Preserving fish before cleaning ...

[G_man]

One method during the winter I like to use if I can't clean my fish when I get home is to put them in an insulated minnow bucket and pack them in snow. The fish don't freeze usually, but time doesn't seem to affect them. I can clean them a day or two afterward when I have time.

My question is: As long as the fish stay packed in snow and the melt water is occasionally drained, how long do you think you could wait before you cleaned the fish?

Does anyone else have other methods along the same idea for putting off cleaning? I prefer not to take fish if I can't clean them when I get home but every once in awhile something comes up and when you get home, cleaning the fish moves down the priority list.

[Guest]

Gee Man, I am a nut about taking care of the fish that I clean and this is what I would recommend. I do the same thing as you do, pack them loosly in snow for I believe the snow slows down the deterioration and also provides oxygen for the fish to breath. I would not go two days without cleaning these fish and in my cooler it is kept too cold for any water runoff. You say that you put your fish in a minnow bucket, mine won't fit in one! Any way you are on the right track but would suggest you clean them the next morning. Those long trips take a bit out of you and you need to put them slightly higher on your priority list or you will suffer from flavor. Just my opinion... Always searchin!!! Good Luck!

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[Hemlock]

I just caught a wack of perch on Saturday and Sunday up at LOW and packed them in snow in a 5 gallon pail and brought them home with me on Sunday and cleanded them Monday. They weren't frozen, they cleaned up nice and they tasted awesome. Two days is still OK in my books. I think anything longer and you are just not in the mood to clean fish.

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Hemlock
"Throw'm back"

[Guest]

I believe a fresh fileted fish is the best tasting.As soon as rigormortis sets in the meat will start to deteriorate.I got this nifty little cleaning board called Captain Stubby's fish cleaning station and will be cleaning my fish as soon as I drive off the lake.Its pretty cool it folds out to mount between your boat and trailer or in the wheel well of your truck.I stuck it between the tail gate of my truck and the bumper.Doesn't move around and gives you a good solid maple base to do your cleaning.It has a wire ring that you can put a plastic bag on that slips into a slot in the board for your guts.Put the filets in a zip lock toss the bag of guts in the garbage at the access and off you go.Now you don't have to worry about cleaning fish after the long drive home.They got them here on the site.

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

For the long trips i like to clean them in the hotel room right before i leave. Those peaple love that stuff! as for the local stuff (within 3 hours)if there not going to be in the fry pan for dinner or breakfast. they stay in the lake until its time.
C&R---->')))))><

[Guest]

If I'm a long ways from home and have fish to transport, I usually put them in a cooler and cover them with fresh ice chips from the power auger. That stuff is alot cleaner than snow and cools better. Once, I did this off Rocky Point on LOW and then drove all the way back to Minneapolis. When I dumped the fish into the sink to start cleaning them (always clean them right away and never wait) some were still flopping around........T

[Guest]

Eat them fresh or leave them for next time is my motto.

I got so tired of hand filleting my perch (and Walleyes) that I picked up an electric carving knife at Target and I use this now.

I can fillet a mess of Perch in 1/3 the time now--this also makes the job easier to do right away when you get home--less hassle!

Just be sure you don't carve through the backbone and the rest is Gravy...

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Chells

[G_man]

I think some of you may have misinterpretted how I feel about this. 99% of the time I clean my fish when I get home. I don't like to think about wasting fish. That said and the reason I asked the question ... Recently, I went fishing brought them home and when I got home, found out I couldn't clean them because there was something else I had to take care of. And then the next two days I was out of town. So I cleaned them on the third day after I caught them and froze the fillets. I was just wondering if people thought that was too long afterwards to eat those fillets. I probably will anyhow just to experiment but I was trying to get your opinions.

So I understand your motto's and what you do, but that was not what I was after.