storing fish for drive home

[bulldogs195461]

hello guys im new to this,but loving all the info i read here.if lucky enough to catch something ,whats the best method to get catch home.eg gut first,put in ice etc etc.im landbased and live two hrs from fishing spot.so fish could sit awhile.regards

[Kleyny]

throw in an ice slurry in an esky.

neil

[madman1]

Get a Waeco. Good for iceblocks and cold beer!!!

Ice slurry definitely the way to go. Bleed the fish also.

Make sure the water you catch the fish comes from goes into the ice slurry.

Cheers


Mark

[bulldogs195461]

thks fellas

[Benno1]

id be gilling and gutting (just personal preference) your catch...putting a layer of ice down...then arranging the fish along the bottom...making sure they were'nt touching each other...then id cover it completely in ice...should be good to go :D Mrs Benno1...Sunny

[Damned67]

...making sure they were'nt touching each other...then id cover it completely in ice...

Quick question from someone who doesn't know better, what's the theory behind the fish not touching each other?
On the rare days that I catch more than one fish, I just toss them all in the esky together?

[BaitThrower]

Get a techni-ice esky and some techni-ice sheets. Works well for me ;)

[DigitalSI]

I generally take a bag of ice in an esky but leave the ice in the bag because if you have a no-catch session, you can always throw the bag back in to the freezer. If I do get a catch I shower the fish in the bottom of the esky with some cheap salt from the local supermarket and then add the ice to cover. I let the esky make its own slurry as the ice melts and generally have ice left in the bag to throw back in to the freezer when I get home.

[jerson]

Make sure you add water to the ice as the ice alone will give the flesh frost bite and send the meat a white grey colour.

[Scott nthQld]

depends how long you will be out for. if a day trip, just bleed the fish then put into a seawater/ice slurry, if out for longer, bleed, gut and gill then put into and ice slurry. Thats what I do anyway, the seawater/ice slurry mix actually is colder than ice alone at just below freezing temp. The saltwater doesn't freeze because it has a lower freezing temp than fresh water. This also firms up the flesh and makes it very easy to filet later.

Regarding gutting/gilling your catch, I've heard conflicting reports that leaving the fish whole is best because opening them up only allows bacteria to enter the flesh, others say otherwise, that the gut will spoil the rest of the fish. I've tried it both ways and to be honest, I think you get a better tasting fillet from a fish that has been gutted and gilled compared to not doing so.

[Benno1]

Quick question from someone who doesn't know better, what's the theory behind the fish not touching each other?
On the rare days that I catch more than one fish, I just toss them all in the esky together?
its got something to do with keeping the bateria level down i think...ive found that little too no ice in the esky...add too that a rather warm day out...opening and closing the esky etc...then putting fish in on top of each other...where they touch (generally down either side) changes from say pink or red...too white...im really picky tho when it comes too keeping the fish we catch as fresh as possible...especially on the overnight trips...hope that helps :D Mrs Benno1...Sunny