Cleaning Fish

[Can'tFishEnuf]

This is probably a dumb question. I don't keep many fish, but every now and then I will keep a few. However, what is the proper way of disposing of fish remains after cleaning them? Can you just throw them in the garbage? And if you can, they must stink awfully bad after a few days. I could dig a hole, but my yard isn't very big. Any ideas?

[eyepatrol]

I clean my fish on newspaper and then just roll everything up when I'm done, put it in a garbage bag and throw it in the garbage can. Most of my fish are caught and cleaned on a Saturday or Sunday and garbage pickup is on Monday, so yes, it can ferment a bit. Obviously my wife hasn't enjoyed the beautiful aroma of rotting fish guts, and I have tried in the past to put the guts in a freezer-type ziplock, but it doesn't seem to matter.

Not sure what you could do to get rid of the smell, if anything, except to take the guts away completely from your home and dump them elswheres that is permissable. I have set the garbage can outside if it really gets bad on those 90+ degree days, but then you have all the flies and other bugs to deal with. I guess for me, it's just all a part of living in a fisherman's household! My wife deals with it, and I'm thankful for that too.

[Bobby Bass]

When I clean fish I toss remains in a plastic bag and the put them in the freezer till garbage day. Toss then out pick up day and no mess, no smell, me and the garbage man are both happy. If you forget you do it the next pick up day.

[hanson]

Quote:

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When I clean fish I toss remains in a plastic bag and the put them in the freezer till garbage day.

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Yeppers!!! That will take care of it. As long as the wife doesn't mind some fish guts in the freezer.

[eyepatrol]

Wow! That would NEVER fly in this household!!!!!!!! Good suggestion though.

[fishin789]

Yup. I put the guts and the news paper in a bag then put it in the freezer till garbage day. I once put them in the garbage 4 days before pick up day one summer and wow does that attract a lot of flys.and what a stink when the lid was opened. thats the last time I did that.

[harvey lee]

Been putting them in the freezer for years. Every once and awhile I'll find a bag and open it up and say,thats where that bag of guts went.But they never stink.

Great to keep for bear hunting as you can thaw the guts out and use for bear bait to get a bait going.I save guts for quite a few bear hunters.

[upnorth]

We have like 3 big community garbage cans per block in the alley and I normally take and wrap the remains in about 3 plastic grocery bags(my wife will not throw anything away) and put them out. I have not had my neighbors complain to me yet so it can't be too bad

[buddha]

I dig a hole and put them in my garden. If you don't have one, maybe a neighbor has one and wouldn't mind a little extra fertilizer.

[FL SNIPER]

I'm with you guys....spring/summer months...clean fish on newspaper...roll up newspaper and put in grocery bag and roll/smash up bag and then guts go in the freezer until garbage day....i have big black magic marker that i write "GUTS" on the package so there's no surprises.

[BLACKJACK]

I throw mine in my wood stove in my shop. That works better in the wintertime though - more fires, this time of year they can get ripe if I don't start a fire for awhile. This time of year I also use them to bait my live trap - cats and coons love them!

[Slyster]

Use the 3 R's!

Bury them in a garden or hole somewhere.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Living in the middle of nowhere, I just toss em out in the field.

[Rost]

A local farmer let's me dump them in his field. Win/Win situation. I have a place to dump the remains and he gets free fertilizer.

[The_Duckslayer]

The freezer solution is the one that works at our house. I put them in the "beer fridges" freezer in the garage. In fact that is the same place that every carcass ends up, well except for the deer, until garbage day. Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[Can'tFishEnuf]

Thanks! I didn't think about freezing them. I will give that a try.

[MSchmillen]

I just throw them on the neighbors lawn.

Just kidding, I put them in the freezer above the beer fridge.

[Farley]

I'm with Boilerguy, just toss them in the woods or out in the pasture.

[colonel42]

MSchmillen so that is what my dog was rolling around in. Wife was pretty ticked when the dog came in and wanted to snuggle her at bed time. JK Might just have to remember that one though when the neighbors get out of hand running their stock car at 2:00 am. Kinda like the movie "Grumpy old men.