Y bones

[walleyeguy]

Does anyone know the website that shows how to take the Y bones out of northern. My mom would like to know how but i'm not close enough to show her myself. Thought it would be easier for her to print it out instead of me trying to explain it.

Thanks for any help!! Scott

[Juls_WI]

http://www.redrockstore.com/fillet.html

[Mr T]

Walleyeguy,
North Dakota Game and Fish has an article and pictures on thier web site and how to fillet a Northern Pike. I've tried thier method and it works. Try www.state.nd.us/gnf/fishing.html , then click on the "How to fillet a Northern Pike" link at the bottom of the page.

[Brian]

This site has pictures and narrative. Works great.
www.mwd.com/burnett/pike2.html

Brian

[cisco]

Does the North Dakota method work on Minnesota pike?

[walleyeguy]

thanks for the help i'll check into all the diffrent suggestions.
Scott

[Ristorapper(ND)]

Absolutely not. Minnesota pike have what we call ? bones. There is so much more water and so many more lakes in Minnesota for a pike to swim in that a pike can never make up its mind which water to swim in thus the question mark (?) bones.

Really though I avoid the y bones with a passion. I have never cleaned so many northerns as last winter and if you keep the 3 to 5 pounders(the good eaters and the easy filleters)here is what I do with them.

I fillet them off the backbone as normal and remove the rib bones. I then keep the fillet whole(Y bones included) and prepare it that way by usually broiling it. Prior to eating the fillet I will either break the fillet in half the LONG way or use a fork and divide the fillet in half the LONG way. By doing this you have exposed all the Y bones and they are easy pickings to pluck out. Once you have pulled the Y bones out this way AFTER cooking the fillet, it is then boneless.

If you keep smaller fish it becomes easier to cut across the Y bones during filleting therefore I keep this size (3# and smaller)for pickling. You can still keep the bigger fish (larger than 5#) and we did keep many 6 pounders last winter but cutting those larger rib bones really makes it a chore with electric or hand filleting.

Good fishing oh! by the way we use 18 or 24 inch leaders when ice fishing northers so that once we get them to the whole we can HORSE them in without danger of the ice cutting the line.

good fishing and eating!!

bw (ND)

[IaCraig]

Ristoraper. I do agree with your method, but with young kids at home I make sure the fish are boneless before I cook them. Once you do a few, Y bones are not that hard to take out. Follow the directions on one of the web sites, but in addition to that I have 2 tips. 1) use a cheap flexible paring knife that isn't so sharp it cuts through them 2) Fillet as normal then lay the entire filet flat in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before you cut out the Y bones. When cool the meat is much more firm and the bones are easier to feel with the knife and cut out.

Pike are fine eating fish.

IaCraig

[Borch]

The info from the North Dakota site is by far the best method show of the three sites(best illistrated with pics you can enlarge). The redrock site didn't show how to remove bones prior to cooking and the other site didn't accurately diagram how the bones actually lay. I've been removing y bones from pike for years and you can do it with little lost meat with the North Dakota sites procedure and practice. The tip about using a flexible knive is very good. I have my best luck with my old Rapala knife. I've found that pike taste much better to folks with the bones out.

Good Luck!