Do You Like Pike?

I’ve caught a couple of nice (4-6 lbs) Pike this week on tip-ups, and rather than releasing them I decided to keep them.
I like the taste of Pike. I know others do too, but it seems like whenever I’m fishing with anyone who catches one they throw it back. The hammer handles gotta go back but in my opinion the best eaters are between 4 lbs and 8 lbs.
I could live without the slime and the smell, but it’s not as bad as the smell of Musky.
Do you like Pike?

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I do. They’re fantastic on the table!

Better than walleye!

I just kept one this week for the first time in many years. We cooked it up today and it was good but nobody ever really showed me how to clean them so I feel like I am wasting so much meat. It’s not the taste of them from the pan its the slime, the smell, and cleaning them that’s the reason I don’t keep them.

Mmmmmmm Northern, better’n walleye. Save the strip with the Y bones and pickle it. The bones will be gone after 2 weeks in the brine. Don’t forget the white port wine in the recipe.
I’m going to also make chowder from some pieces of filet.

There’s a push my many to start keeping the hammer handles. Some lakes are getting over run with them and the DNR has been changing regulations on keeper sizes. Some advisory groups were suggesting “no limit” on smaller northerns.

I’m a 3 pound for eating size guy but the 1.5 to 2 pounders are perfect for pickling. I turn my nose up at pickled herring now days. Yuck!

I rarely keep them, though once in a while I’ll keep one in the 26″ to 29″ range caught on a tip-up. But they are definitely my favorite fish to eat. Once you get the hang of filleting one it is not at all difficult. Not sure why they call them “Y” bones though as they are actually “L” shaped.

Dave Ansell wrote:

I just kept one this week for the first time in many years. We cooked it up today and it was good but nobody ever really showed me how to clean them so I feel like I am wasting so much meat. It’s not the taste of them from the pan its the slime, the smell, and cleaning them that’s the reason I don’t keep them.

I hear ya. I watched some videos on youtube that made it look super easy to remove the Y bones but once I did it myself I had a lot of trouble. I wasted a lot of meat in the process, but still got a lot of good meat from the fish.

If it wasn’t for the slime and Y bones they would be the most targeted fish.

I like them fresh and pickled but in my opinion, do not feel they are worth keeping if you plan to freeze them. For some reason, they do not survive the freezing process well.

Joel Ballweg wrote:

I like them fresh and pickled but in my opinion, do not feel they are worth keeping if you plan to freeze them. For some reason, they do not survive the freezing process well.

No kidding! They stink after being froze!

Never had it… but keep hearing they are good. If I knew how to clean them, I’d give it try.

Have a buddy that eats several a year. Small ones… and he says even more than other fish, for some reason, he feels the water they come out of is more important. Sure it makes a difference all the time with any fish, but more so with pike. Why??? have no guess.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Joel Ballweg wrote:</div>
I like them fresh and pickled but in my opinion, do not feel they are worth keeping if you plan to freeze them. For some reason, they do not survive the freezing process well.

No kidding! They stink after being froze!

I noticed that too…the best I’ve been able to do is thaw them very slowly in the refrigerator. Still they don’t seem to freeze well for me. Anybody know a better way?

I love them. I have never had a fish fry with unhappy people when a 5-10lb pike was on the menu……

I’ve been spearing 3 times so far this year and have not seen a keeper yet. I have only seen a bunch of runts and one about 15lbs…. Getting hungry!

I enjoy pike as well. Like those thick 24-28″.

Pike are great. With this day and age, if you don’t know how to clean them it’s not too hard find something on the Internet. If slime is a drawback crappies are slimy too. I always thought pike had more flavor than walleye or panfish.

I go after hammer handles more than any other fish when I’m up north. Sorry I live in gill country. I love them pickled, fried and even grilled. Once you know how to get the y bone out your golden, plus in the ice the meat is firmer.

They are great. I also eat pike between 4 to 8 pounds. Bigger than 8 # are breeders with genes for big fish, so I release them. smaller than 4 # and they are to bony. I just fry them up.
Walleye has a slight edge for table fare, but pike are a good runner up. For game fish pike fight harder than may species.

I pickle most off the ones I catch. Think I will start a new batch today. For frying I prefer Eye’s and panfish but once and a while I do pike and have no problem eating them.

every one I have ever seen looks like a “Y”….?

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