Hey, that ain't a crappie

Me and Jeff headed down to Calhoun County yesterday to try another new lake, this time Prairie Lake which is south east of Olivet. We had some storms move through the area overnight dumping a lot of rain so we weren't sure what kind of mood the fish would be in. As usual when we attack a new lake we were long lining 1/16th and 1/32nd oz jigs. I've started using Leland lures Crappie Magnet plastics, mainly because they're tough as nails but they also put fish in the boat. Jeff was using Charlie Brewer Sliders.

The crappie were a little sluggish but we managed to get a few to bite. We landed around 20, all being decent fish in the 9"-11" range and lost quite a few at the boat. Most of the ones we landed were barely hooked, proving they weren't real aggressive.

The highlight of my day was when a big northern took my jig. I have to say, fighting a pike on a 12' crappie rod is a lot of fun and after he made a couple of line stripping runs Jeff was able to get the net under him. He measured just under 32" and got invited to my house for dinner, with him being the guest of honor. Attachment 405918

I bet that was a fun fight....good job

Wow. On a jig and a long rod. Nothing more fun than that.


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Love some pike on any gear and in the fry pan. What a memory. Congratulations!

That is a monster

Nice catch!!
What is a pike similar to? Eating wise


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They have a sweeter meat than walleye, in my opinion. And I like them better than walleye, probably my favorite eating fish. They have a row of Y bones in the upper half of the fillet that need to be removed so I rarely keep any under 28". When I cleaned this one I split the fillet lengthwise, took the belly piece and the tail section off the upper piece (no Y bones there) and cut out the Y bones from the top piece. I ended up with 6 nice chunks of meat. They also have a unique smell, it's hard to describe, but once you've smelled it it's hard to forget.

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Originally Posted by spartannation

They have a sweeter meat than walleye, in my opinion. And I like them better than walleye, probably my favorite eating fish. They have a row of Y bones in the upper half of the fillet that need to be removed so I rarely keep any under 28". When I cleaned this one I split the fillet lengthwise, took the belly piece and the tail section off the upper piece (no Y bones there) and cut out the Y bones from the top piece. I ended up with 6 nice chunks of meat. They also have a unique smell, it's hard to describe, but once you've smelled it it's hard to forget.

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Well now it’s on my list to try, only because you like them better than walleye! Can’t imagine.
Thanks for the input, I appreciate you taking the time.


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Redge, are you going down to Shreveport the first of October? If you are I could save a pack and bring it down for you to try.

Nice going with all the fish, I also kept a pike couple weeks back and found a video on how to clean them , sounds like the same way you do yours and they are good eating

i never mastered the art of filleting them....gave up on it.
if i get a really big one i grind it up and make fish patties with it, they make a great crispy patty! just eggs and crackers with maybe a tiny bit of onion added.

The sounds good. I need to try it.

But the real question, did you catch you a coon?! lol Nice fish by the way!

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Originally Posted by spartannation

Redge, are you going down to Shreveport the first of October? If you are I could save a pack and bring it down for you to try.

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Sincerely appreciate the offer.
However already have a family vacation scheduled for then.
It’s on my bucket list.


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How to Fillet a Pike (and Get 5 Boneless Fillets!) - YouTube
Here's a good video. The back filet has a cord running down the middle. Remove that and you end up with 6 pieces of boneless yummy pike.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by spartannation

They have a sweeter meat than walleye, in my opinion. And I like them better than walleye, probably my favorite eating fish. They have a row of Y bones in the upper half of the fillet that need to be removed so I rarely keep any under 28". When I cleaned this one I split the fillet lengthwise, took the belly piece and the tail section off the upper piece (no Y bones there) and cut out the Y bones from the top piece. I ended up with 6 nice chunks of meat. They also have a unique smell, it's hard to describe, but once you've smelled it it's hard to forget.

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Nice pike! It's my preferred fish to target with favorite method being with spear through the ice in winter. I help run the Michigan Darkhouse Angling Association social media.
I don't like to waste any meat, so don't make an attemp to remove the Y bones before cooking. I fillet the same as you described and remove the Y bones on the plate. To do so is much easier than describing it, and the meat saves is worth the slight effort in my opinion.
Perhaps I'll make a short video to share the next time I cook some up.

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Originally Posted by shadow

But the real question, did you catch you a coon?! lol Nice fish by the way!

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After I posted this, I realized some of you may not listen to country music and think I was trying to be racist. I PROMISE THIS WAS NOT MY INTENT! I was referring to a Dolly Parton song (Tennessee Homesick Blues) where one of the lines in the song is "Gonna head down to Calhoun county and catch us a coon". If I offended anyone, I sincerely apologize!

Here is the method I used,seem to be pretty easy

Fillet Pike with NO BONES (Step-by-Step) - YouTube

This one was big enough that I was able to take the piece with the bones and remove them one at a time, similar to how you do a salmon. first time I've taken the time to do that and wasted zero meat.

Dwayne, we didn't catch a coon but probably could have hit half a dozen woodchuck in the road, they'er THICK this year.

Thats pretty sweet Jerry.

I don’t know the last time I ate Pike.

Catching that on Crappie gear makes me wonder if I should have a competition this fall.

Ludington or Muskegon, height of the mythical Salmon run and jig for them……. with Crappie gear………….

I see broken poles, stripped reels, and plenty of “Oh Crap” laughter.

Just the thought makes me smile and snicker.

Mostly cuz I’ve seen what Salmon do to poles & reels to the unsuspecting……..

ROFLMAO

OE




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Nice catch and what fun!