Pike!

[TroutCowboy]

Well, I think that beauty GoneFishin caught on the PO River could probably poop this guy whole, but KevinB suggested I post my picture in here (more info in the Panhandle Pike thread in "Beyond Washington). Caught this guy jigging thru the weed beds on Lake CD'A today, Mica Bay, to be specific.

These little guys hit pretty hard and can put up a good fight, but I'm gonna have to try to snag one of GoneFishin's empty seats one of these days to hook into a big daddy!

[kevinb]

I meant the "pike info and pics" but its all good and I'm jeolous.
Nice work out there

[Kfedka]

Tell me, do these pike taste good if you fry/smoke/dry them?

[kevinb]

Tell me, do these pike taste good if you fry/smoke/dry them?

Check out this link

http://washingtonlakes.com/forum/yaf_po ... _Pike.aspx

Just watch out those Y bones. Theres a video(links to more) in this article.

[TroutCowboy]

D'oh! Blame it on 7hrs fishing in 90+ heat. I actually meant to post it there. Maybe a moderator can move it? Thanks!

[Lucius]

Tell me, do these pike taste good if you fry/smoke/dry them?

Depends on who you talk too and if you can fillet them right. My personal opinion pike was some of the best fish I ever had. I did a fly-in Canadian fishing trip when I was a senior in high school. Caught some walleye and pike for shore lunch. The guides cooked them up and laid them side by side and I literally could not tell the difference between the two. All I know is that it was the best fish I ever had. Just remember release all the bigger pike (30"+) especially the trophies. A true trophy pike (20lbs +) is too exciting and special to be caught by just one angler. The bigger pike also have the better genetics for spawning, so to preserve/pass along the better genetics for the fishery with healthy fish it would be doing all the other pike anglers some good to release those bigger fish (again 30"+). I also heard that once pike start getting bigger their meat tends to be not as tasty and becomes funky. That pike that TroutCowboy caught looks like it would make a pretty good meal though.

Lucius

[ProAngler'sDaughter]

Pike is delicious!!! I agree with Lucius, it's the best fish I've ever had. It is light and flaky and if you score them correctly (fillet them just right so that the bones fry up), they will melt in your mouth. To score a pike: find the extra rib bones on your pike fillets, then with a sharp knife cut through them -- do not cut the chunk in half. If you are good with a knife, cut a cross-hatch on the bone side; this breaks up the bone even more. Then when you fry them, the bones will soften up and you can eat away. In my opinion, a simple, beer-batter recipe is best (if you don't mind a sinful, fried morsel). Try this:

Ingredients
• 2lbs Northern fillets
• 1lb. bleached flour
• 1lb. corn meal
• 4tsp. salt
• 4 tsp. pepper
• 1 12 oz. can of beer
• 1 lb. lard or oil

Preheat lard or oil.

Combine flour, corn meal, salt, pepper, and beer to make batter. Then wash fillets under cold water, and pat dry with paper towel. Dip each fillet into the batter and carefully submerge in the hot oil. Using tongs, remove when golden brown.

Yum! Yum! I'm making myself hungry.

Go Pike!

PAD

[TroutCowboy]

That pike that TroutCowboy caught looks like it would make a pretty good meal though.

Lucius

I stumbled across that link to the YouTube video the day after I caught and released mine. Boy am I kicking myself now. He sure made it look easy to get 4 decent fillets off one pike, and the one in the video was about the size of the one I caught.

*sigh*

Oh well, the NEXT pike goes into the cooler! Good excuse to try to catch another one this weekend.