metzger pier pike

[rscotfish]

was at bait shop hanging out with buddy's when I fellow angler come in and was buying these plastic frogs and other larger baits so I asked what he was using them on he told me northern pike and largemouth and smallmouth off of the pier his wife caught a 38 inch northern pike and a few smaller ones the day before. then 1 day in the spring a fellow angler drove in with a kyack on top his car and bought some shinners and worms I asked him where he was fishing he told me inside the marsh at metzgers and he was catching a lot of them they were all under 30 inches. I never new there was that many pike there and I been docking and fishing there for 36 years ive caught crappie bluegill, catfish. bullhead, white perch, yellow perch dog fish, carp, largemouth, even caught a burbot that I did not know what it was until I took it to the bait shop and they told me what it was and it looked weird .1 northern pike in all that time and it was in a net trying to catch shinners around 24 inches. do you eat pike I threw it back

[PDnaz]

Pike can be delicious if cooked and cleaned correctly. They have a Y bone that can be tricky to clean and make them boneless. They are slimy and stinky but very edible if done correctly.

[half pole]

Very good eating

[rscotfish]

if we get some decent weather im going to try it cleaning them might be a challenge but I would like to taste them

[wakina]

if we get some decent weather im going to try it cleaning them might be a challenge but I would like to taste them

You should get the skin off of the fillets as soon as possible. I made the mistake of filleting some and putting them in water and then the fridge. They continue to make snot until skinned. I remember changing the water twice and rinsing them each time, still were snotty the next morning after work when I skinned them. Once skinned they were fine. As stated earlier getting the Y bones out is the hard part. Those bones make eating them a real challenge. I think they are as good as walleyes in their own way and the meat is whitish and firm. Maybe bleeding them would slow up some of the slime(?) who knows. Good luck and let us know how you come out.