Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Piranha on March 16, 2008, 07:30:00 PM

Title: how to keep fish fresh?
Post by: Piranha on March 16, 2008, 07:30:00 PM
how to keep fish fresh when you are fishing?  If you haven't caught your daily limit and you want to spend few more hours and have 1 or 2 fish how do you keep them from going bad? Do you bring ice packs with you on your float tube? or do you slit their gills and have them bleed out? do you attach them to a line after bonking them and drag them behind you in cold water. What is the best way to keep a fish fresh if you plan on fishing after the catch?
Title: Re: how to keep fish fresh?
Post by: ~IvAn~ on March 16, 2008, 07:44:56 PM
Gut it and ice it!  :)
Title: Re: how to keep fish fresh?
Post by: Fish Assassin on March 16, 2008, 07:47:19 PM
Gut it and ice it!  :)

Agree. Also keep them out of the sun and out of the water, unless you like eating water logged fish.
Title: Re: how to keep fish fresh?
Post by: canso on March 16, 2008, 09:37:45 PM
I'm guessing a "live line" is no longer politically correct?
They usually swim next to me. bonk them when your done fishing.
Title: Re: how to keep fish fresh?
Post by: Rodney on March 16, 2008, 09:42:23 PM
Ice in a cooler especially on warm days.

(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2008/080316-01.jpg)

(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2008/080316-02.jpg)

For ice, I like to put water into a baking pan and put it in the freezer overnight. Ice is then broken in the pan and dumped into the cooler in the morning. The alternative is to fill a 2 litre plastic juice container with water and freeze it so it can be washed and re-used. I dislike using plastic bags to carry my fish as the plastic bags are thrown away after one use. When fishing rivers in fall and winter, the fish are gutted and left in the water while fishing. They are carried to the car by lifting the gill plates and transferred straight into the cooler.
Title: Re: how to keep fish fresh?
Post by: Rodney on March 16, 2008, 09:44:54 PM
I'm guessing a "live line" is no longer politically correct?
They usually swim next to me. bonk them when your done fishing.

I maybe reading the above post incorrectly. Fish that are intended to be kept are required to be killed immediately when caught, this is to prevent those who intend to practice high grading. There's nothing wrong with having dead ones on a stringer, but not live ones.

Page 9, middle column, third last point (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/docs/fish-synopsis_2007-08_general.pdf)
Title: Re: how to keep fish fresh?
Post by: one more cast on March 16, 2008, 11:21:05 PM
A small burlap bag works good if tubing or a small boat where a cooler is impractical. Keep the burlap cold with fresh water from the lake now and then. The air holes in the burlap circulate fresh air to the flesh. You can get the smaller burlap bags at some places that sell rice in them.
Title: Re: how to keep fish fresh?
Post by: veddereject on March 17, 2008, 07:25:14 PM
Practise catch and release, so there will be fish for you the next time out.  Don't know if anyone high grades this side of the 49th, unless your bassing for Rapala gear :)
Title: Re: how to keep fish fresh?
Post by: rocky on March 23, 2008, 11:13:24 AM
if you are not prepared with ice you can use an old time method... put fish on damp  moss in  cooler (or what have you) and remove gills and intestines for best flavor.
Title: Re: how to keep fish fresh?
Post by: Rodney on March 23, 2008, 12:00:52 PM
Don't know if anyone high grades this side of the 49th, unless your bassing for Rapala gear :)

High grading happens from time to time in BC. A couple of years ago few individuals were charged with high grading when they were caught with several live pink salmon on stringer at shore of Mamquam River (not to mention the river was closed at the time). This past fall salmon season, people were also seen with stringer of live coho salmon.

High grading and other violations should be reported:

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/rapp/rapp.html
Title: Re: how to keep fish fresh?
Post by: chris gadsden on March 23, 2008, 09:42:17 PM
Don't know if anyone high grades this side of the 49th, unless your bassing for Rapala gear :)

High grading happens from time to time in BC. A couple of years ago few individuals were charged with high grading when they were caught with several live pink salmon on stringer at shore of Mamquam River (not to mention the river was closed at the time). This past fall salmon season, people were also seen with stringer of live coho salmon.

High grading and other violations should be reported:

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/rapp/rapp.html
Saw fish alive on a rope a few times this year on the Chilliwack. ::) ???