*Scroll for Product Links👇 * Everything you need to know about filleting northern pike all in one place! Northern pike (or "northerns" as some people call them) are one of the best eating fishing in fresh water. You are missing out if you always throw these firm, flaky, white meat fish back simply because you don't want to deal with the extra Y-bones or slime. It's well worth a few extra minutes on the table to harvest what I consider a better fillet than even the revered walleye! I've cleaned hundreds of pike over the years and I'm giving you everything I know about filleting these tasty critters!
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Here in Finland we call the piece with the Y-bones a mother-in-law's piece😁
😂
🤣🤣🤣
Pickle those y bone strips and theyre one of the best strips on the whole fish
I missed the cooking part I must have blinked
He he 😂
I think pike is one of the best eating fish. I’ve always just ate around the bones. I can’t wait to try this!
You’ll love it!
One thing that you will notice is that the fish will cook better. Pike have broad enough shoulders so that with a conventional filet, it is difficult to get the inside cooked right without overcooking the outside, or getting the outside done but the inside is not done yet. This thins the filet so that you can get it perfect.
Benjamin your absolutely right. That is not a filet of fish. The Y bones are so big they are easily removed when eating. Everybody has their preference, but I want a filet of fish not chicken fingers.
Hey man, I have been catching pike in Europe since 30 years, and like you, I really like to eat them. Here is something I treid out 4 years ago , and it worked amazingly well: On a hot summer fishing trip I didn't bring a cooler and caught a 5 pound pike in the morning with around 22C°. Immediately I tooke the scales off and took both sides of filets out. I left the rib-bomes in. I salted the 2 fielts, maybe about double the amount you would use on a pork roast, and left the filets in a bag without cooling. Guess what...these two filets with the skin on, came out so good. This exquisite pike taste was preserved by the salt, I loved it. I tried this because I just didnt have ice and a cooler and really wanted to eat this fish. It's sort of an outdoor bushcraft fishing hack. Take care.
Wow, interesting. I may have to experiment with that!
@@calebwistad Hi. This was a tip an old french fisherman on the atlantic coast told me. They all preserved their fish witn salt before refrigiration developed in early 50s. it's certainly not a new thing. I just tried it with pike. I was surprised how great it preserved the excellent pike flavour.
At last somebody that really knows how to filet fish. Most KZhead videos they make a mess of it and waste so much of the fish. Thank you for teaching your methods and explaining it so well.
Thanks! I’ve been filleting fish 52 weeks a year for virtually my entire life. Repetition certainly comes into play. 😂
I like to watch these videos so I can pretend I catch enough pike to worry about my filleting technique
Haha, well, when you do get one, now you have it covered! Lol
I can relate!
😂😂😂😂😂
All I catch is pike haha
come to manitoba you’ll catch them a lot 😆
Fished and ate pick for 65 years, but this is the best info ever on the whole cleaning process. Thanks.
Thanks so much!
Your details and walkthroughs are second to none, thanks for providing this content!
Thank you very much! 🙏
@@calebwistad you punctured the gullbladder (the green stuff on the meat) that makes the meat taste horrible, so you should be a bit more careful
@@janimielonen4813 I’m surprised you were the only one to catch that. Yep. Not perfect. That was an accident. 😆 what I did do right was clean it up and squeegee my table right away to make sure it didn’t get on the meat. Good catch!
@@calebwistad yea. Ive also punctured on accident a couple of times. It happens
I've been cleaning northern pike for 40 years and I still learn little things thanks
You Win!! ⭐️ You’re the only person I’ve ever seen do a tutorial of cleaning a pike and do it the same way as I do. I watch the people leave the bones in and pick around them once it’s cooked. Some people, quite a lot really use the 5 piece method and some just don’t eat them at all. Cooking it bones in and picking them out as you go makes for a poor eating experience, 5 piece method is wasteful and in my opinion it’s a bit of a hack job. Not eating them is no fun. My dad would sit at the table, take his time and using the same method as you he would slice out the bones trying not to miss the slightest bit of meat. I learned that same technique from an early age. I have thought many times about doing a demo video but never had a pike on hand when I’d see a video of someone struggling to eat a pike and make me think about doing it. You did a great job showing people the best way to debone a pike. I hope all the fishermen that cross paths with pike see your video so they can stop struggling and enjoy some pike. Great job.
