Having caught plenty of Walleye myself. I remember the first time I was starting to target them. As with any other fish I dug into the research first. What do they eat, when do they eat, where to they eat, the best rod, reel, lures, you know the deal. One of the most important questions with any new fish you want to target is whether or not they have teeth!
Do Walleye Have Teeth?
Yes Walleye have teeth, as such you need the right gear to catch them! With Walleye’s teeth, you don’t need much thicker leader than a Fluorocarbon leader. Wire leader is overkill when fishing for Walleye.
A Fluorocarbon leader is the right type of leader for Walleye because their teeth aren’t that big. A wire leader might not get snapped, but it is also easily seen by these predatory fish. This can lead to less bites on your lure, something no fisherman/woman wants!
The Fluorocarbon leader is practically invisible to the Walleye making it the right choice when presenting the smaller lures to them. Fluorocarbon is also more abrasion resistant than monofilament, so it stands up to teeth better.
Best Fluorocarbon Leader for Walleye
The best Fluorocarbon leader for Walleye is Seaguar’s Gold Label Fluorocarbon leader. This stuff is stronger, thinner, and more abrasion resistant than most other flurocarbons out there! Tie this stuff up and the Walleye won’t have a chance.
Walleye Teeth
Walleye use their teeth to catch their prey. They sink them into the smaller baitfish that they naturally catch. Their teeth are rounded at the tip, so they won’t cut you as easily as say a Pike or Gar will. I do still recommend using a pair of fish grips when handling them. These Rapala fish grips are great for any toothy creatures you catch!
Are Walleye Teeth Sharp?
In comparison to other toothy fish, Walleye’s teeth are not sharp! Generally they are rounded at the top, but they are still teeth and should be taken seriously. Don’t go around lipping these fish all willy nilly. You want to be sure to handle them carefully.
If you take a close look at the picture below you can see that the teeth are not the sharpest teeth in the shed!
Can Walleye Bite Through Line
Since Walleye’s teeth are rounded at the top and spaced out, it is going to be very hard for a Walleye to bite through line. The Walleye teeth can not cut through line. Therefore, you do not need to worry about using a wire leader as you would with Pike or Muskie. A Fluorocarbon leader will do just fine!
How to Handle/Hold a Walleye: How to Unhook a Walleye
Once you have caught your Walleye, you now need to unhook the Walleye. Now that you know these fish have multiple teeth lining the inside of their mouth it is important that you take this process seriously.
This process is made a lot easier with those fish grips mentioned earlier in the article! All you need to do is clip them into the Walleye’s lip and you can unhook the Walleye right then and there!
If you don’t have the fish grips, it requires a little more finesse! To hold a Walleye without fish grips you basically need to palm the fish. If you have ever handled a trout or bigger sunfish it is similar to that.
You pick the walleye up by placing your thumb above its dorsal fin and fingers under its stomach. Using this hold, it should be a lot easier and safer to handle the Walleye and unhook your lure!
More Freshwater Fishing Information and Tips
Now that you have this knowledge, you have put one piece of the puzzle together. Go check out some of our other detailed videos and articles. To put all those pieces together and consistently catch fish.