Size to keep or release Northern Pike

So I am a casual fisherman (once a week I try and go out ice fishing) and enjoy catching anything in the lake (each species holds a fascination for me I suppose...). Last week I landed a gorgeous 28" Northern off a small frosty (and a large shinner minnow) in Centerville Lake Minnesota. The fish was gorgeous and I was very happy (it is the largest Pike I have caught ice fishing). My fishing buddy and I debated whether to keep it or not. I love to eat fish but on a good day will only keep a handful of Crappie/Sunny/Bass/Northern or Perch (my luck is not that great anyways.....) Even though there was at least two good meals on this pike, I chose to let her go (I am pretty certain it was a female) to let her grow bigger and provide someone else the excitement I had.

The question is.... what size Pike is it best as a cutoff to release them? I am sure if it had been 24" I would have kept it. Is it under 27? I know a smaller lake like Centerville probably only has 10-20 40" fish and I imagine there are a few hundred in the 27-40" range (just guessing here of course)

I fish the southern zone and rarely throw out tip-ups much anymore. Depending on the lake if I really want some fish to eat I would probably keep a 26-27". Anything bigger goes back automatically. When fishing up north I have fished some lakes with tons of mid to upper 20s fish then I usually kept around 24-25" for eating. Did throw out boards today as jiggin was slow and got a nice 33" fish that went back. Hope to get him again next year when he's bigger and then I can release him again.

I think a 22-26" pike is a good eater. It truly depends on the lake you fish. I agree with the slot limit. It has worked for many species, and I think pike could use a bit of help. I see some guys getting trashed for keeping fish. Some guys rely on fish as table fare, so it's a loaded conversation. I talk tough and say how I'm going to keep some fish everytime I go out, but 98% of the time, they get released. I love pickled pike, and know the lake I fish could use some culling. Definitely lake specific on size. Lake I fish has a 3 fish 24" limit.

the first thing stealth says in his post is that the limit in the southern zone is 26". as you and others have mentioned, there are lakes with special regs, but it is an individual's responsibility to learn them.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ That's what I said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ That's not what I read in Stealths post. I live in the southern zone. Just printing the truth.

I would love a slot. Keep a few fish under 24 and or over 35. Fish between 26-34 inches should always be thrown back in my opinion. Best spawners and just plain old fun fish to catch for everybody. I know when my wife caught a 35 inch pike this winter that I was thankful to whoever likely released that fish when it was 32 or 33. When my nephew caught his 27 inch pike last weekend, I was thankful that somebody may have released it when it was 26.

Small lakes especially. There might be only 10-15 pike over 29 inches. Really think hard before keeping one. Of course it's a choice and perfectly legal to keep, but in my opinion the more fish there are for everyone, the more fun we can all have. To me, fishing is about the chase and the catch. But, I understand, to some, it's about a meal. And that's ok. We can all respect each other's opinions.

Notice too that on Mendota, where the limit is 40, there are a lot of 37 and 38 inch pike. On Puckaway, where the limit is 32, there are a ton of 30 and 31 inch fish. There is a reason for that. Can't wait for Big Muskego to go to the 40 inch limit. That'll be great for building a fantastic fishery.

I think a 27-28 incher is the perfect size to keep on the lake I fish. Even better if it's a male pike. In fact I caught a 27 incher last night and kept it.

thanks for the correction ice madness, that shoulda read 2, not 3 for the south. nitemite, even in the southern part of the state there ARE lakes that have no size limit, such as Little Cedar and Long lake (in fon du lac) among others. Not one single post recommended illegally taking smaller pike.

the size i like keeping is 26 to 29 in any thing bigger is getting released or mounted. fish that are 26 to 29 i will keep one vs a few smaller fish. try to figure out the population of fish on the lake and keep fish according to that. the lake i have been ice fishing it seems like people keep allot of northerns that they catch through the ice. so, i release every one i catch. no. 1 thing is to stay legal.

this guy is from minnesota and is trying to figure out what size to keep to not hurt the population. his rules can be different from WI rules.

Depending on the lake and the size limit I will very seldom keep one over 30". I make the larger ones into poorman's lobster and the hammer handles make great pickled fish. I know of several smaller lakes that are over run with small Northers and we will go there just to catch some for pickling.

nitemite- if you read the posts more closely, most of them mention to stay within the regs. in WI, 26" is the minimum south of HWY 10, no minimum length north of HWY 10. you are either fishing lakes with special regs, or in another state. the bigger the better is not a very good philosophy if you are concerned about the resource. if you fish a lake where 40" fish are common, that's fine. but, most lakes in southern wisconsin do not hold many trophy pike. at least, not as many as they might if people were more selective about what they harvest. ice madness- the bag limit is 5 in the northern zone

I don't know if I'd be listening to these guys. Check the regs for each waterway that you fish. Keep a 26"er on the lakes I fish most and you'll be looking at a fine at the very least. Stay legal and you'll be OK no matter what you do. If I'm pickling, any legal size works. Any other method of cooking, the larger the better. Good luck.

I personally won't keep one over 25", which means here in the southern half of the state I only keep a few on lakes that have no size limit. Not only are the bigger ones, like already said, better spawners, but I find that once they get over that size they are prone to have a more yellowish meat, which I don't appreciate the taste of one bit. Its a product of the fish feeding on larger, fattier fish as the yellow is an indicator of a higher fat content. The white flesh is leaner and tastes wonderful, and is about my favorite eating fish. I actually prefer it to perch, walleye, crappie or gills. I really despise this states 26" size limit. It sends the wrong message. We could really benefit from slot limits on Pike. Being forced to release all the super abundant (and tasty) hammer handles and allowed to keep 3 quality fish, which are fewer in numbers already, makes no sense to me. What is going to have a worse effect on the population, keeping 3 23 inchers or keeping 3 in the mid 30 range or better (over and over again). Doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that one out. Anglers should be encouraged to keep the smaller fish and only allowed a maximum of one larger fish for a trophy, maybe over 35". Seeing the numbers of mid 30 into 40 inch class pike that are kept with regularity makes me sad (props to those releasing the big fish), but as long as the rules are as they are, that's what you're gonna get. Just the way I see it.

i agree with what's been said so far. pike smaller than mid twenties don't have much meat. the 30" and larger fish are the prime spawners. mid to upper 20" fish are perfect eaters. oh, and like stealth said, be sure you comply with any applicable size limit.

Usually 25-30 inches.....enough delicious meat...but not too large to hurt natural reproduction....

I release all fish 30 and bigger....if i want to eat some pike Ill keep 24-28 inchers