Thanks so much! I agree about the 5 piece method. It definitely doesn’t get as much meat off the fish.
Pike is my favorite fish to eat. Your video is the best I've seen on cleaning this delicious fish.
Thanks so much!!
I agree with everything you said about the bones being an issue and the wonderful table fare that fresh pike can be. I am very stingy, and so I do not even try to remove the y-bones - before cooking the fish. I take the filet off one side, remove the skin and then cut each filet into three pieces. I make sure the tail piece has no y-bones. Then I prepare the fish - fried, breaded, grilled, baked - whatever. Then if you take a fork and remove 1/8 to 1/4 inch of the edge of filet. That usually comes off cleanly and leaves all the tips of the y-bones exposed. I eat the part I took off, pick out the y-bones which come out without issue, leaving me with ZERO loss of meat, and no bones. Try it, it works great, and the filleting is much faster than trying to remove the y-bones before cooking.
Interesting. May have to try that!
Nicely done!! I've been Filleting Pike for 30+ years Love catching Pike over walleye any day!!
Thanks!
Thanks for this great tutorial! I love pike and until now I didn't care too much about the bones because they are easy to remove once the fish is cooked. But this method looks amazing. I will try this next time.
You bet! Glad you found some good info!
Wow! Great informational video, wish I would have known this years ago. I’m an old timer now and NP are not in the area where I live. Excellent eating fish, we used to keep the bigger ones and fight with the bones. Had a friend that would put them through a grinder and make patties out of them. Really enjoyed your video 👍
Thanks! Well hopefully you get a chance at once again!
I ordered two of these based on the reviews. kzhead.infoUgkxqmKabisEv81ul5v7OhvVxxOpt2CJruI- Received them on time and they look good. I really like the handle on these knives as they feel good in my hand. I'm giving them 4 stars on look and feel, but have not had the chance to put them to the test yet. I mostly fish for catfish and can hopefully try them out in the next few days. If they hold an edge throughout a limit of catfish, they'll be worth another star.Update...I used the 9" strong and the 9" fillet on a mess of catfish. I did put a sharpening on these before I started. I want a razor edge to fillet fish but they weren't quite that sharp. The people who gave these knives crappy reviews and said they were sending them back was because they weren't razor sharp. So what, do they not have a knife sharpener?? Good grief! I mean you have to sharpen any knife from time to time.I personally like them and am pleased with them. If you're too lazy to sharpen a knife then hire someone to clean your fish lol.I've never bought a knife in my life that would shave hair right out of the box. Don't be afraid to purchase the knives. They're pretty nice in my opinion.
That’s because…….
First method was the one I was taught. Been ten years since I cleaned a Pike. Good refresher!
Nice!
Excellent video! Gramps just took two fillets and pickled em! The pickle process softened the bones enough to basically dissolve them! I was quite young when he was around so there may have been a bit more to it but I believe i was just cut and pickle. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! Yep. I’ve had pickled pike and it’s very good on crackers!
I’m going to follow your steps to hopefully convince my family to start eating pike this summer!
Nice! It’s worth it!
Being in Western Canada, Northern Pike is absolutely the best freshwater fish you can catch (fun fight) and eat (delicious). Definitely worth learning to fillet them properly!
I love my early season Pike... and after watching your skills, I believe I'll enjoy my Pike all that much more! Thank you for sharing🎣
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the informative video. Pike are fun to catch and great to eat. Skin on, skin off, electric vs regular knife, you covered it all. Nice job!
Thanks! I’m glad you liked the video.
Thanks for the video. Hopefully my next session of fish cleaning goes as smooth as you made it look. It’s been several years since I’ve actually had to clean fish and it was an epic disaster trying to clean fish today 😂
Haha. Thanks! And good luck!
Excellent video! I will try this on my next catch. Thanks for all the details.
Thanks much! And good luck.
Great walkthrough video! We're usually after bass and walleye up on Lake Temagami but I always end up catching at least one decent Pike.
Thanks! Good luck!
Best fish cleaning video I ever seen ,never knew how to clean northerners.Good jog,thank you.
Thanks!
Well done. We go through a lot of these, and absolutely love them. The 5 fillet method always seemed a little problematic when bringing fish back across the border from Canada, so I adopted this technique years ago. I have never seen the slime removal method and will have to give it a try. Very informative video. This will surely help a lot of people eliminate waste. Keep up the good work.
Right on! Thanks!
