Never Fails to Weird Me Out

[IceChicka]

I should have tried to throw the crappie back that someone left outside our fish house as they where leaving, I hate that when people catch one fish and decide they aren't gonna catch and release and then when they only get one they leave it on the ice, man that makes me mad...I felt sorry for the lil fishy, I will have to try it if I see someone else has left a poor lil soul on the ice...do a bit of resuscitation hehe.

Although I have never seen it come back to life after being somewhat frozen, I watched my other half fillet some crappie when dead and they where bouncin all over the place..crappie floppin is what he called it..I couldn't ever watch again after that and for some reason I couldn't eat it either LOL...

[Shack]

I would have to say they are not really alive. When they thaw out, some nerves are still going and causes some action they may have an appearance that they are still alive.

When I do cut up some table far, I just go to town. Put the knife behind the gills and start filleting. (IMO), bashing them in the head is just a subconscious way some fisherman (and fishergals) get threw the process .

I have yet to hear about someone filleting a fish and getting bit or attacked .

[goblueM]

Nope they are still alive. Very much so. They'll flop around for 15 minutes if the conditions are right. They react to you as well, and I've had them flip right out of the sink. Particularly walleyes, but I've had it happen with crappies too

[Shack]

I guess I was talking about a frozen solid (dead) fish , that is thawed quickly with warm water. I have had it where their gills, mouth and maybe tail relaxes and moves after thawing. I have never had them start jumping around.

[blackdog1101]

Nope they are still alive. Very much so.

Same here. These were swimming.

I'm not sure I agree with the idea that once frozen the fish don't taste as good. I sure can't tell. I think the "frozen food doesn't taste as good" theory came from older times, when food was frozen for long term storage, and got that "freezer taste" in the food. Anyhow, my fillets, even frozen, will only last a few days before they're eaten.

[Shack]

I agree. I do not think being frozen and then thawed effects the taste much, if at all.

What it does effect (if you let them freeze solid) is it become a longer process during cleaning. If someone toss's a bucket full (because they froze), it is because of laziness and the taste thing is just something they use to justify throwing away good eat’ in fish .

[blackdog1101]

They do get slimy when they freeze, but the slime washes off easily under the faucet. Just hold the fish in your hand, and rub the fish a bit with your fingers under the running water, and the slime comes off easily

[GlassEyeangler]

This happened to me yesterday afternoon...I brought home 10 crappies, and they were all alive after running faucet water on them to get the slime off. They had been out of the water for at least four hours. It's kinda cool...I give the one a 10 out of 10 that actally grabs air off the cutting board and lands on the floor, picked up by my dog and dragged into the kennel, then washed off again, back on the cutting board, and still flipping around. Tough little guys!

[ole]

I prefer to fillet my fish live and fresh.

That's kinda hard to do if your ice fishing. -20 up on LOW and them babies are flash froze.

ole

[Whitefishnetter]

cheap plastic cooler goes a long ways to keep even dead fish fresh tasting, little ice in the summer is even better, gutted and gilled fish are better if you can kill them by cutting across the lower pectoral fin area just behind the gills, thats where the big arteries are coming out of the heart are.`Blood is the first tissue to spoil and is better removed for good taste.Fish is expensive to catch and should be savored at the peak of its freshness, don't let it freeze and dry out. Remember the guy that drove off the North Shore highway in the 70's? He was in the water in Lake Superior for 45 minutes and was rescusitated, kinda like those Crappies

[minnbowhunter]

I cut um too, right where the gill covers come together at the bottom. Works everytime.

[gritsnham]

Im confused...have you guys actually had frozen solid fish start flapping around or partially frozen? Fish I have to thaw actually have never moved around on me but fish kept on the ice or in snow for extended periods could still be very alive and flop around. If a fish is completly frozen it is going to be dead...