Walleye Taste vs Northern Pike Taste?

[johnr]

Pappy always said eating pike is for the guys that cant catch walleye.

But he was also the guy that told me if it smells good eat it, so I guess you never know what the hell pappy was talking about.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Ill take pike over walleye, and I know how to catch both. I enjoy catching some eyes, dont get me wrong, but they arent as fun to catch, or as good to eat as pike IMO.

 

[MSA]

I've been addicted to drum lately, just wish I knew how to target them on freshwater.

 

[guywhofishes]

I've been addicted to drum lately, just wish I knew how to target them on freshwater.

easily targeted on the Red - I too found them delish

but I found their unusual bone/body structure difficult to filet (using classic approach with an electric)

translation - my filets looked like a beginner cleaned them

 

[Enslow]

Leadhead jig and worm on the bottom is your huckleberry for drum. Works like a charm on the red and its tribs. On another note, i dont eat drum aka sheepshead haha. On another nother note, i catch quite a few pike and walleyes and guess how many pike i eat? Lol.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Leadhead jig and worm on the bottom is your huckleberry for drum. Works like a charm on the red and its tribs. On another note, i dont eat drum aka sheepshead haha. On another nother note, i catch quite a few pike and walleyes and guess how many pike i eat? Lol.

All of them?

 

[shorthairsrus]

I use to eat a lot of pike from MO ---- but the DL stuff is so yellow and imo the shrimp ruin the taste. I take a good MO pike anyday.

 

[NodakBuckeye]

We like pike just as much as walleye and since, like other's have noted, most cannot tell the difference once cooked; a couple 5 to 10 pound pike per outing really helps with the big family campout and fish fry.

 

[Lostlunker]

It's a toss up for me they both taste great, I think a northern out of the river tastes pretty good but out of lakes in the middle of July or August no thanks. I don't know what it is out about them but my one of my favorites to eat is bluegill those little tender fillets taste so good...My hands down favorite freshwater fish to eat is kokanee salmon. Cook those babies to mid rare/medium and slap some butter on top of them and they will literally melt in your mouth there is nothing like it.

 

[raider]

found a great vid doing recon for spring fishing... best i've seen and thought i'd share... this guy's good...

also nice to bring a little na nostalgia to the front page... one of the first threads i believe... :;:cheers



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBFrQ5KMIs8

 

[MSA]

Pike, hands down better tasting, but only if handled and cleaned properly. Walleye only has the advantage because theyre easy to clean, and virtually impossible to clean incorrectly to ruin the flavor.

 

[Davey Crockett]

I caught some warm water river pike that tasted bad but I'm guessing if I would have caught a walleye It would have tasted bad too.

 

[Captain Ahab]

The only fish I have ate in the last decade are walleye, perch, burbot, and white bass. I've caught and cleaned pike for other people(the picklers). The pike flesh from Devils looks like an orange popsicle.

 

[lunkerslayer]

I caught some warm water river pike that tasted bad but I'm guessing if I would have caught a walleye It would have tasted bad too.

Oh the old dog days of summer which was usually the end of July, Back in the 80s when DL was really low you would get fish that tasted like dirt and perch had little worms.

Also just like big walleye 2+ pound have a darker looking meat and big northern 6+ pound have darker meat. That's is why I will keep cold and bled out 5 pound northern all day. I give northern away to the old folks bones and all.

Also if some of you like your fish batter made of crackers then try cheesit crackers instead mmm mmm yum

 

[TFX 186]

Back in the day, northerns were all we fished for and ate. We went where the action was and caught as many as the law allowed. We cleaned every one. My mom soaked them in a little salt water in the fridge and that really firmed them up. My whole family ate the daylights out of them. I do save a few now and then when i spear them but mostly walleyes because of the non mess cleaning them. Big northerns for smoking are the best. They are a great fish to go after if you have young kids because of the action.

Fish On !

 

[raider]

The only fish I have ate in the last decade are walleye, perch, burbot, and white bass. I've caught and cleaned pike for other people(the picklers). The pike flesh from Devils looks like an orange popsicle.

i've seen that, but never eaten them... how do they taste???

 

[riverview]

easily targeted on the Red - I too found them delish

but I found their unusual bone/body structure difficult to filet (using classic approach with an electric)

translation - my filets looked like a beginner cleaned them

ha you should see what I did to a big crappie last weekend

 

[Lou63]

Asked the wife her preference for eating fish, catfish was 1st. One thing I do with catfish is to be sure I get all the dark lining off the belly meat. Sometimes I even use a green scrub pad to get it all off.

Crappie, bluegill, perch and northern all outrank walleye as they all have flavor.

When we fish Sak we always have a large cooler and the fish go straight into it on ice so if there is a pike in there they all get slimed. I just wash them all off really well and haven't had an issue with the slime.

I use a regular electric knife to fillet fish at home as I am less apt to go through the backbone with the duller knife on the panfish. I have a 12 volt rapala brand fillet knife and I usually screw one or two up till I get the hang of using it again.

 

[spyder250]

An old man told me a trick to getting rid of the slime on a northern. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like it could hold merit. Newspapers. When icefishing, bring newspapers along and after clubbing/bleeding the northern, wrap it in newspaper and let it freeze. When you get home, drop it on the sidewalk/driveway a few times and peel off the newspaper and the slime comes with it. Same concept in the spring, except you would have to put it in the freezer when you get home. Anyone tried it?

 

[BotnoJoe]

The above mentioned newspaper trick works surprisingly well. I wrapped them when i got home and waited to peel the newspaper until the garage was warm. worked great. I usually flour and fry my fish add a bit of salt pike perch bluegill walleye all taste great this way IMO