Thank you. I've been using the 5 piece fillet and was sick of losing so much meat. This came at the perfect time
Glad to hear it!
Sir, you've restored my faith in pike. Thank you for making this video. All the best, Cheer 🍻!
That’s what it’s all about! You will love them.
This video helped give me the confidence to fillet up some Pike. Each time I keep getting better. Thanks for teaching me!
Good deal!
Thanks for this video. I really did learn a few things that I am going to adopt in my fish-cleaning. I love eating pike too, and feel good taking these home instead of the walleye that are hunted around here (Northern Ontario) rather relentlessly. I can make good chowder from pike meat because it stays together and doesn’t turn into a ‘porridge’ as trout and walleye meat tend to do. As you mentioned, the flesh is good for many different methods and recipes for fish.
You bet! And yes, it’s a very versatile fish.
Excellent step by step explanation. Very well filmed.
Thanks!
A really well done video - adding to my favorite folder. Thanks
Awesome! I’m glad you found it helpful.
Very informative! This will make my next fishing trip to the U.P. that much more enjoyable... Tight lines!
Thanks! Good to hear.
Awesome demo 👍 Most people shy away from eating pike because of those Y bones, Pike is one of the best eating fresh water fish, The meat is firm and clean.
Thanks! Yes. They are great eating.
It's because it's extremely bad for you. To the point you can turn them in for cash.
@@diezelvh4133 What’s extremely bad for you ? Pike meat or Y bones ?
Thankyou Sir! I took alot of snapshots and you made it very clear with removing them y bones. It’s always great to eat fish and not have to worry about them bones!
You bet! 👍
Thanks for sharing! I love catching and eating pike but have always struggled with filleting them like this. This will come in handy for our Minnesota trip this week.
Awesome! Good luck.
As a Minnesotan, where’s a about you fishing? “There’s 10,000 ways to filet a fish”
Awesome video!!!! Pike is my favorite fish to fish for, but haven't quite mastered the proper way to prepare it. I will definitely use this technique. Thank ya sir👍
Glad ya liked it!
Excellent tutorial. Short, and to the point
Thanks! I appreciate that. I try to make things valuable without too much fluff. 😆
Best example of filleting a pike I've seen. Thanks for the details and thorough explanation.
Wow! That’s great to hear! I appreciate that very much.
Awesome tutorial. I've always kept smaller pike myself, so that second method is certainly a meat saver.
Lad you liked it!
Have caught and fried Pike all my life and they taste phenomenal!!!! 🍤 This boneless way is new to me though I'm excited to try it!! Thx for the vid
Yessir. It makes eating them much more enjoyable when you can get the bones out easily.
This was the very best pike filleting video I have ever seen!!! AWESOME Job, Sir !!!!!!!!!
So glad to hear it! Thanks.
Thank you. Caught our first Yukon River pike today. I need to catch more to improve my filleting skills… but this did prove exceptionally helpful!
Awesome! The Yukon river is one of the best pike destinations in the world. I’m glad this was helpful!
Very helpful. Lots of pike here in Denmark to put to the test. God bless you.
Nice! Good luck.
That is the best video I have seen regarding fileting pike!
Thanks so much!
Excellent explanation n step by step live process of cleaning n northern... n removal of the " y " bones... Great video man
Thank you!
awesome video. Pike are heavily underestimated as table fish over here in germany as well, nice to see a video on making them "more accessable" for picky eaters
Right on!
They are really good tasting.
Definitely the best way of filleting pike. Hands down the best fresh water eating fish. Thanks for the great video
Absolutely!
Have you never had walleye?
@@johnlocke_1 I’ve eaten hundreds of walleye but I’ll trade you my walleye for your pike when we get back to the dock.
@@calebwistad deal, although I wasn't talking to you.....
@@johnlocke_1 walleye is mush compared to pike. I actually did a hidden taste test with walleye and Pike. Out of 12 people 11 chose the pike
Excellent video. The graphic of the "Y" bones was really helpful. Keep up the good work.
Thanks!
This is a super well written video!!! Thank you for the instructions. MIKO
Thank you!
.terrific demo thumbs up .heading out out to favorite pike location tomorrow.your method is quite efficient .nice job . cant wait to try it tomorrow.
Awesome! Good luck out there.
Thanks! Now I'm excited to get one and try it out!
Just ate some tonight. Excellent as always!
