For FishingMagician.com, I'm Eric Granstrom. To bleed or not to bleed, that is the question. When salmon fishing in the upper Columbia River during the summer time, whether it be Chinook or Sockeye, once we're lucky enough to catch a keeper, I do two things. First, I give the ole "welcome aboard" love tap on the top of its head with my fish thumper before trying to remove hooks from a squirming, flopping fish. Then, if it's a larger Chinook, I'll take a knife and cut it's gills to bleed the fish. If it's a smaller Sockeye, I'll just use my finger and reach in and pull the gills out on one side to bleed it. Depending on the weather, I'll either put it in water to bleed out or it will go directly in a bag on ice. While I've done this for salmon, I'll admit I haven't done this for smaller species such as walleye or trout. Although the more I read and learn from other fisherman, there's no reason not to bleed them as well. I doubt it affects the taste, but if you're serving fish to a newbie, best to present a good looking meal. Until next time, Good Fishing!