Quick Question WSB Icing or Fielting

[bellcon]

I would ice that beast for at least 24 hours before sticking the knife in her.

If that's the question?

[ctfphoto]

Originally Posted by bellcon

I would ice that beast for at least 24 hours before sticking the knife in her.

If that's the question?

Yes, this is the question. I did gut him and he if fully iced now.

I may cut off a small chunk for dinner tho ...

But your saying to wait 24 hrs for the bulk of the fish, correct?

[dos ballenas]

Ideally 24 hours yes.... try not to get any frresh water on your fillets....
fresh water bad!

[ctfphoto]

Originally Posted by dos ballenas

Ideally 24 hours yes.... try not to get any frresh water on your fillets....
fresh water bad!

Thank you very much,

So I should NOT cut off a small chunk for tonight because I do not want to expose the remainder to the ice /turning to water.

Should I salt the gut cavity as it did gut it or no need as that really isn't exposed meat.

[wiredantz]

Originally Posted by dos ballenas

Ideally 24 hours yes.... try not to get any frresh water on your fillets....
fresh water bad!

i always use freshwater with lemon juice then straight to the BBQ if i am going to eat it on the spot. I also use freshwater to rinse off all the scales when i am cleaning it. Am i doing it the wrong way?

[Aaron&Julie]

We bleed them right away while they're still kicking, and bring a large cooler with eight 2-litre frozen water bottles (the large soda types). Then the fish goes right into the cooler when we hit the beach, and when we get home we gut 'em ASAP, then throw a couple more 2-litre frozen in, along with a large bad of crushed ice. We wait a day, then filet it, keeping the filets cool in another smaller cooler with a couple more frozen bottles. When we're done fileting, we vacuum pack ASAP, except what we're eating that night. If done this way, your vacuum sealed fish will last up to 2 years or more, just about as fresh as the day you caught them. We do this with all of our fish, yellowtail, halibut, tuna, etc.
We have a huge chest freezer at home, full of clams, lobsters, and the different fish species, plus a bag of crushed ice ready to use, and at least 12 frozen 2-litre bottles in it, at any given time. The crushed ice comes in handy because it comes in direct contact with the length of the fish, while the bottles keep it very chilled. Waiting a day to filet firms up the meat, making it so much easier to filet.
You'll save mucho dollars using the frozen bottle idea. One note, when filling the bottles leave about 2" of air at the top, then squeeze out the air and put the cap on. Ice expands when freezing, and you don't need the bottles bursting in your freezer.

[bus kid]

Originally Posted by Aaron&Julie

We bleed them right away while they're still kicking, and bring a large cooler with eight 2-litre frozen water bottles (the large soda types). Then the fish goes right into the cooler when we hit the beach, and when we get home we gut 'em ASAP, then throw a couple more 2-litre frozen in, along with a large bad of crushed ice. We wait a day, then filet it, keeping the filets cool in another smaller cooler with a couple more frozen bottles. When we're done fileting, we vacuum pack ASAP, except what we're eating that night. If done this way, your vacuum sealed fish will last up to 2 years or more, just about as fresh as the day you caught them. We do this with all of our fish, yellowtail, halibut, tuna, etc.
We have a huge chest freezer at home, full of clams, lobsters, and the different fish species, plus a bag of crushed ice ready to use, and at least 12 frozen 2-litre bottles in it, at any given time. The crushed ice comes in handy because it comes in direct contact with the length of the fish, while the bottles keep it very chilled. Waiting a day to filet firms up the meat, making it so much easier to filet.
You'll save mucho dollars using the frozen bottle idea. One note, when filling the bottles leave about 2" of air at the top, then squeeze out the air and put the cap on. Ice expands when freezing, and you don't need the bottles bursting in your freezer.

X2


BS without photos of so claimed fish,on a scale next to a tape, with GPS#'s, time caught, depth, Bait, hook,line, rod and reel combo,gaff, game clip, and kayak.

Congrats.

[ctfphoto]

A&J, thank you very much, I really appreciate the info.

This is my first WSB and PB on a kayak which I have been doing for about one year now.

I will post photos on another thread.

I checked out the other wsb thread and my fish is a lot smaller at 37" but it is my first so I am psyched.

Originally Posted by ctfphoto

A&J, thank you very much, I really appreciate the info.

