Eating Pike

[TJQ]

TJ.

 

How many beer did you consume before you ate the pike heads?

 

 

That my friend... is the second story... LOLOL

 

BTW.. I can clan a boneless pike in half the time it takes me to do a pickerel...

[Rattletrap2]

I have always used the "5 fillet" method and it works well. The video method looks interesting too, and I might give it a try. Pike are excellent eating fishand if cleaned properly, are a real treat. In most of the lakes, Pike are over populated and are decimating other fish stocks. I prefer to keep them in the 3 pound size. More meat, but still not too large or old.

 

Any time we want a fish fry, it is usually Pike we go for. Clampets link shows the method I use.

[Headhunter]

Pike caught through the ice are excellent table fair! I'm usually pretty cautious when the water gets warmer, but I really do enjoy a feed of pike.

HH

[ryanheritage]

Wow!! I guess I have been missing out. Its funny cause as soon as the season opens for pike and pickerel at my lake I can't keep the pike off my line. They are an every second cast fish, that I enjoy because they are great fighters even when they are only about 12-24 inches. In early spring we use top water for some unstopable action and it never even occurred to eat one cause I have been told they are fishy and bony. Now I am itching to get out and catch a few and fry em up. I guess a pike fish fry is in order this spring.........

[Headhunter]

If you find that the Pike are tasting "overly fishy", simply soak the fillets in milk for a coupla of hours in the fridge and most of the "fisheyness" will be gone!

HH

[Entropy]

just cause it smells bad doesn't mean you shouldn't eat it.

[Tdel]

Pike is great for a meal. To cut down on the fishy taste when caught in the summer I don't use all of the belly meat. Some people give the belly to their kids or wife because there are no bones. I take off the skin and remove the belly and the fishy taste is cut down a lot. If it is early spring, winter or fall and the water is cold I like to leave the skin on and sometimes cook up the boneless belly meat.

 

Tom

[Tacklebuster]

I think Pike are excellent eating, perhaps one of my fav's. I thought I would also add this pike cleaning link, which I think is the best I have seen so far. Some of you probably already seen this one, its in French, but the video is quite detailed so you dont really need audio, in case you dont speak French.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-32gVbaXDg

[Puckhead]

I think Pike are excellent eating, perhaps one of my fav's.

 

Please do tell me what sport fish isn't on your fav list...

[The Urban Fisherman]

yepp - the old man hated cleaning them but I made him keep me hammer handles all my life...now that I live down south I've gotta figure out how to clean them myself!

 

UF

[JerseyDog]

I agree with many of the above - pike out of super cold water/ice is my fave and better than walleye. IMHO.

 

I don't keep summer pike, but I've prepared a few gut hooked bass that were pretty swampy and a good soak in cold water for a while helps to get the grassiness out of them.