Icing your catch

[Esperanza-time]

Bleed everything, springs/lings/rock fish right away. Then into salt ice slurry. Fish quality is perfect!

The gross fish I see at the dock daily from most fishermen is atrocious.

 

[Rockin Johnny]

Have you looked into a pressure bleeding system?

I haven’t, but I just watched a video. Looks awesome, I might just try to set this up for my Ukee trip in 2 weeks. Thanks for shedding light.

 

[Hardy Guy]

More guides are starting to take ice. Bleed and put on ice or just bleed and keep cool if you are out for a very short time and you will be fine. Doing more is even better if you can. Kill bags are great.

 

[Roberth]

For me filling my freezer with quality protein is top priority while harvesting. I have always used salt ice and buried my catch within 15 minutes of catching. The last trip I was on there was no salt ice option and even fresh water ice was hard to find. I talked to multiple guys at the dock who say they never ice their fish…!? One said he puts his in his fish well and covers his catch in salt water, freshening it up every half hour, another said he keeps his in fish box and just sprays it down every once in a while. As convenient as this sounds I would imagine the quality would be jeopardized by doing this. What are your thoughts, hacks or ideas for keeping quality up when salt ice is not available?

I use 10 or so Gatorade bottles full of water and frozen. Pack a them around the fish.

 

[Flashman]

You can make salt ice, just add salt to ice. I realize it's not exactly the same, but all the salt does is lower the freezing point of the water, allowing the melting ice to keep the fish a couple degrees cooler than regular ice. Don't add too much salt or you will drop the freezing point so low that the fish will start to freeze. I have done that intentionally to keep frozen fish frozen over a multiday drive in the summer, buy bagged ice, add couple pounds of salt. Works great to extend the time frozen fish stays solid, you just keep adding more ice and more salt, drain the water off occasionally.

As mentioned already on here, the next level of care for top quality fish after bleeding and icing promptly is to look at the Ike jime technique. This is an excellent explanation. The kits are readily available on amazon for cheap, or use whatever you have that does the job.

The Complete Guide to Ike Jime

The how and why you should Ike Jime your next catch. From Trout to Tuna, this method will help you bring the highest quality seafood to your dinner table. Learn More.

www.aftco.com

 

[islandboy]

Small boats call for small solutions. Ike, bleed, in the plastic bag, in the insulation bag, ice packs between the plastic and fish bag.
This thread has me visualizing some kind of cleaning tray now.

 

[Eden Island]

Small boats call for small solutions. Ike, bleed, in the plastic bag, in the insulation bag, ice packs between the plastic and fish bag.
This thread has me visualizing some kind of cleaning tray now.
View attachment 119543

There's a parallel thread on that - Aluminum Fish Cleaning Tray His design won't work for me - I might start with wood.

 

[islandboy]

There's a parallel thread on that - Aluminum Fish Cleaning Tray His design won't work for me - I might start with wood.

Need mine to span 4', and lower edges. Something that is light enough to be easily stowed when not in use. With a bump tape for measuring. I'm thinking cedar/spruce fiberglassed.

 

[Aquaholic]

Need mine to span 4', and lower edges. Something that is light enough to be easily stowed when not in use. With a bump tape for measuring. I'm thinking cedar/spruce fiberglassed.

Sea Dog makes one, I have posted mine many times, coho size but have bled out a 30 lb chinook last September. Tri Core Plastics makes them for the commercial crowd, bigger for chinook.

Tricore Plastic Fish Cleaning Trough

Tricore Plastic Fish Cleaning Trough 39.5" x 12" x 7" TROUGH: TRICORE PLASTIC COHO CLEANING

pacificnetandtwine.com

Seadog - Coho Fish Cleaner | Model 325950

Seadog - Coho Fish Cleaner - One piece injection molded construction - easy to clean and maintainCOHO FISH CLEANER Injection Molded Polypropylene One piece inje

www.harbourchandler.ca

 

[islandboy]

Upped my game this morning. Cleaned the pink right away. Ladies said it tasted better than last week. Thanks for the tips

 

[Lee Richards]

I guided for a lodge that was owned by an ex commercial fisherman who claimed it was essential to pressure bleed your salmon. I pressure bled all my salmon that summer and I still do a few of my own fish thay way. Pressure bleeding does not make them taste any better than a regularly bled fish overall. It helps make sure the whole fish is bled out is all. I am sure you have all noticed that every now and then, a fish does not bleed out completely. Pressure bleeding just helps to ensure that every fish is completely bled out. It is kind of a pain in the butt and makes a pretty big mess as well as taking up precious fishing time.

