The Grizz, or Dick Grzywinski, is best known for Guiding walleye fishermen on the Mississippi River. But one of his favorite gamefish to target is northern pike, mostly because pike eat better than walleyes (not to mention that the expanse of Mississippi’s grizzly is catch-and-release for walleyes).
Grizz trolls pike by targeting submerged weed beds. He has a special method for removing the slime from the keeper fish, and he has a simple method for removing the Y-bones. Here are some tips from Gries on how to catch, fillet, and cook northern pike.
Keep lure selection simple.
Grizz goes along when trolling for pike Rapala Rattlin’ Raps or swimming rapala stick bait When weeds are in abundance. In the summer, Griz’s favorite color is the traditional crawdad (not the new red and black), but good luck having that in stock somewhere.
Trolling speed should be constant.
Grizz trolls rattling rapps at exactly 4.5 mph, which sounds fast. This helps keep the bait on top of the weeds. If he passes a good area and does not receive a hit, he will attempt to hit it again from a different direction before moving on.
Keep pumping the rod.
Grizz continuously pumps the rod to propel his bait forward and then drop it back. This is especially important for removing forage from weeds. Often you will be attacked immediately after taking the bait out of one.
The pike follow the bait, and so should you.
Pike go where the food is. In spring this means shallow bays where the water is warm. In summer this means deeper weed beds, and usually away from the banks.
Place the keeper pike in a paper bag.
Northern people are clingy. This is why people underestimate them as table fare. To remove the mud from his pike, Grizz puts them in a paper grocery bag, then puts that bag in a larger garbage bag, and puts them all in a cooler. This keeps the fish from splattering, and it also serves to draw mud from it, which helps with preparation and ultimately flavor.
Keep it simple with Y-bones.
There are several different methods of removing Y-bones but Gries’ method is simple and effective. you can see how he does it 16:44 Mark.
Cut the fillets into pieces.
After removing the Y-bones, cut the fillets into pieces. This will help in more consistent frying.
Do not soak the fillets in water.
Many people will soak their fillets in water (or salt water) before frying. Grizz says this is a mistake. Instead, rinse the fillets with cold water and let them air dry before adding them to the batter. The fillets should be slightly moist, but not soaked.
Keep the batter light.
All you need for pike is a little Bisquick and some seasoning. Lighter batter will make the fish crispier, less sticky and more delicious.
Eat Northern Fresh.
Do not freeze northern pike fillets. This greatly reduces their taste and texture. Eat your pike fresh or not at all.
