Winnipeg River - Northern Pike

DanG · #1 09-05-2007, 04:02 PM

Wow, pike are such nasty fish. I've been fishing a bunch of times north of Kenora, and of the 5 or 6 pike I've caught up there, there's been 3 times where a larger pike has come along and tried to eat the smaller one on the hook. Never quite that big, but still a very weird sight to see.

Chin_Lee · #2 09-05-2007, 04:33 PM

Are these fish good for eating?

Phanman · #3 09-05-2007, 05:29 PM

fairly good

DanG · #4 09-05-2007, 05:57 PM

it really depends on when in the season you catch them, if it's early on and the water is cooler, then yes, I've found that later on when the water gets warmer, they can taste a bit foul.

fishmaster · #5 09-05-2007, 06:30 PM

One that size probably wouldn't be prime eating. I'ts been my experience that the bigger ones(of any fish) usually are not the best eating. IMO, most big fish are better released(hopefully after a picture of course

) to spawn another time. But...just my opinion, there's nothing wrong with harvesting within your limit.

RicePaddy · #6 09-05-2007, 08:05 PM

I have tried Pike and did not like the taste, very oily. However there are some that love it.

Will

Ruth · #7 09-06-2007, 02:22 AM

I don't care for the jack fish that much - I find them a bit strong and oily. I went on a 3 day fly in fishing trip up to Trout Lake in the NWT a couple of years ago. Wonderful fishing although you really could not call it "sport" fishing as you pretty much got a fish with just about every cast. We only kept the pickerel up to our limit. We had native guides and they would keep quite a few of the jacks as they used them for dog food.

Zylumn · #8 09-06-2007, 03:59 AM

You cook and fillet them properly they can be very tasty but DanG is correct stating they taste better pulled from cold water.

Doug · #9 09-06-2007, 01:08 PM

We would eat some in the spring but with the abundance of walleye where I lived, why eat jacks.

Make pretty good steaks for the campfire though, as long as one is very good at filleting them. Lots of bones. I use to meet a guy from Sask. at our spring trip to Reed Lake and he always brough canned pike. Was good, almost like salmon.

Seen lots of large ones in my time up north but never that big. Would not want my hand in his mouth while removing a hook. Their teeth are razor sharp and slope backwards. I have lost a few spatters of blood to a few of them from hook removal.

fishoholic · #10 09-07-2007, 12:40 PM

and I thought the 18 pound pike I caught as a kid was big!