The lake we used to swim at where people caught ling was a really cold spring lake, but, the ling still tasted swampy supposedly. I can't attest to that of course, I've never had the pleasure. But, I'm a brilliant cook and can make damn near anything taste good. ;-)
Pike Fishing.
- Thread starter CDNBear
- Start date
The lake we used to swim at where people caught ling was a really cold spring lake, but, the ling still tasted swampy supposedly. I can't attest to that of course, I've never had the pleasure. But, I'm a brilliant cook and can make damn near anything taste good. ;-)
Exactly. It is not necessarily the fish but the way it's cooked an who cooked it. Even sucker is excellent if canned properly.
If you're trolling and on any of the lakes in the Shield, you can try bottom-bouncers. They work well at slow speeds BUT you can't use them where there's lots of bottom vegetation or crap.
In the heat of summer, they're great to get down deep into the colder water.
Been so long I forget what the bait was. Cold water and colder beer seemed to make it memorable if you had real butter. (AKA cow)
In my neighborhood they are called 'slough sharks'. in the evening the bar(s) takes over as the local fishing pond. What the hell is a 'hilltop lake' BTW lol
In my neighborhood they are called 'slough sharks'. in the evening the bar(s) takes over as the local fishing pond. What the hell is a 'hilltop lake' BTW lol
Little more simple. a lake that can only be seen from a 'certain hilltop', thanks to the runoff from the farms you can walk on the algae by mid-august. The Perch can still be kept but the jack are returned as the slime seems to turn some people off, as it is it just slides down easier without the need for fire to make it tasty.
you fed pike to the dogs? dude pike meat is the best when its caught out of cold water...
Basically wherever there is structure in the water, you want to fish. Trolling with a floating perch rapala or jigging out in front of some fallen tree offshore will work..
Best times to eat pike are the spring and fall when their meat tastes the best, in the summer they dont taste all that great..
Ah Yes I remember when Lauri Rapala's balsa wood lure first came out-had to buy it mail order from Minnesota-and Man did it Work!!! 
A mild tasting freshwater fish like Pike is excellent done in a Tempura batter-I fed some to my Dad and he couldn't believe how good it was-at that point in his life he'd been eating it monthly for over 60 years.
Any fish that has picked up a muddy/off flavour will benefit from soaking in low fat milk at least 12 hours- changing the milk once.
A mild tasting freshwater fish like Pike is excellent done in a Tempura batter-I fed some to my Dad and he couldn't believe how good it was-at that point in his life he'd been eating it monthly for over 60 years.
Any fish that has picked up a muddy/off flavour will benefit from soaking in low fat milk at least 12 hours- changing the milk once.
Best way to catch pike in my experience is casting with a small spoon to the edge of a reed bed. I've never noticed that the particular spoon makes any difference, they'll go for anything shiny and moving. I've even seen them jump up at the spoon before it hits the water. Best time to do it is no later than mid June, before the shallow water around the reed beds gets very warm. Best place to do it is any of the lakes in Saskatchewan north of Prince Albert, and the absolute best I've found is Whiteswan Lake. A large part of their diet there is freshwater shrimp, their flesh is pink, almost like salmon, and quite tasty. Best way to prepare them is in fillets, cooked in butter, in a large cast iron skillet, over a campfire of driftwood on the shore. A cold beer really helps. :smile:
And don't use a plate, knife, or fork, Your fingers are all you need.
And don't use a plate, knife, or fork, Your fingers are all you need.
My mom and dad heard about ling/burbot recipes and tried it a couple years ago... and it was well worth it. The flesh is really white and has a different consistency than walleye, perch or pike. The biggest drawbacks are a) there isn't that much (just a strip on each side, behind the head) and b) cleaning them can be a PITA because they're slimier and harder to keep a hold of (even with pliers) than pike are.
Even before getting to the lake. Best save the whiskey for the moose hunt.
Bear... that is insufficient information. We gave you all sorts of ideas for HOW to catch them, so, what did you end up using?
One cooking method the kids loved when they were young (and still do), involved running the fish in the meat grinder, which took care of any bones I might have missed, also grind some boiled potatoes...... mix in whatever ratio feels right to you, along with onions and spices...
Form into patties and either pan fry or deep fry
It's good for people who find the flavor of pike is too strong..
Form into patties and either pan fry or deep fry
It's good for people who find the flavor of pike is too strong..
Sorry, I was just on my way off the puter when I posted that.
SCB caught a nice 8lbs, on a big sucker minnow under a float. Me and Kooter tied into two with a silver and blue cleo. We ate Kooter's 5lbs for breakfast, right on the river. My 7lbs is in the fridge.
Like fish sticks with actual fish in them, lol.