How to Clean and Cook a Walleye
A walleye is a sharp-toothed fish with a white tip on the lower tail, and the meal starts before the pan. Bleed it, get it cold, trim the dark line, and cook the thickest piece to 145 F. This note is the fish, the meat, the cleaning, and one way to cook it. It does not name a bag limit, because the species page read October 25, 2026 does not state one.
The fish
Colorado Parks and Wildlife says walleye were introduced in 1949 and placed in most large warm-water and cool-water reservoirs. The body runs from silver or golden to dark olive brown. Look for two separate dorsal fins, a dark spot at the base of the last three spines in the front fin, a white spot on the bottom lobe of the tail, and sharp canine teeth. See CPW's walleye page.
CPW says adults feed on other fish, and that people catch them by slowly cranking jigs and spinners over the bottom. Wind stirs the bottom and muddies the water. CPW says the fish hunt well in that murk because of their eyesight, and anglers call a good wind the walleye chop. That is the species page, not a promise for a named lake today.
The same page says the Wray Hatchery gets walleye and saugeye eggs from broodstock at Cherry Creek Reservoir and Chatfield Reservoir. That is a hatchery fact. It is not a report of what is biting at either lake.
The meat
Minnesota DNR calls the fillets thick and white, and says the name comes from the eye. A reflective layer helps the fish see at night and in murky water. On Minnesota waters, DNR says the average walleye kept is about 14 inches and a little over 1 pound. That average is Minnesota's, not a Colorado size limit. Read the Minnesota DNR walleye note.
CPW says walleye are one of Colorado's tastiest fish and that some have been caught heavier than 18 pounds. Keep the fish you mean to eat. Let the rest go in the same water, with wet hands and your fingers out of the gills.
Cleaning, and the mistake at each step
- Kill and bleed the fish at the water, then get it into a cold cooler. The mistake is a fish that sits in a warm bucket. The meat softens before you reach a board.
- Keep your hand out of the mouth. The teeth are canine-shaped. The mistake is a thumb hooked in the jaw for a photo.
- Use a sharp, thin knife. Minnesota DNR's filleting page says a dull knife is harder and more likely to slip. Cut just behind the pectoral fin through to the backbone, then run the blade along the backbone to the tail. Turn the blade and come back through the ribs. Flip the fish and take the other side. Read those filleting steps. The mistake is pressing harder with a dull edge.
- Trim the dark red meat along the lateral line and just under the skin. A Minnesota DNR fisheries note lists walleye among the fish where that strip should come off. The mistake is cooking it because it is thin.
- Look at the fillet. Minnesota DNR describes a walleye-only condition called myofibrogranuloma. The outside of the fish looks normal. The meat looks semi-clear, or yellowish brown and knotted, like freezer burn. DNR says eating that fillet is not recommended, and that unused parts should be buried or go out with household trash. Do not throw the entrails back in the lake. Read that disease note.
- Rinse, pat dry, and get the fillets back into the cold cooler. Wash your hands, the board, and the knife before they touch food you will eat as-is.
One way to cook it
Heat a pan until it is hot, oil it, and lay the fillet in. Leave it until a cooked edge shows, then turn it once. Pull it when the thickest part reads 145 F. That is the same FDA temperature on our lake trout guide. The FDA page says that without a thermometer the fish is done when the flesh is clear and separates with a fork. Read the FDA seafood page. The mistake is a flip every minute. The crust never forms.
Salt and pepper are enough. If the cooked fish smells sour or like ammonia, do not eat it. Do not leave the cooked fish out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if the air is above 90 F.
A bag limit is a different page for each lake. This note does not print one.
Gear for the cleaning table and the truck
The engraved VCO 7" Fillet Knife is open for pre-order: $42.99 pre-order. No ship date yet. Full refund any time before it ships. For coffee on the drive out, the VCO Tumbler ($36) and Valley Merch Pack ($99) are made to order, ships from Grand Junction.
Planning for hard water? See the Viral Cast Ice Rod: $164.99 pre-order. No ship date yet. Full refund any time before it ships.
Plan the trip
Read our latest Colorado fishing reports, browse the Colorado Fish Kitchen, or open the VCO Trip Builder to plan your day.