Rinse the pike and pat it dry
Place it on a cutting board
Use a sharp fillet knife
Make a cut behind the gill plate down to the backbone
Turn the blade and cut along the backbone toward the tail
Keep the blade tight against the bones
Stop at the tail and leave the fillet attached by the skin if needed
Lift the fillet and cut through the skin or connective tissue at the tail
Flip the fish and repeat on the other side
Remove the rib bones from each fillet
Trim away the belly bones and any remaining pin bones
Skin the fillets if desired
Check carefully for Y-bones and remove them with tweezers or the knife tip
Rinse the fillets and store them on ice or in the refrigerator