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Filleting Pike

** I encourage folks to only keep what they "need" for fish, and let the rest go. It is essential to the fishery that predatory fish be allowed to do their part in the food chain. If you do decide to keep a fish I suggest you keep only males and let the large females go on to spawn. Pike/Musky gender identification is another article on this site (coming soon). **

Here is a simple way to remove the "Y" bones from a pike fillet.

1) Fillet both sides of the pike...removing the skin.

2) If you look at the fillet you will have 2 lines of bones. One down the centerline of the fish and one between that and the back of the fish. Both sets of bones run at an angle down and towards the back of the fish, the center bones being longer causing them to look like a "Y".

        TOP DOWN OF FILLET

 

3) cut the fillet into lenghts just shorter then your fillet knife.

4) Run your blade straight down into the fillet on the back side of the bones toward the back of the fish. Cut down until you hit bones and then follow the bones at an angle until you end up with a "loin" from the fillet.

5) Cut on the belly side of the centerline bones. The bones are going to be on the top side of your knife, but they will be at the same angle as the other cut you just made. Follow the bones.

    CROSS SECTION

Now you should have 2 pieces of boneless fish and 1 sections of bones.

 

Once you advance you can leave the fillet whole with the skin on, make both cuts without cutting all of the way through the fillet, then remove the skin.

This takes practice. The larger the pike the easier this is to do. Good luck and only keep what you need.

 

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