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Locate the vent, a small hole on the underside of the fish. Plunge the knife in just behind the vent, towards the tail. Cut along the fish until you just about reach the end. Starting at this hinge, get the knife between the skin and meat to easily remove the skin and scales. Use a spoon to scoop out any extra meat around the bones if making a stew, fish patties, meat balls, etc.
This little hole, the fish's anus, is located on the belly of the fish near the tail. Locate it as the starting point for your fish. Cutting the tail fillets of a pike is just like any other fish. If you already know what you're doing, there are no extra bones or steps to worry about with northern pike. Cut down until you hit the remains of the backbone, then angle the knife back towards the tail. You want to be just tail-side of the vent, so that it is not in your fillet. This hole only provides your starting point -- you don't want to cook it! You don't want to totally cut the fillet off. It should have a small "hinge" of skin right where the flesh meets the tail, so you can pull the meat off the fish like an opening door. Leaving the fillet just barely on the fish makes it much easier to skin, as the tail forms a natural hinge. There is plenty of good meat left on the fish if you're not only interested in the fillets. Simply use a spoon and your knife to pull the meat off the bones and sort out any last bits of bone.