When I first started fishing in northern Minnesota 40 years ago, We did not know how to fillet northern so if we came into the public fish cleaning house with northern, there was 2 old timers that would trade us walleye for northern, and we thought they were crazy! After eating nice boneless fillets of northern we soon learned why! So delicious! It still took me years to learn, even after lots of practice. This video is right on!
Yessir, pike are one of the best once you know how to fillet them. Thanks!
Hey Bud, Im also from Wisconsin. Pike fishing is all i do. Especially through the ice. I would eat a pike over a walleye any day. Im actually going to try that vinegar trick. Great video.
Awesome! Yeah, pike beat walleye imo.
Best video i ever seen how to clean and filé a pike. Good work!
Thanks so much!
I like your teaching style. I look forward to more.
Thank you very much!
Thanks for the diagram of the bone structure. Very helpful when you understand the orientation of the fillet on the table.
You bet!
Great video ! Love my Pike :) I learned that way when I was probably 14 so a couple years ago or so :) I don't worry about the slim if they are kept cold it's not bad & I find way up north here the water is always cold, I don't worry about leaving a little extra meat on the bones cause I like to fry that up to and it's easy to pick bones :)
Yeah. Slime doesn’t bother me either but it does some folks.
How I deal with the slime is I just leave them in the sun for 20 min it dries up pretty quick. Then I start the filleting. I eat more pike than anything its my fav.
Been doing it this way for years. Nice job explaining it
Thanks!
The tip on taking the slim off with vinegar is great. We don't have a lot of northern pike here in Maine. They have been illegally introduced in places and we can keep all we want. We do have plenty of pickerel and there is no limit on them too.
Well, definitely take advantage of the opportunity!
@@calebwistad I live need Sebago Lake in Maine. Which is premier land lock salmon waters. Some idiot put northern pike in there. They also put them in the St. John river which is some of the best brook trout fishing in the US. Illegal stocking deserves prison.
Love this video all the way from London, UK !
Thank you so much! 🙏
Great technique for removing the nasty y-bones. Works also with filets that have been in the freezer.
Thank you.
I grew up being shown essentially your second method but with just a normal fillet knife. Holding the blade firm and level against the backbone you pull the fish into your knife with a "rocking" motion to help cut through the ribs. Always a reminder of how sharp your knife is!
Might have to try that!
First time seeing your way like it very much,heard how it was done but first seeing it done,very nice done
Thanks! It’s very efficient.
Pike are a very under appreciated fish. I also love catching and eating them.
Fun to catch and fun to eat!
Excellent video 👍 here in northern Michigan I can catch pike all day long....there fun to catch n I love eating them 👍 I'm gonna try your method next time I'm out fishing thanks for the video 👍
Thanks! Good luck.
this was so good I'm going to try it with a butter knife, well done sir!
Glad you enjoyed it!
the best video i have seen on this. We (my brothers and i ) do make a fishing trip to Northern Minn every june... Love northern pike, we do take out the Y bone, but this is the best video i have seen! Great Job!!!
Thanks so much for the praise! I’m glad to hear you found it helpful.
@@calebwistad i have cleaned and eaten many northerns in my 62 years, i dont worry about the slim. But your Detail in the Video was still learning to me.... again GREAT JOB!!!!
This is the first good and simple way to get rid of the Ybones. Thanks it is easy once I see it done. Minnesota fisherman
Awesome! Glad to hear that!
Im in Maine. Very similar technique to the chaine pickrel. It has floating y bones near the tail. Love your video thanks for sharing. My whole life i was told its not worth the effort. One of my favorite eating fish. Thanks again and the slime is just slime. Clean an eel. Thanks again for the video.
Thanks! Yeah, I don’t have a problem with the slime myself but some folks do.
Excellent tutorial. Thank you!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Ageeded, pretty tasty fish. Born and raised on them. We also call them jackfish. Thank you for this.
Yessir!
Great tutorial. Even though I have been cleaning pike in a similar method for decades, I learned a couple of tips, thanks
Thanks for watching!
Excellent video... added the Bubba 7" Tapered Flex Fillet Knife to my Amazon shopping list... thanks much...
Thanks! You will like it. It’s been a great knife for me.
I appreciate you showing us this .. thanks a million
You bet!
Great knife work, not had pike for ages, I always remember at my Nan's, when she baked a pike, I had the job of picking the y bones with a pair of tweezers. I always managed to sneak a flake or two when she wasn't looking.
