Tips keeping fresh from kelp to casa

[pingpangdang]

Looking for some good ideas to keep fish fresh throughout the transport home ~ 30 minute drive. Talking about big fish YT, WSB, HBs....

Any specifics for certain species would be helpful too. There has to be something more convenient than taking a huge cooler of ice to the beach every trip.

If you have some tips from kill to transport back home please share.

What I have so far...

1) Bleed the fish imediately. Clean the guts at home?
2) Place on yak w/ burlap sack?
3) Place on yak inside pricey kill bag? Any DIY killbag ideas?
4) Place on yak just strapped down...curious on straps used
5) Place in cooler of ice that is waiting in your car...would like to avoid due to skunk days and having to bring ice.
6) Freeze a couple of bottled waters and throw them in a trash bag...place the fish inside your trunk in the bag.
7) Place in hefty garbage bag with no ice and turbo home ASAP

I'm thinking from paddle back, load up, to home will take ~ 1 hour

I prefer the lightest load out possible when fishing...less stuff to bring and pack up. Convenient, effiicent, effective and affordable.

Usually release my fish but I'm looking forward to some hamachi sashimi/sushi

[ful-rac]

Seems like you have it figured out...
It's not complicated nor difficult. Catch fish, secure it, bleed it, gut it if desired, paddle in, put fish in cooler, buy ice, go home.

Of course this will change if you want to stay out longer or the environmental conditions are not ideal. If it's summer and it's hot, a kill bag with ice would be nice to keep your catch cold and cool. During winter time like it is now, your fish should do much better and last longer sitting on your kayak. A burlap sack or towel will help to keep your fish cool and wet during the day, and will keep the sun off of it.

I'm sure your best judgement will do just fine next time it's not complicated.

[driftwood]

Forget about all that!!! Just cook the dang fish right there!
Problem solved

[chancy94]

Originally Posted by driftwood

Forget about all that!!! Just cook the dang fish right there!
Problem solved

dude you're killing it!, I gotta tag along with you

And in response to @pingpangdang its personal preference I like to use bleed it out and keep a large cooler in my car and pick up some ice for cheap right after, your options are endless as you stated a good amount

[SDROB]

5) Place in cooler of ice that is waiting in your car...would like to avoid due to skunk days and having to bring ice.

If you have a chest freezer I usually keep a couple of these in there so you don't have to buy ice everytime. If you get skunked just put them back in the freezer and reuse them the next time. You can usually score these for around a $1 each and they last all day.

[FARRIER]

This method has always served me well. Burlap and pouring water over it. I have stayed out several hours after catching fish and never had an issue. Just keep pouring water over em.

[stoned-trout]

I keep cooler in car with frozen 2 litre soda bottles and soft sided cooler in kayak with small soda bottles of ice...I also have contractors garbage bags...big fish get gutted and shoved in garbage bag with small frozen soda bottles and covered with my spare clothes in kayak for insulation...I aint buying a expensive catch bag and I never use ice...soda bottles don't get all bloody and you can drink them if needed

[pingpangdang]

I could go Bear Grylls on the fish and just start tearing into it once caught...

For you sashimi or sushi lovers out there what is the best prep after the transport home to kill any worms etc in a YT?

Looking around the web in regards to sushi I'm reading you should freeze your fish first but I'm reading elsewhere that a regular freezer won't kill the parasites. Flash freezing would do but I don't have that tech.

Also if I did freeze it will it taste gamey raw after thawing it slowly in the fridge?

Or is there no problem eating it raw after just keeping in the fridge over night and not worrying about freezing it?

Anyone work at a sushi restaurant and have the intel on how their fish comes in i.e. flash frozen, fresh just on ice etc? The wife is a little concerned about the need to freeze but I don't want to yuck up the meat.

Thx for the tips...I think I'll find a burlap sack and bring the empty cooler and grab ice on the way back as mentioned.

[pingpangdang]

Originally Posted by driftwood

Forget about all that!!! Just cook the dang fish right there!
Problem solved

Nice! Yakiniku!

