How do you "kill" your bass (or any fish) before eating it?

[pikestabber]

I did feel the need...must be my animal instinct.

[Hester]

Holy Cow, we have now become politicaly correct on how to clean a fish so that we dont cause it more suffering.

Come on guys, there is a Hierarchy involved here. Just saying! Or maybe im wrong?

No, I think they were just asking and giving advice,nothing wrong with that.

If I don't have any decent input on a certain topic I just simply don't input.

[bobbymalone]

I did feel the need...must be my animal instinct.

or it's just the rabies virus addling your brain. are you nervous around water?

[Getanet]

Personally, I draw the line between something with a brain and something without one. I don't know if a fish experiences pain, particularly the way humans define it, but since I'm unsure I knock it over the head before sticking a knife in it. As I said, I also think it's safer. I can't believe there is a difference in freshness over a fish filleted alive and one that was killed 5 seconds before filleting.

I'm not going to loose sleep over people filleting them alive. My dad does it that way. I just think if you're going to kill something get it over with, no need to prolong it.

[pikestabber]

or it's just the rabies virus addling your brain. are you nervous around water?

Is that what it is? And here I thought primitives like myself just had a general loathing for cleanliness. Makes sense now.

[RK]

Hiya -

Late to the conversation but... I prefer them to be dead before I start carving, but not because I'm squeamish... Well, except when fish that have been laying on the ice for hours start flopping again in the sink at home. That kind of freaks me out. Walking Dead with fins kind of thing. I just want 'em dead so they aren't flopping around while I'm waving an extremely sharp knife trying to corral them.

I've pretty much quit using my livewell - it's boat bumper storage. I use a cooler with ice, and if I'm keeping a fish, I bleed it immediately. Stick a knife in between the pectoral fins and cut forward to the base of the gills. Kills them dead as charity in a second, and bleeding them out does seem to make them taste better. Don't know why, and it may just be in my head, but either way...

Works for me, and probably as humane a way to do it as there is, if that concerns you.

My

RK

[MN Shutterbug]

I have read that fish do not feel pain the same way as we do. When hooked, they go crazy because it's uncomfortable. So says the experts, but then how do they really know?

[Craigums]

I've read that bleeding a fish out immediately and then throwing them on ice is the best way to preserve the taste. Just like RK does it

[Bassburch]

I've read that bleeding a fish out immediately and then throwing them on ice is the best way to preserve the taste. Just like RK does it

Do you just bleed them out in the cooler?? Over the water?? I would like to try this sometime. I too have heard doing this can lead to better tasting fillets.

[TruthWalleyes]

I like them floppin while i'm cutting off the 2nd fillet...Fillets go directly from the cutting board to the fryer or pan. I try to keep only what i'll eat that day.

[RK]

Do you just bleed them out in the cooler?? Over the water?? I would like to try this sometime. I too have heard doing this can lead to better tasting fillets.

I just do it over the side of the boat. Doesn't take long. Then on ice they go.

TruthWalleyes - I don't always go right to the pan, but they rarely go in the freezer. Only exception is if I keep a couple fish for my in-laws, since I don't always see them right away.

[Hoffer]

I find that bleeding out the fish is just plain messy. Especially like with the big Muskies. When you bleed one out over 50 inches it gets all over the boat and is just a nuisance. So, I just club them and throw them in the livewell for later. Sometimes at the end of the day though they get kind of gross so if that happens I just end up throwing them in the garbage at the landing.

[thatoneguy]

I like them floppin while i'm cutting off the 2nd fillet...Fillets go directly from the cutting board to the fryer or pan. I try to keep only what i'll eat that day.

+1

[RumRiverRat]

I find that bleeding out the fish is just plain messy. Especially like with the big Muskies. When you bleed one out over 50 inches it gets all over the boat and is just a nuisance. So, I just club them and throw them in the livewell for later. Sometimes at the end of the day though they get kind of gross so if that happens I just end up throwing them in the garbage at the landing.

[k00lguy]

I Thought i was the only one who eat fish...

