Northern Pike

Jon Jordan wrote:

I’ve switched over to this method of cleaning pike.

Also let them soak in icy salt water for about an hour.

<div class=”ido-oembed-wrap”><iframe loading=”lazy” title=”How to Fillet a Pike (and Get 5 Boneless Fillets!)” width=”850″ height=”478″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/4JkA68kceCw?feature=oembed&#8221; frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen=””></iframe></div>
-J.

Johnnie Candle and Billy Rosner have YouTube videos with variations of this method and they all work really well. You don’t have to be a neurosurgeon to skin the pike this way. You end up with 5 thinner fillets (yet enough meat) which I prefer over thick, fleshy walleye.

If everyone were to harvest 50 little scud missile pike each year, it would improve the pike fishing as well as other species. And provide great table fare ~

KP wrote:

Salt water? Does this effect the taste?

I’ve done this and the amount of salt you use is MUCH less than whatever’s in your favorite breading or seasoning. But personally I didn’t notice a difference between using salt or just plain water as long as the water is ice cold and they get a good soak.

crossin_eyes wrote:

Another good tip…If you catch a pike (or just about any fish for that matter) that you know you are going to keep, is cut their throat while they are in the livewell. Bleeding them out right away is not only much less messy when you clean the fish, but the fillets are much less bloody or muddy tasting as well.

Like many have said, I’ve never eaten a <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>pike that wasn’t as good or better table fare than any other fish I’ve had.

X2. I now bleed almost all fish that I keep to eat. Like said, way less mess when cleaning and way better tasting fish – Win Win !!!

FryDog62 wrote:

If everyone were to harvest 50 little scud missile pike each year, it would improve the pike fishing as well as other species. And provide great table fare ~

100% agree. I normally don’t keep many pike in the summer months, but am going to plan to do so a little more often this summer. I think more people keeping FAR more of the small pike would have a more positive effect on the quality of pike in Minnesota than all the things the DNR has tried.

Not sure why Pike are closed in the southern 2/3s of the state-why is pike fishing closed on Pelican where they are draining the lake to help the ducks? They dump walleyes in lakes like Big Marine that has so many small pike its like pouring baby rabbits into a cage filled with coyotes and yet pike fishing is closed right now. I do not think every pike needs to be killed to help walleyes in fact I believe in catch and release for big pike, but lakes with huge #s of small fish is a different story.

We’re headed to Canada next month and I primarily fish walleyes. But of course there are pike in the same areas. Besides live bait rigging, I like to use plastics on jigs for eyes too.

So do fluoro leaders when fishing jigs & plastics help reduce pike cut-offs at all? And if so, what pound line should be used that won’t affect the walleyes, but help prevent cut-offs on pike?

Weekender wrote:

We’re headed to Canada next month and I primarily fish walleyes. But of course there are pike in the same areas. Besides live bait rigging, I like to use plastics on jigs for eyes too.

So do fluoro leaders when fishing jigs & plastics help reduce pike cut-offs at all? And if so, what pound line should be used that won’t affect the walleyes, but help prevent cut-offs on pike?

I can’t comment on if the stuff I use will affect your walleye presentation, but I use Seaguar Blue Label in 30 pound test when bass fishing with certain presentations. It’s a little stiff to tie knots with but the pack of pike teeth haven’t cut through it yet. I used 20 pound test last season and it wasn’t strong enough.

buck-slayer wrote:

Caught some pike last week. Watched a utube video on removing y bones. Did a pretty good job at it. But they didn’t taste as good as other fish. Would soaking them in milk over night have helped?

This is really curious to me. Northerns are really light, white, flakey meat. Normally super awesome. Did you clean dogfish or something? Kidding of course.

robby wrote:

This is really curious to me. Northerns are really light, white, flakey meat. Normally super awesome.

I’ve had bad pike before. It was caught out of some really warm summer water (like 80+ degrees). Normally they are fine but since that experience I prefer to keep them in the spring or fall when the water is cooler. And always on the small side too. Bigger ones go back.

What I have done for years when cleaning pike is roll them up in a sheet of newspaper for a few minutes. That will absorb the slim and make it much easier to handle the pike.

I get the y-bones out then like to cut them into fish sticks or put the filets on foil on the grill with ranch & seasonings.