While filleting some walleye the other day, I got to wondering if there would be a market for fish leather. The little digging I've done into the matter shows just a few "designer" pieces such as wallets and some shoes, mostly. Has anyone ever made fish leather? If so, what did you use it for?

I've never done anything but the Native Americans in the Pacific NW used to tan salmon skins.

Some use fish leather for backing on primitive bows. Northern pike looks really cool.

Moosetrot

https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/6754701/1

Keith

A guy I know that lives half an hour from me makes some beautiful leather out of walleye skins. Wallets, flyswatters, and I believe he also uses it on some fur mitts and moccasins. Next time I'm down there I'll have to take some pictures. Pretty sure he gets all his skins from commercial fisherman on lake Winnipeg, so they have that green coloring. Pretty neat.

https://walleyewallets.com/

I have made fish leather using salmon, pike, and sheefish. I plan to try whitefish this year. I have not made anything out if it personally, but I have seen or heard of the wallets, handbags, shoes, belts, inlay of on other leather products. I can rip it, but for how thin it is it is surprisingly strong.

At our farm there is a commercial trout hatchery and they offer these things made from trout skins. Very tough evidently.

http://www.maroquinerie-banka.com/fr/3-eshop

Pete

I want me some gar cowboy boots.

I know a guy who was selling King Salmon skin baseball caps for $500 a pop. He couldn't make enough of them.
He used a couple of different bark tans, I remember his hemlock bark tan made a beautiful brownish burgundy colored leather, tough too.

^

Would take a young man to wear those out eh’ ?