Panfried predator!

[blittle913]

Fried up some pike tonight for the first time and it was delicious! But the bones were almost enough to make me not want to keep em anymore. Does anyone have any advise on how to clean em with atleast fewer bones?

[USMarine1171]

My dad filets em somehow into cubes about 1 inch square on all sides....no bones...i'll have to ask him how.

[fasthunter]

My dad filets em somehow into cubes about 1 inch square on all sides....no bones...i'll have to ask him how.
That's how I cut up my pike too if I'm not going to smoke em. I just cut them into nuggets around the Y bones.

[Bagman]

http://www.redrockstore.com/eat_northern_pike/index.htm

Easier to just pull out them bones, them bones, them dirty y bones.

That instructional made me laugh quite a bit. I've filleted them out, but I tell ya it is easier just to pull em out after its cooked.

[Crooked Dave]

Pull up YouTube and do a search for "fillet a Northern Pike", and you'll get several videos on ways to do this. Tight Lines

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fillet%20a%20northern%20pike&search=Search&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&spell=1

[RyGuy525]

:yeahthat: After you clean a few of them it is a breeze to get boneless fillets. :corkysm55 I love pike!

[SomeYahoo]

I've seen this one before... haven't had the chance to try myself.

http://www.ontariofishing.net/news/newsmar2001-4.htm

[Tim Huizenga]

I think i have a step by step diagram in my pics....

[sea nympho]

There are 3 different ways, that I know of, to debone pike filets.
One even leaves the filet whole.
I think one is shown on the In-Fish website.

[dobes]

I will run my knife along both sides of the "y" bones and cut them out . If you have a sharp knife you should be able to cut them out without wasting very much meat . It leaves you with a split fillet but it has no bones .

[outdoor junkie]

I will run my knife along both sides of the "y" bones and cut them out . If you have a sharp knife you should be able to cut them out without wasting very much meat . It leaves you with a split fillet but it has no bones .

This is also how I do it. People think I'm crazy, but pike are my absolute favorite fish to eat. As long as they're not too big. Above about 35" they all get released.

[Reihlsportsman]

just started eating pike this winter, and I will never throw one back again, unless of course it is too small or too big (over 36")

[bigsid]

Good thread.....

Now all I have to do is catch a legal one and put it to some good use!;):corkysm55

[kcarlson]

Northern beer bites yummy!:corkysm55

[Fishslayer5789]

Fried up some pike tonight for the first time and it was delicious! But the bones were almost enough to make me not want to keep em anymore. Does anyone have any advise on how to clean em with atleast fewer bones?

Well, I fillet them completely boneless by cutting the back meat along the y-bones to remove them so that the fillets end up in 4 strips. They are a great tasting fish that's for sure!!!;) I usually don't keep pike unless they are over 30 inches so it is worth the time and effort to fillet them and plus, the strips of meat are otherwise almost too small to even bother. I throw back 24-28 inchers all the time.

[sea nympho]

Pike 30"+ do not taste as good. 24" the best. 30"+should be released to help the big pike population and the population of every other species in the lake.

PIKE SLOT LIMITS NOW!!! (zero harvest between 28"-36", only 1 over 36")

When I boneless filet a 24" pike the filet is left WHOLE, and it IS NOT too small, neither are the pieces if you debone it by cutting the filet into pieces...

...unless you're not very good with a knife! LMAO!!