Seems like there's a wide range of opinion out there on eating pike.  So do you eat them regularly, occasionally, or not at all?  If you don't eat them is it more because of the hassle of dealing with the bones or you just don't like the taste?

If you do eat pike, please make a second choice in the poll indicating whether or not you debone them when you fillet your catch.

What's your best method for dealing with the bones if you do eat pike?

I don't mind NP especially baked w/cream of mushroom soup, butter and breadcrumbs (I haven't tried this in the Q). My issue, even though I consider myself very good with a fillet knife is the bones. My father used to fillet a NP as any other fish and "zipper" the Y bones out of the fillet. He would end up with 4 fillets from one fish, bone free. I will give this a try again on the trip this year and see how it goes. Worst case is I make some gulls very happy with what is left.

J

Eat the hammerhandles and you don't need to worry about the bones.

I don't fish for Pike, but as we all know they're not picky and I've caught my share like it or not.

 I never ate them before I came to the QJ and read about how others enjoyed the firm steak like flesh and flavor that's better than you might think and on a par with Walleye's in some peoples opinions.

Biggest problem was I didn't know/understand how to fillet them properly I have an older copy of Furtman's BW/Q fishing guide and he has a series of illustrations on how to fillet.

I never knew that you could get 5 fillets from NP.
I still don't target them, but when I get one that's so deeply hooked it won't survive, I'll use what I can eat and give the gulls/turtles the rest.

The easiest fillets are the one running from the back of the head to dorsal fin and the two on either side of the tail. These fillet like any other fish. The big fillets on the side with the dreaded Y bones are a little harder to get to, but I'm better than I was before with the little practice I've had. A razor sharp knife is the key in filleting any fish, but especially with the fillet technique on the Y bone fillets. A sure touch helps a well.

I like Pike in Chowders as it's firm and doesn't get all mealy like Walleye can if cooked to long. Pan searing with a seasoning of choice is excellent as well. NP at least the ones I've had in the Q are not oily at all.
So a little oil is need to keep the fillets from sticking. High heat to sear and not turning to soon like you would a beef steak is a good technique.

Plenty of video's/how-to's on the web. If you haven't tried them, you might be surprised how good they are.

I don't mind Pike at all.  To eat, I mean.  The problem is that they tend to be bigger than two can eat and they're just so slimy that I'd  as soon avoid them given the choice.  There have been times, however, when it was Pike or nothing.  The meat from northern lakes isn't bad at all and perfect for chowders and stews.  Filleting them really isn't as big a deal as some may think.  I do the 5 fillet method.  Once you take the fillet off the back it's easy to see the Y bones and if your knife is sharp it's not much different at that point from filleting any other fish.

Disclaimer:
I do a website for a guy with a (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) DVD. I've never tried filleting them like he shows but I actually got a lot out of the videos. Quite a bit more than watching the hack job YouTube videos that have decimated his business.

Pike are slimy and their slime makes everything stink. If I get stuck with a bleeder, I'll do three fillets keeping as much slime off the meat as possible and I'll cut that back fillet into strips so they skin easier.

On group trips we'd often steak and poach 'em for po' mans lobster. It's pretty hard to miss a y-bone when it's intact and still attached to the spine.

I have to agree with Kleiser and would even say if you took a bass, an eye and a northern cut up in bite size pieces so as to disguise their shape differences and poached 'em, anyone would be hard pressed to tell the difference. The more they taste like fish, the more they decomposed between filleting and cooking.

pike have a bit more of a fishy taste than walleye if you dont take care of them properly. i always skin fish i clean (aside lake trout because when you bake them, the skin helps keep in the flavor) because i think it helps with the flavor and texture. also, if you leave the skin on, the breading doesnt stick as well to the fillet and falls off and burns in your oil. for pike, i cut them into fish sticks and the Y bones dissolve out when you fry them. a quick rinse in salt water helps cut the slime and fishy taste too. up in the Q i avoid pike unless they are deeply hooked (which is really rare because i use mostly single hooks on my plugs and spoons). the pike we get up there are way too big to eat anyway. plus we have never had an issue catching a meals worth of walleye, at least so far in my quetico career.

my thoughts about eating pike go beyond just the taste/hastle of cleaning them. since i was a youngin'(still am by most accounts), my father taught me about fish population sustainability. he told me to release the big ones so they could pass on their genes and make more healthy fish for years down the road. granted, this was in a smaller lake that we live on, so my efforts have more impact. up in the Q, the fish populations seem extremely healthy and vital. i release the pike because they help eliminate the weaker walleyes and help keep their populations strong and healthy. because the walleye populations are so great up there i dont feel the need to protect the walleyes at all costs like my father preached to me as a child.

My experiences match those of many others here.

I'd rather catch one than eat one.  And if I'm going to eat one, I want a surgeon with me to do the fileting (sp).  It is an art that I have not mastered.

PR

Amen Paddle_Guy.  We don't fish a ton, but if a pike on the mixed stringer makes enough for a meal, then we don't mind.  Pretty darn good eating, but the bones are a hassle.

I never ate Northern anywhere until I learned the 5 fillet method.  It works really well on fish 2-5 or so pounds, once you get the hang of it.  Whatever fish we catch is the fish of the day at dinner.