How to Debone a Pike

Lay the pike on your cutting board, and cut beneath its gill plate at a 45 degree angle until you've reached the backbone.

Turn your filleting knife until it is horizontal, and cut along the backbone all the way to the tail. Leave the fillet attached at the tail end.

Cut away the belly portion of the fillet along with its fins, and flip the fillet over onto your cutting board with the skin side down. You should now have a long fillet, still attached to the skeleton at the tail, with a portion of ribs and membrane attached to the fillet but the entrails left behind on the carcass.

Slice underneath the row of ribs to remove the rib bones and membrane. Keep your knife angled toward the ribs, to minimize waste.

Feel for the troublesome "Y" bones in the thickest portion of the fillet. Cut horizontally toward the bones until you can feel them with your knife blade, then follow the curve of the bones until you've nearly reached the skin.

Make a second cut toward the bones from the other side, at about a 45 degree angle, until you've reached the bones again near their base. You should now be able to pull out the entire strip of bones, joined by a small amount of flesh.

Slide your knife between the skin and the flesh, starting where the fillet remains attached to the tail. Hold the fish in place as you push the knife through, separating the fillet from the skin. Angle the knife toward the skin, to minimize waste.

Cook the boneless fillets immediately, or package them for refrigeration or freezing.