ssantoro Posted June 14, 2012 Posted June 14, 2012 Hi Raiders Couldn't stay home last night even though the state of origin was on, noticed there was a break in the rain, hit the record button and took off. Started in my usual fashion trying to catch Yakkas on a handline, 30 minutes in I was on...when I pulled it out I couldn't work out what it was? At first I thought it's a huge Yakka , then I thought whiting (which it looks like to me) but I have never seen one with teeth like this. Can anyone assit me to identify this fish and let me know if I should eat it or not. I caught it in Watsons Bay. Cheers Extreme.
CarlRak Posted June 14, 2012 Posted June 14, 2012 That's a Pike, or a Sabre-Toothed Whiting (as some like to call it).
hottyscotty Posted June 14, 2012 Posted June 14, 2012 (edited) never tried eating them because worried they might smell when cooked but they make excellent cut bait or live Edited June 14, 2012 by hottyscotty
rjc123 Posted June 14, 2012 Posted June 14, 2012 never tried eating them because worried they might smell when cooked but they make excellent cut bait or live +1 for bait. Some Jewie Fisherman swear by it either live or butterflied. Never tried eating them so can't say... Can't imagine it'd be great though..
aeb870 Posted June 14, 2012 Posted June 14, 2012 I know many people that eat them and don't mind them at all. They smell while alive (especially when you clean them) but once cooked they say there is no smell. Also a good bait.
Sika Posted June 14, 2012 Posted June 14, 2012 Yeah they sure do stink. The smell keeps lingering on your hands after handling, even after washing. They make great bait as I think the strong smell is a contributing factor. I have never eaten them but am told they are ok tasting.
stevo-72 Posted June 14, 2012 Posted June 14, 2012 I can smell it from here...and so can the fish.....which makes it a good bait.
Plumb Posted June 14, 2012 Posted June 14, 2012 I thought they had a parasite in them? That's why no one eats them? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Piss'n'Broke Posted June 14, 2012 Posted June 14, 2012 (edited) GREAT LIVE BAIT . Seen a 65cm "rat" kingy taking a 27cm pike, took it almost 5 mins to get it down, and countless runs,,,, but was amusing to watch, except for one factor, there was alot of bigger 80cm+ kings in the school. This happened a couple years back in middle harbour but still have fond memories of it. Dan Edited June 14, 2012 by Dan and Greg
craigbutcher Posted June 14, 2012 Posted June 14, 2012 I am going to step out on a limb here, however, I have eaten them and their flesh when cooked both looks and tastes like whiting. Pure white tender fillets. They have the same bone structure of whiting. I catch whithing on a regular basis both estuary and beach fishing, my biggest going 43cm. I would rate the smaller PIKE up there with a whiting. Trust me! Butch
finin Posted June 14, 2012 Posted June 14, 2012 All the above are correct, and yes they do make great eating. The smell goes once the fish is scaled then skinned. Meat is a beautiful white colour and sweat,small bones. Also is great as sashimi. I rate it equal to whiting but thats me!
Howdoweplaythis Posted June 15, 2012 Posted June 15, 2012 I thought they had a parasite in them? That's why no one eats them? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Cooking it should kill any parasites
shak4g63 Posted June 15, 2012 Posted June 15, 2012 I never knew l lpike tasted like whiting, I just couldn't get over the battery acid smell. However they do make good livies
Z-ster Posted June 15, 2012 Posted June 15, 2012 My partner caught a few fish on a hand line one time at Balmoral wharf, including a Leatherjacket and a Pike. We cooked them both and the pike trumped the Leatherjacket by a fair margin. Having said that I have no idea where Leatherjackets rank on the eating scale.
Keflapod Posted June 15, 2012 Posted June 15, 2012 (edited) Hey Extremeterror, I fish mainly for the table. I have eaten every fish that is not in the poison's information centre booklet. My experience is that each person has different taste buds. Taste buds are on your tongue, but many will say they are in your nose as well. Ignore the smell of the fish when uncooked. Cook it a bunch of different ways and decide for yourself if you like it any particular way. I personally love pike. They require a little more cooking than most fish (grilled I mean) so that the flesh firms up. If you undercook it , it will taste a bit mushy, but if you cook it until firm, it is really nice. The only fish I don't like is silver morwong. The strong iodine smell and taste lingers after it's cooked and I can't seem to mask it, even with tom-yum fish paste. But that's my opinion after extensive experimentation. If all people judged seafood based on looks and smell, then no-one would touch octopus or cuttlefish. They look like they're from outer space ! They would certainly give you extreme terror.... No-one would want to clean a drummer or a snapper because the stomach contents smell so bad. Half the fun is experimenting with your catch to see what you like. When you discover a recipe you really like, you will jump on any pike you catch and you will be in two minds - bait or food.....what a conundrum ! Tony Edited June 15, 2012 by Keflapod
Slink Posted June 15, 2012 Posted June 15, 2012 Well there you go , I would have never thought to eat a stinky pike but I might give it a go. Have only ever used them for baits.
ssantoro Posted June 15, 2012 Author Posted June 15, 2012 (edited) Thanks everyone You're all right about the smell, but once I filleted it the smell was gone. When I filleted the fish I thought it was a whiting, so I looked up videos on how to fillet a whiting, and the Pike does have the same bone structure as a whiting. Since posting this I've chucked the fillets into my bait container, so I think I'll use it as bait for Jewies. But the next time I catch one I'll cook it up and let you all know what I think. Thanks again! ExtremeT Edited June 15, 2012 by extremeterror
ross patti Posted June 15, 2012 Posted June 15, 2012 (edited) Many years ago while on a fishing club weekend away, the BBQ man got adventurous and filleted and cooked up a number of " odd" fish. I distinctly remember the humble pike as one of them. Despite a few bourbons on board, the pike was remarkably nice. They all had a laugh coz I was always critical of them keeping all manner of crap just to weigh them in !! Tony ( Keflapod ) mentioned that we all have different tastes. I'm a fussy bugger when it comes to fish. Ice slurry every time . . . no exceptions . . . I don't keep more than 1 trevally for the cat, coz I sure won't eat them !!. But the funny thing is that things like pike, butcher's XXXXXX, red rock cod, and who knows what other ooglies actually taste good. Sure, the pike smell . . . but so do some of our favourite things !!! Edited June 15, 2012 by Rosco 1
myocard Posted June 15, 2012 Posted June 15, 2012 I have eaten every fish that is not in the poison's information centre booklet. That's the attitude!
idolz Posted June 18, 2012 Posted June 18, 2012 I thought they had a parasite in them? That's why no one eats them? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Alot fish you catch have a parasite in them..
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