.

The common name, "walleye," comes from the fact that their eyes, like those of cats, reflect light. This eyeshine is the result of a light-gathering layer in the eyes called the tapetum lucidum which allows the fish to see well in low-light conditions. In fact, many anglers look for walleyes at night since this is when most major feeding patterns occur. Their eyes also allow them to see well in turbid waters (stained or rough, breaking waters) which gives them an advantage over their prey. Walleye anglers will commonly look for days and locations where there is a good "walleye chop" (i.e., rough water).

Steps to Fillet a Walleye

Put your knife behind the fish's fin with your knife blade pointing down.
Cut straight down to the backbone without cutting through the backbone, and then turn your knife sideways to point the blade towards the tail.
Cut straight down the backbone to the tail.
Now you have the fillet sliced off the fish. The next step is to take out the rib cage.
Put your blade at the edge of the rib cage and slice along the rib cage about 1 inch in. Keep the edge of the knife close to the rib cage so you don't cut into the meat.
On a Walleye, the rib cage is about an inch wide and 5 inches long. Point the blade down on the other side of the rib cage and slice down about 1/8th of an inch the whole length of the rib cage.
Now grab the rib cage and tear it out.
Hold the thin end of the fillet (the tail) with your fingernail and cut down to the skin and then cut straight along the skin while keeping the knife close to the skin so it is basically scrapping it. Go all the way down to the end and remove the skin.
Now you have a fillet but there is still a tiny row of bones to cut out. You can feel the bones with your fingers. They go about half way down the fillet. Cut through the fillet on either site of the ridge of bones and take them out.
Now wash the fillets in clean water and they are ready to cook.

See a video of it done here!

The Northern Pike

Pikes are found in sluggish streams and shallow, weedy places in lakes, as well as in cold, clear, rocky waters. Pike are typical ambush predator, they lie in wait for prey, holding perfectly still for long periods and then exhibit remarkable acceleration as they strike. The fish has a distinctive habit of catching its prey sideways in the mouth, killing or immobilizing it with its sharp teeth, and then turning the prey headfirst to swallow it. Pike will aggressively strike at any fish in the vicinity, even at other pike. Young pike have been found dead from choking on a pike of a similar size. Northern pike also feed on frogs, insects and leeches.

Steps to Fillet a Northern Pike

Cut down to the backbone just below the gill, then slide the knife along the backbone to the tail leaving the fillet attached at the tail. Cut out the lower rib bones by letting the knife slide under the bones to the bottom of the fillet
To remove Y-bones find the lateral line that runs through the center of the fillet. Once found, run the tip of a very sharp knife down the center line on an angle toward the upper portion of the fillet.
You should feel bones, stay under them. Cut down to the skin but not through it.
Next feel with your fingers along the upper portion of the fillet; you should feel ends of bone that stick through the fillet. These bumps of bones are where you cut them from the backbone when you split the side.
Take your knife and cut the meat from the top side of that line of bones again toward the top of the fillet. The knife should literally slide along the bones. You'll notice that the closer you get to the head, the closer the bones run to the edge of the fillet and will result in less saved meat near the head. You are literally cutting (saving) the upper meat. This cut literally works on top of the bones, while your center cut in the upward direction works under the bones.
When you have finished with the cut, pick up that portion to that was cut out and strip it back along the fillet from the head back to the tail. This section contains all of the Y-bones, so throw it away.
Using the tail as your handle, skin the fillet. You should have a skinny strip of meat that was on the upper portion of the fillet (delicious by the way, it is like a fish stick), and the lower portion. It looks like two strips of meat joined near the end of the tail. It looks like you waste a lot of meat, but you really don't.
Flip the fish over and repeat the process. When you rinse the fillets, you can easily feel any missed bones.

See a video of it done here!

The Burbot

From time to time our Anglers catch this kind of fish and although they are ugly, they are very tasty to eat.

The easiest way to clean a burbot is to hang it by its head from a nail, cut around the skin near the neck, and pull the skin down to the tail using a pair of pliers. The fins can now be removed with pliers. The fish can be left whole with fins and head removed or it can be filleted. Your burbot is now ready to be fried, baked, or poached. No matter how it is cooked, the meat is flaky and a gourmet's delight.