This is my first WSB and PB on a kayak which I have been doing for about one year now.

I will post photos on another thread.

I checked out the other wsb thread and my fish is a lot smaller at 37" but it is my first so I am psyched.

I was the one who told you to ice it while we were on the water.

What's the matter you don't trust me?

[wiredantz]

Originally Posted by Aaron&Julie

We bleed them right away while they're still kicking, and bring a large cooler with eight 2-litre frozen water bottles (the large soda types). Then the fish goes right into the cooler when we hit the beach, and when we get home we gut 'em ASAP, then throw a couple more 2-litre frozen in, along with a large bad of crushed ice. We wait a day, then filet it, keeping the filets cool in another smaller cooler with a couple more frozen bottles. When we're done fileting, we vacuum pack ASAP, except what we're eating that night. If done this way, your vacuum sealed fish will last up to 2 years or more, just about as fresh as the day you caught them. We do this with all of our fish, yellowtail, halibut, tuna, etc.
We have a huge chest freezer at home, full of clams, lobsters, and the different fish species, plus a bag of crushed ice ready to use, and at least 12 frozen 2-litre bottles in it, at any given time. The crushed ice comes in handy because it comes in direct contact with the length of the fish, while the bottles keep it very chilled. Waiting a day to filet firms up the meat, making it so much easier to filet.
You'll save mucho dollars using the frozen bottle idea. One note, when filling the bottles leave about 2" of air at the top, then squeeze out the air and put the cap on. Ice expands when freezing, and you don't need the bottles bursting in your freezer.

wth... my fish never last that long....

This is how it goes...


Babe, I CAUGHT A BIG ONE. i caught a huge one !!!

Bring it home in ice and a cooler...

take off scales, gut it... dunk in water with lemon to BBQ grill
BAm.. people show up... even the ones you dont know and your left with just a ziplock bag at the end.

[dos ballenas]

Originally Posted by wiredantz

i always use freshwater with lemon juice then straight to the BBQ if i am going to eat it on the spot. I also use freshwater to rinse off all the scales when i am cleaning it. Am i doing it the wrong way?

if you're gonna eat it right away then that is fine.

washing off the slime and stuff (before making any cuts into the fish) is a good idea... I do this too.

But if you're gonna freeze it or leave it in the fridge for a while make sure you don't hit the fillets with ANY fresh water... it will make it last a lot longer in the fridge, and taste better frozen....

I rinse the fish to get all the slime off. Fillet the fish. Skin the fish. Then take paper towels and dry before vac seal

[jorluivil]

Awesome fish report!!

[ctfphoto]

Thanks for all the tips, the fillets came out perfect.

[mtnbykr2]

Originally Posted by dos ballenas

if you're gonna eat it right away then that is fine.

washing off the slime and stuff (before making any cuts into the fish) is a good idea... I do this too.

But if you're gonna freeze it or leave it in the fridge for a while make sure you don't hit the fillets with ANY fresh water... it will make it last a lot longer in the fridge, and taste better frozen....

I rinse the fish to get all the slime off. Fillet the fish. Skin the fish. Then take paper towels and dry before vac seal

This is great info, I did not know that...thanks

[Aaron&Julie]

Originally Posted by dos ballenas

Then take paper towels and dry before vac seal

Ditto here, with rinsing slime, sand and blood off, in addition to using paper towels.
We also take about a 1/4 inch of a paper towel that is as wide as your bag opening is, roll it up, stick in the bag opening all the way across the bag and about 1/2 inch behind where the seal will occur, to ensure catching any additional juices before they get into the sealing mechanism, potentially ruining your fish sealer. Doesn't matter if your sealer has a wet/dry selection, if the juices get past the bag opening they will end up in the trough, or worse. This is an absolute must with the Pismo clams we freeze.

[taggermike]

I don't have a ice chest big enough for a nice wsb or yt. So I ice in the car on the way home and fillet right when I get there. Deffinately wipe slime off the fish befor cutting and clean board of any gut contents befor continueing to fillet. I don't tend to use plastic bags. Enstead I lay out a big cookie sheet, line it with wax paper and then a thick layer of paper towells. Then add layers of fish and paper towells followed by a cover of seran wrap. I like to change the paper towells daily. In my house there is a sorta under ground "mike has fish" comunication network through the family so fish never makes it to the freezer. Mike