northern fillets

[ark traveler]

just got back. had wonderful trip
however camp boss showed us how to get
bones out of pike, had two fingers of fish left.
think there is a better way. we score sucker here and deep fry
thunk that might work on northern.
however i was wondering how you guys took out the Y bones
thanks for your info
arky

[Trailerguy]

[font color=green size=3][b]It depends of how big the fillets are to start with, but it sounds like you might have been a little aggressive in removing the Y bones. It takes some practice to get it right.

6 days until I'll be fish'in on Wabby

[Babamel2]

Trailerguy, where is Wabby and what kind of luck do you have on it?

[NWO Fishing Bum]

It really just takes practice to get the Y bones out clean. If you're only doing it to a few fish/year you may never get really good at it, but if you do it daily or near-daily, you can certainly get good at it! Ideally, if I wanted some pike to eat, I would catch a small fish and take pictures as I was doing it to show, but a verbal description will have to work for now.

So first fillet like normal, and lay the fillet out flat (I like the head-end of the fillet facing me but I suppose it doesn't matter). Run your fingers along the fillet and you should feel the ends of the Y bones very distinctly. The Y bones are curved and go into the fillet and curve towards the top (meaning the top of the fish). Using very small cuts, slowly cut into the fillet just below the bones (close to along the mid-line of the fillet). Small cuts are key. Just into the fillet, the bones will bend away from the knife, and you should follow the edge of the bones around. There is definately meat between the bones and the outside of the fillet, which is where the situation described above probably went wrong, because they just cut right through the fillet instead of following the bones. Without following all the way to the end of the bones, now come back and start small cuts on the opposite side of the bones, again going along the edge. So you are creating in essence two parralel curved cuts on either side of the bones, just millimetres apart. The bones DO NOT go all the way to the top of the fillet, so you should be able, now that you have both lines established, slowly work them further along until you reach the end of the bones, and the thin line of y bones should lift right out, leaving you a fillet where the bottom half is untouched, and the top half has the bones removed with a little "flap" folded back over on top. It should be all one piece of meat.

Like I said, I think pictures may be the way to go, but hopefully this gives some insight if you can visualize what I described.

NWO Fishing Bum

[MN_Moose]

This is pretty good: http://www.onthelake.net/fishing/articles/ybones.htm

[illinois angler]

I think the easiest way to learn is get some one in the fishouse that knows how to do it. Have them do one side of the fillet while you do the other. After doing a few, it becomes as easy as filleting. We cook northerns and walleyes together and its had to tell them apart.

[IaCraig]

If you learn how to take the Y bones out of 3-5 lb northerns, you will have some very good eating. The first fish I fell in love with was northerns & and I still think they are a great sport fish to catch and great table fare. I've converted many people that now agree with me too.

IaCraig

[Trailerguy]

[font color=green size=3][b]Wabaskang is the downstream lake at Perrault Falls,Ont. Perrault Lake is upstream. It's about 1/2 way between Ear Falls and Vermillion Bay, and just south of Lac Suel. Wabby is a world class pike fishery and has good walleye, small mouth, perch,and some Lake trout, with over 100 miles of shoreline.

Wish'in I was fish'in on Wabby

[Trailerguy]

[font color=green size=3][b]Wabaskang is the downstream lake at Perrault Falls,Ont. Perrault Lake is upstream. It's about 1/2 way between Ear Falls and Vermillion Bay, and just south of Lac Suel. Wabby is a world class pike fishery and has good walleye, small mouth, perch,and some Lake trout, with over 100 miles of shoreline.

Wish'in I was fish'in on Wabby

[rebelrn2001]

I had 3 different people show me 3 different ways to clean a northern....so then I was real confused and couldn't get it right. Now I can pretty well clean them w/o any bones. I have found the easiest way is to cut along the dorsal (top) of the fish from the head to the tail. Throw that piece of meat away...I tried cleaning the bones out of that and it is FULL of bones. Now, if there is blood leaking from the fish meat, take your knife and scrape it away so you can see the white meat. You will be able to see the bones. They are towards the outer part of each side of the fish. The best fish to clean are at least 24"..the bigger the better but in Canada you can't keep any over 27" (ok, over 36 too but I won't keep those). You fillet around those bones all the way down the side of the fish and you end up w/a nice (thin) fillet the length of the fish. Basically you fillet them kind of like a walleye but instead of filleting down and around the ribs, you are filleting down and around that outer set of bones on the northern. As you get towards the tail, you kind of have to work around the area above the fins on the bottom in front of the tail...but it works. You might waste a bit of meat w/my way but I end up with boneless meat...there is nothing worse to eat than a northern with bones BUT, there is hardly anything better than a northern without bones.

It takes practice. Good luck what ever way you do it.

[rebelrn2001]

I had 3 different people show me 3 different ways to clean a northern....so then I was real confused and couldn't get it right. Now I can pretty well clean them w/o any bones. I have found the easiest way is to cut along the dorsal (top) of the fish from the head to the tail. Throw that piece of meat away...I tried cleaning the bones out of that and it is FULL of bones. Now, if there is blood leaking from the fish meat, take your knife and scrape it away so you can see the white meat. You will be able to see the bones. They are towards the outer part of each side of the fish. The best fish to clean are at least 24"..the bigger the better but in Canada you can't keep any over 27" (ok, over 36 too but I won't keep those). You fillet around those bones all the way down the side of the fish and you end up w/a nice (thin) fillet the length of the fish. Basically you fillet them kind of like a walleye but instead of filleting down and around the ribs, you are filleting down and around that outer set of bones on the northern. As you get towards the tail, you kind of have to work around the area above the fins on the bottom in front of the tail...but it works. You might waste a bit of meat w/my way but I end up with boneless meat...there is nothing worse to eat than a northern with bones BUT, there is hardly anything better than a northern without bones.

It takes practice. Good luck what ever way you do it.

[dreye]

Arky, try this site, graphical presentation of the process. There are other good web sites as well. I'm 11 days from paradise. Can't wait.

[dreye]

Would help if I pasted the site??? http://www.northernpikefishing.ca/how-to-clean-pike.htm

[MN_Moose]

You throw away the loin??? That's the best part. There shouldn't be any bones in there.

[jrtfish]

Get the No Bones about it video They get the bones out all in one pc and the meat off in 1 pc too. Very good video!

[jrtfish]

here is the link to the site
http://www.nobonesaboutit.com/

[Snowball]

Check out this site.

http://www.fishingbuddies.ca/

When the page appears,click on the picture at the TOP RIGHT corner and a video will play. It is in French but just watch the video and you will get the idea. Good Luck!

Regards,
Snowball

[Alphonse]

All the Y bones in the Pike I catch are never eaten....cause I throw the slimey Pike back.....YUK

[Steve of Madison]

I'm with you, don't want that smelly slimey toothy critter in my boat.
Easy boatside release is a good nothern.

[wooglin]

There is only one way to tell a northern apart from a walleye when cooked. That is the northern is generally the larger piece of fish.

We eat them, they're good if cleaned right.

[Alphonse]

I agree they are good when filleted right. But who wants to mess with a slimey,stinky fish when you can eat Walleye.

[LTF]

Lot of truth to that. I bring them home and feed them to my in-laws.