 

[Whole in the Water]

I agree with others that ice is nice if you have it but not essential. I bleed all fish as soon as they are put into my big fish box on my aluminum boat. I continually pour saltwater on the fish to rinse out the blood and keep them cool. If I have time/opportunity I will clean them will fishing or will clean them at the dock. When on multi-day trips and then belly ice the fish in a good cooler with salt ice and transport them home this way with the gills or heads removed. I never store fish in plastic bags as that is when you can get bacterial buildup. Been doing this for 25 years with no problems.

 

[Aces]

If I’m just going for a couple of hours I bring a couple of 1 liter mllk or cream ice blocks if I think I may retain a fish or 2. Gill it immediately in the fish cooler add salt water and the blocks. As full day I bring a bucket of ice

 

[adanac]

This thread is getting a bit overboard on my opinion. Quite honestly when I started fishing for salmon 47 years ago with my family nearly everyone had a fish tub and we all survived.

Survived yes , but I gaurentee the fillets were not in this condition .

 

[Samnjoe]

I bleed all fish as they go in the box. Wash them every 1/2 hour with cold raw water.
Everything gets cleaned and iced on board if I'm staying out multiple days. No ice unless we are tuna fishing.

 

[saanauk]

Bleed fish in the fish box after a quick but firm whack on the head. Dump a few buckets of cold water on them and then cleaned within a half hour typically. (If the bite is on then the fish will get cleaned as soon as the bite dies down) Then packed in cooler bags with refreeze-able ice blocks and frozen Costco water bottles in the cleaned belly cavities.
Longer trips on the boat the fish get packed on flake ice in coolers
It is a privilege to catch such amazing fish and taking the best possible care of them is important to me.

 

[Marley]

I bought an ice machine this year and have been filling my coolers and fish box with fresh water ice. I am thinking through how to make a salt ice slurry. I was thinking of using rock salt but am not sure in what ratio I should be adding it to the ice after it has been made. Any suggestions?

 

[Rockin Johnny]

From my research online …..

1. Layer in ice
   Fill the cooler about halfway with crushed ice.
2. Add water
   Pour in just enough water to make the ice start floating. You want a thick slushy mix, not a soup.
3. Add salt
   Sprinkle about 1 cup of salt per gallon of water (roughly 1 lb salt per 8–10 lbs ice). Stir it around with your hand or a scoop.

1. Submerge the salmon
   Gut and bleed your salmon first (if not already done). Slide the fish directly into the slurry so it’s fully surrounded.
2. Top up as needed
   Keep adding ice and a little salt through the day to maintain the slush. Drain off excess water

Tips

• Don’t use too much salt—too briny can slightly toughen fish skin over long storage. The above ratio is plenty.
• If you want to hold salmon for more than a day or two, you’ll need to either fillet and vacuum seal, or keep refreshing the slurry constantly.
• For transport, drain the water right before travel so the cooler isn’t sloshing everywhere, then add a fresh layer of ice on top.

 

[Marley]

From my research online …..

1. Layer in ice
   Fill the cooler about halfway with crushed ice.
2. Add water
   Pour in just enough water to make the ice start floating. You want a thick slushy mix, not a soup.
3. Add salt
   Sprinkle about 1 cup of salt per gallon of water (roughly 1 lb salt per 8–10 lbs ice). Stir it around with your hand or a scoop.

1. Submerge the salmon
   Gut and bleed your salmon first (if not already done). Slide the fish directly into the slurry so it’s fully surrounded.
2. Top up as needed
   Keep adding ice and a little salt through the day to maintain the slush. Drain off excess water

Tips

• Don’t use too much salt—too briny can slightly toughen fish skin over long storage. The above ratio is plenty.
• If you want to hold salmon for more than a day or two, you’ll need to either fillet and vacuum seal, or keep refreshing the slurry constantly.
• For transport, drain the water right before travel so the cooler isn’t sloshing everywhere, then add a fresh layer of ice on top.

Thanks. I will try this next time.

 

[scott craven]

I bag the salmon individually and load them into a cooler with frozen water bottles.
Salmon will keep 3-4 days as long as you replace the frozen bottles.