Pike is excellent, much more enjoyable without the bones!
Great job ! I’ll enjoy my Pike even more. Thanks
Awesome! Thank you.
Nice video, excellent tutorial. Thanks for the info
You bet!
Love the Bubba Blade, I use it for butchering deer. Outstanding knife for the price. Love that it's very stiff as a boning knife.
Yes. Good quality and decent price.
You did a really good job on this video.
Thanks! That means a lot!
My French grandmother taught my mom how too debone the same way and she taught me. Piike is just as good as pickeal. You did teach me the way you keep the skin on and take y bone out then take skin off. i will have too try that my next Pike outing. Cheers
Good luck my friend!
Thank you for ur Tutorial!!! I m iranian from caspian sea, living in Europe , My favourit fish! I used to cook it with garlic, tomato and butter and serving it with rice :)
That sounds delicious!
This is the best fileting video ive seen, thank you so much
Awesome! Thanks.
Very interesting. Makes for a good meal. Thanks.
You bet!
The vinegar>slime thing helped a lot. The nice cutting surface and all that ... appreciated. I was hoping to figure out how to do it in the middle of the woods, with very limited supplies (2x1 folding table, fillet knife, 1 mm plastic sheet for a cutting surface). I can pack some vinegar, so that's still a solid advice and it'll help with all the slippin' and slidin' of the fish. Notes taken. Thanks for the video.
Glad you liked it! It’s funny you mentioned that. I’m definitely considering doing a video on tips for cleaning fish on a wilderness trip at some point so stay tuned!
Filleting fish in the field isn’t legal everywhere. You might need to check your regulations.
Very nice. Thank you. I’ve eaten a lot of pike from icy cold lakes ice fishing and from nice clean northern lakes while canoeing in the Boundary Waters etc (along with lake trout, walleye, bass…). A lot of people don’t think very highly of eating northerners. Never understood that.
They are one of my favorites!
amazing tutorial! Thank you!
Glad to hear it! Good luck!
Fantastic video..... best way for sure....thk u for your time and lesson. Pike is fantastic to eat
Thanks!
Solid, great video! The best way to deal with slime (for me anyway) is to fillet them on a section of newspaper. The slime practically glues the fish down and makes it real easy to work with. Helps to use fresh paper every 2-3 fish.
We used to do that when I was a kid. Right on the kitchen counter at my parents house. My mom HATED that. 😂
I literally can’t wait to catch my next pike. Thank you!
Awesome! It’s good stuff.
We usually bring our fish home pretty quickly, after we get done fishing and clean them...... that avoids the slime. We have never had a slime problem. I like them filleted, but I like the Y- bones in. You can cut through the top part of the fish and all the Y-bones poke out at the same angle all in a row.......you pull them all out, In two or three bunches, and then you have all of the meat left, All in one piece. Much simpler. 😊 Thank you so much for your a video. My husband always cleaned the northerns. He died seven years ago and I never did find out how to clean them. Thank you for showing me the parts that I needed to know.
Nice. Pike sure are worth the effort either way.
Great video. Good tip about the fatty blood layer. Thanks.
Thanks. You bet!
Great job thanks for the tips
You bet!
Excellent demo , thanks!
You bet!
Northerns are my favorite eating fish also. Thanks for this vid.
Yes. They are delicious!
Very well and clearly explained thank you!
I’m glad you found it helpful!
Thanks for sharing your techniques! I grew up enjoying eating northern pike and still do today! Unfortunately I’ve often endured the process of picking my teeth with pike bones!
You bet! Boneless is better.
This guy is awesome! By far my favourite fishing channel
Thank you!
I really like the idea for de-sliming the fish. Sometimes they get pretty nasty. I just cleaned a few Walleye and Northern last night. I admit I prefer the five piece method for Northerns, but I might have to give your method a try next time. There is always time to learn something new. BTW, here in North Idaho there is actually a bounty on Walleye, and Northerns are considered invasive so there is no limit. I'll be turning in the walleye heads tomorrow. Many have tags in them from Fish and Game and you can win $1K with the right fish.
Wow. Crazy!!
Keep the walleye cheek meat! It's like eating a scallop. Get at it with a sharpened spoon. Not kidding.
You're a great teacher.
Thanks!
Excellent video...much appreciated.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
I love guys like this I like details. Thank you.
Thanks!