It's the same in Canada although last summer a friend told me that my area has become popular with carp fisherman from Europe. If they are a fish that take on the flavour of the water, they can taste really good coming from clean water. I know some people who think of pike as muddy tasting but I have only ever had them from Manitoulin Island and it's know for having some of the cleanest water in the Great Lakes.
I think we just don't fish for carp or suckers because we have so many better tasting fish.
I like pike. I usually filet them around the "Y" bones, but this year I am going to try and pull them out as we do with trout and salmon pin bones. I hate wasting the flesh between the bones so I'm hoping it goes well.
I'm not as familiar with the bone pattern in pike, but my Dad used to like making perch fillets into little pants.