[pikestabber]

I find that bleeding out the fish is just plain messy. Especially like with the big Muskies. When you bleed one out over 50 inches it gets all over the boat and is just a nuisance. So, I just club them and throw them in the livewell for later. Sometimes at the end of the day though they get kind of gross so if that happens I just end up throwing them in the garbage at the landing.

You think big muskies are bad, try 30" plus walleyes, or "trash can liners" as I affectionately call them.

[Wabamskee]

I give the fish a shot of Jim Beam, and they are numb. I have a double shot, then it don't hurt a bit.

Haha - This is truly the 'humane' way to let it go - last meal (bait) and a parting gift to calm the nerves, I like it.

[Wabamskee]

If you decide to kill the fish before cleaning it and the fish has been dead for awhile already, just be sure to check the gills for red to make sure that the fish is still safe to eat. If the inside of the gills are white or dry, don't eat it.

[SkunkedAgain]

I keep a special rock on my deck. Each fish gets a brain squish before filleting. I don't care about the studies or anything else. I roll with the "how would I want it to end" mantra. I'd want it to be quick and done if it were me. Even if I didn't feel pain, something tells me that I wouldn't want to know that something was cutting out my backstrap for a fine meal.

It's not about political correctness. Just treat others how you'd want to be treated. If that's being filleted alive, I'm fine with you doing it that way as well. That's how some of my buddies do it too. We all sleep well at night.

[TruthWalleyes]

I keep a special rock on my deck. Each fish gets a brain squish before filleting. I don't care about the studies or anything else. I roll with the "how would I want it to end" mantra. I'd want it to be quick and done if it were me. Even if I didn't feel pain, something tells me that I wouldn't want to know that something was cutting out my backstrap for a fine meal.

It's not about political correctness. Just treat others how you'd want to be treated. If that's being filleted alive, I'm fine with you doing it that way as well. That's how some of my buddies do it too. We all sleep well at night.

I usually try to kill my minnows and worms quick too

[blakjack23]

I don't care about the studies or anything else. I roll with the "how would I want it to end" mantra. I'd want it to be quick and done if it were me. Even if I didn't feel pain, something tells me that I wouldn't want to know that something was cutting out my backstrap for a fine meal.

It's not about political correctness. Just treat others how you'd want to be treated. If that's being filleted alive, I'm fine with you doing it that way as well. That's how some of my buddies do it too. We all sleep well at night.

Well said, my feelings exactly.

[Hoffer]

On a serious note. I dont really keep too many fish and when I do its usually a spur of them moment type decision to keep an eater or 2. So, I usually dont have ice in the boat - I usually just do the livewell method and then clean them up when I get home. In most cases, I am night fishing and the fish stay pretty healthy and are usually alive until I put them out and then clean them up. With that said, my brother and I are heading to Ontario again for our Spring trip. Fish is on the menu at least one night and the lake we fish is mainly smallie and trout. So, we are planning on keeping a few eater sized smallies for one evening meal. I think the plan will be to catch them , bleed them and throw them on ice. With the thought of cleaning them within about an hour or so after catching them. I have NEVER eaten a bas before - so I will report back after our trip and provide some feedback.

Hoffer

[goblueM]

I think you'll find those smallies taste pretty darn good. I've mixed them in with walleye fillets and nobody said anything

[UKCM]

I gotta say I think we have a little over analysis going on here. Think about how the majority of fish die in the wild. Swallowed whole. Somehow I doubt they die quickly.

Then let's discuss what we do to them as fisherman. How do you fish if you are concerned about the amount pain the fish feels. I do not know maybe somebody is using hookless lures.

I had a friend who used to tease me by saying. "If fish could scream the sport would die"

Also even if a person is a 100 percent catch and release, odds are pretty high that you are going to occasionally kill a fish via gut hooking or whatever. I doubt those fish die a quick death either.

I agree that Hoffer will find the smallies quite tasty, at least the smaller ones.

[reinhard1]

my wife and i stayed at a resort in Ely and a young kid took us [as a guide] to Basswood}. he had smallies in his cooler for shorelunch because we told him we planned on a catch and release trip. they were awesome. good luck.