keeper Q?

[chuckwagon]

What does everyone put in the live well for eating on pike? Sizes?

[TDH]

I will usually keep pike in the 2-5 pound range. Ideally I like fish 3lbs+ because its a little easier to get the y-bones out.

[mainbutter]

20-24'' generally, when I do keep 'em.

[wahoo]

for eating 2-5 lbs everything else goes back. if on a lake infested with small pike a few for pickling.

[fatfinger]

i agree. 2-5 lbs is tasty & easier to clean....yummy

[goblueM]

personally i like those 8-13 pounders

/kidding

[chuckwagon]

awesome! thanks for the help for a newb!

[slurpie]

If i could figuire out the y bone deal i would keep more but seems like so much meat is wasted. So i only keep ones that their mouth is all screwed up from removing the hooks. But would agree with what others said 3-7 lb range.

[eckum54]

it took me acouple of pike to get the y-bones out but once you get the idea it works well...one suggestion i have and would add is filet them on a thick cutting board and pound a nail through there mouth right at the snout...makes it easier since they are slimmy little devils

[mainbutter]

On most lakes it's 18-24 inchers that make keepers for me.

On lakes that recieve zero fishing pressure in nowheresville I have kept pike that were a bit bigger, but never over 30 inches. I wouldn't have an issue with taking a fish a bit bigger than my norm if I was looking for a meal deep in the BWCA and that's what I happened to catch.

[solbes]

20-24" for me. Once they reach mid 20's they are able to consume the larger prey and really pack on the poundage. 20"-22" fish are very plentiful in our lake so I know the occasional pike or two will not affect the population much.

[Musky hunter 82]

20-27" range for me. The biggest one i had to put a knife to, I was working at a resort as a dock boy (so you had to clean other peoples fish, I didn't mind though) and this guy brings in two slimers that he caught in the Bouandry waters (the lake is connected to the bouandry waters through a little river). So you can imagine these northers sitting in the bottom of a canoe all day then try and clean them... Well the bigger of the two went 20# 4oz. and the other one was 18# 6oz. Really heard breaking to have to clean them for him, when i pinched the filet to cut around the rib bones my finger went right through the meat.. Man that fish must have tasted Horible.

[AWH]

20" to 24"ers are perfect eaters. 24" and over get released.

Aaron

[harvey lee]

I keep 20-24 incher for pickling.

[fishdale]

We are on a slot lake where everything >24 and <36 has to go back so if I keep it is 22 - 24. If I am fishing on a non slot lake then it is something like 23 - 27. For me it also depends on the thickness of the fish those anorexia looking fish that you get sometimes go back too skinny to do much with.

[slarson]

Wow, I thought I kept pike that were small. I feel really bad now. We only keep fish in the 24" to 26" range. 24" fish are plentiful and fairly easy to clean. 26" fish are fairly plentiful and are still 2 inches from being a picture fish. Sometimes we keep smaller fish if we kill them when unhooking them.

[solbes]

Everyone's different. 24-26" is a good slot. Just like walleyes, the smaller younger fish taste better to me. 20-24 for pike and 14-18 walleyes fall into this category IMO.

[terrible_fisherman]

I am in the same boat. Northerns over 24 go back unless they are dead or dying or really screwed up. Same with eyes over 18. The DNR recommends that people keep the small fish as the bigger ones canibilize themselves to help control the population. Keeping some small pike helps the fishery as a whole.

[kingfish689]

I have only kept maybe three pike in the last 5 years but when I keep one it is about 26" 27" and just hand pull y bones with a needle nose and bake .

[TruthWalleyes]

I have been fishing a small lake in the Mankato area the last few years and that is always a place for me to pull in 26-30" pike...it got nailed last winter and i'm pretty sure they left everything smaller than 24"...sad sight now. No more biggums left.

With that said, i keep 20-25" range.

[merkman]

Keeping some small pike helps the fishery as a whole.

+1

I also agree that the actual lengths are different for each and every lake.

Keep the small ones and let the big ones go. The small fish have fewer concentrations of pollutants and are better tasting fish. The bigger fish are nicer to catch and release or watch in the spear hole via look and release. When it comes to the big ones take a picture or video of the live fish, it lasts longer.

Many people don't understand the importance of keeping the small northern pike. Removing the smaller pike allows larger pike to grow. You can think of it as a lakes biomass "salary cap" so to speak. The lake will only produce so many pounds of fish. That equates to lots of small ones or fewer big ones. Put more pressure on the big ones and you will see more small ones. More pressure on the small ones and you will see more big ones.

Just like most anything in life there are tradeoffs.

More fish or bigger fish…… pick one.

[reinhard1]

100% agree.good luck.

[no bait nate]

around home i keep 2-3 lbs for eaters when needed. if i'm on a trip up north on a larger lake such as Rainy, i'll keep 5-7 lbs for eating, they are much easier to clean and ya only need one or two for a nights meal for the crew.

[kyleharty]

personally i like those 8-13 pounders

/kidding

Was on one of "my" spots recently and saw a couple guys keeping a 36" to eat, wanted to ask them [PoorWordUsage]! but minded my own business. I agree with the general consensus here, let the big girls go and keep the smaller ones for a meal.

[Acemac]

Hmm one big northern goes really well on my smoker.