[pingpangdang]

Originally Posted by stoned-trout

I keep cooler in car with frozen 2 litre soda bottles and soft sided cooler in kayak with small soda bottles of ice...I also have contractors garbage bags...big fish get gutted and shoved in garbage bag with small frozen soda bottles and covered with my spare clothes in kayak for insulation...I aint buying a expensive catch bag and I never use ice...soda bottles don't get all bloody and you can drink them if needed

@ stoned-trout Sounds good with the frozen bottles I heard they last longer as well. Great way to recycle all those plastic bottles.

[pingpangdang]

Originally Posted by FARRIER

This method has always served me well. Burlap and pouring water over it. I have stayed out several hours after catching fish and never had an issue. Just keep pouring water over em.

@ FARRIER Nice pic of the YTs tucked into bed. I'll have to find some burlap and do some googling.... Any brick and mortor stores that have free burlap like a grocery store that throws them out? A quick google showed Walmart had a 12 pack but I'm sure there is a better way. Rather not order it online if I could pick it up local for cheap....

[stoned-trout]

I know one thing,,, you get a lot less worms when you gut the fish immediately...I imagine most are in the guts and migrate after death

[acorad]

Originally Posted by stoned-trout

I know one thing,,, you get a lot less worms when you gut the fish immediately...I imagine most are in the guts and migrate after death

Also, if your fish's flesh does have worms, it'll be pretty obvious. 'cuz they're, you know, actual worms! :-)

Andy

[SDROB]

Originally Posted by pingpangdang

@ FARRIER Nice pic of the YTs tucked into bed. I'll have to find some burlap and do some googling.... Any brick and mortor stores that have free burlap like a grocery store that throws them out? A quick google showed Walmart had a 12 pack but I'm sure there is a better way. Rather not order it online if I could pick it up local for cheap....

They sell those Burlap bags at squidco for $1 each.

[stoned-trout]

I got a few coffee sacks lol

[FARRIER]

Local landings have em cheap. I let my fish sit on ice for 24 hours before i cut em usually.

[spyakker]

I have a problem catching big fish so don't really need to worry about icing anything.

[YakDout]

Spring for the fish bag, it's worth it. Can double as big cooler in Baja for beer.

My routine is freezer a bunch of water bottles night before, fill fish bag in the morning with just enough ice for the day on the water. If I get a nice fish stop at Sevvy on the way home, fill the killbag to the brim with ice and leave it for about 24 hours before I cut it. (makes much easier to cut) As far as the safe sushi goes, I have seen guys eat fish that was caught 30 seconds prior. Never heard of any problems from them. If you package your fish right, you can potentially have sushi grade fish for a couple months. The defrost process is pretty important. Don't leave it on the counter, don't run water over it. When you take it out of the freezer, cut it out of the vacuum bag, wrap it in paper towels and put it on a plate In the fridge until its soft enough to cut but not so soft that sashimi is hard to cut from it. (Mush) The time for that depends on your fridge temp. Should only take a couple trial runs before you know exactly how many hours until ready to cut for sashimi.

[pingpangdang]

A lot of great tips...thx for the feedback. I have yet to make it to squidco so I'll pick up some burlap sacks while I'm there. Maybe a kill bag one day but I need to catch some fish first to justify the cost. I have an old padded surfboard case I got back in the day for free...retchid looking but it looks waterproof and it is insulated. Might cut it up and convert it later into a kill bag. Not sure how kill bags are made insulation wise.

The tips on the icing the fish for 24hrs was helpful as well to include the defrosting methods.

[Jacurley45]

Originally Posted by YakDout

Spring for the fish bag, it's worth it. Can double as big cooler in Baja for beer.





My routine is freezer a bunch of water bottles night before, fill fish bag in the morning with just enough ice for the day on the water. If I get a nice fish stop at Sevvy on the way home, fill the killbag to the brim with ice and leave it for about 24 hours before I cut it. (makes much easier to cut) As far as the safe sushi goes, I have seen guys eat fish that was caught 30 seconds prior. Never heard of any problems from them. If you package your fish right, you can potentially have sushi grade fish for a couple months. The defrost process is pretty important. Don't leave it on the counter, don't run water over it. When you take it out of the freezer, cut it out of the vacuum bag, wrap it in paper towels and put it on a plate In the fridge until its soft enough to cut but not so soft that sashimi is hard to cut from it. (Mush) The time for that depends on your fridge temp. Should only take a couple trial runs before you know exactly how many hours until ready to cut for sashimi.

Great tips