Cleaning pike

Anyone have a printout of how to filet the Y-bones out of a northern pike. Going to a lake that is chock full and would love to learn.
Thanks
Dream’n

I know there are lots of videos on Youtube how to do it.

Anyone every try that technique on youtube where you section off the pike into 5 filets? The back, 2 sides, and 2 tail filets.

I do 3 filets… Go down the back until you hit the dorsal fin. Depending on depth of cut and size of pike, you might need to v-cut out a line of spine bones…

Then take your knife and “feel” along the top of the y-bones on each side of the pike. Go about halfway down the side of the fish in this manner, then you can make a cut at the bottom and filet out the rear portion of the meat like you would the back portion of a walleye.

3 filets, no bones. The carcass ends uplooking like almost like a square, with a flat top and sides.

Whitt

Best way I found is to take filet knive with U.

When U get a sough shark on reel in and cut the line.

That way you do not have to respool as soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP-Y6oQ18AU

That Youtube looks like a lot of waste to me. I fillet it out like usual,then go after the Y bones from the side.

Pretty much the same as a Musky…

big G

Ive heard good clean water pike in the 26-32″ range can taste pretty good.

I always do filet them so that there’s only two fillets. Fillet like a normal fish and then take the Y bones out.The bigger fish work best. On a side not if you pickel them, you don’t have to remove the Y bones.

this is how i do it. if you cut along those edges you can feel your knife tick those bones.

Quote:

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this is how i do it. if you cut along those edges you can feel your knife tick those bones.

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Instead of just throwing away that middle section, you could throw away the whole thing and go get a walleye or crappie.

I try not to let those stinking slimy things in my boat.

Ruger, good point… You are right, of course…

I should have put a disclaimer on my how-to post… The last time I kept a pike to eat was… umm… so long ago I don’t remember.. But as a kid, we used to clean a lot of them, so I got pretty darn good at it.

(Actually, they aren’t bad when fresh, but my opinion is they are TERRIBLE after being frozen…) Again, only my opinion.

fresh out of cold water you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference. but i agree, i don’t like them frozen. the flesh doesn’t agree with the freezing.