Insulated Fish Bag vs esky and boat contents review

[Brettoh]

Long post, Im in rambling mode.

Im in a constant state of flux trying to customise the boat to make it more practical to use.
Having owned it for just over 6 months It was time for a review.

With under bed storage, huge amounts under seat storage I have discovered how much shit we have loaded the boat up with. it seems as if we have found something to put in every available place. would you believe we discovered 3 sets of "ëmergency" clothing tucked away? Add that to the gas cooker, frypan, saucepan, about 20 pair of gloves, 3 extra anchor ropes, 2 spare rock picks and an emergency sand anchor, tools, 13 pair of fish pliers ugh the list goes on. I dont know how we did it but I have to come up with a system so we dont repeat. No wonder my economy has been getting progressively worse..lol

But the main reason for posting is the need to remove floor clutter. We have a "day bed"which clips onto the the gunwhale. Its pretty good, narrow but still wide enough to have a lie down or somewhere to sit and re rig. Its also narrow enough to still fish over that side of the boat without too much problem. The negative point is that it take up enough floorspace to make things cramped with the fish esky in the same area. We drift fish a lot and sometimes there is only a few minutes between engines-on and motoring back for another drift and it is a bit of an obstacle course moving back to the helm with the esky on the way, especially when the seas are a little lumpy and often I am out on the duckboard at the back making the quick dash to the front of the boat again.

I wondered about getting one of those insulated fish bags. It would neatly fit underneath the day bed leaving the rest of the floor open.
How do they compare to an esky from a performance standpoint? Ive been unable to find many comparison tests between eskys and bags or bag vs bag for that matter>

its not uncommon for us to do an overnighter and given the boat is aluminium its going to be the same temperature as the surrounding water as a minimum so the insulating properties would need to be good.

There are a few different brands of fish bags out there, are some better insulated than others or are they pretty much the same? Any advise which ones to consider or features to look for?

pictures for added interest. :)

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[NAGG]

Those insulated fish bags are only as good as your ability to keep ice up to them .

They were designed for oversize fish like tuna / mackerel where you go out for the day , catch your fish - put it in the bag which is full of ice ( 2,3,4 bags) & head home - It just allows you to keep the fish cool & hydrated rather than having it sit on a deck in the sun for a day - they are a revelation though as some are up to 2m long .

They work & do a job but dont compare to a typical insulated esky ....... that said , they are foldable & can be kept out of the way :-? problem is where is your ice being stored ?

One thing is that fish spines can & do puncture them .

I thought about buying a 150cm Chiller bag but ended up just going with a bigger 158lt mackerel box ......

Chris

PS - Brett If that was my boat - I would redesign the skippers chair to allow a large split lid ice box to be slid into place (260 lt IceyTek)

[Brettoh]

PS - Brett If that was my boat - I would redesign the skippers chair to allow a large split lid ice box to be slid into place (260 lt IceyTek)

I was thinking the same thing. I had a quick look for a box that was taller rather than longer. Im really trying to maximise free space to move around. Ill take a look at the firm you suggested

Thanks for the heads up re the durability of the fish bags. I think , fortunately I will have an almost unlimited supply of Ice and was thinking I could pretty much head out with it full and shed Ice as needed to fit the fish into the bag...lol Based on my ability as a fisho I will rarely end up with a low ice to fish ratio....lol

cheers

[blacklab]

ppppppppppppppppppp

[NAGG]

I was thinking the same thing. I had a quick look for a box that was taller rather than longer. Im really trying to maximise free space to move around. Ill take a look at the firm you suggested

Thanks for the heads up re the durability of the fish bags. I think , fortunately I will have an almost unlimited supply of Ice and was thinking I could pretty much head out with it full and shed Ice as needed to fit the fish into the bag...lol Based on my ability as a fisho I will rarely end up with a low ice to fish ratio....lol

cheers

Split lid gives you the opportunity to have a good deal of the esky under your bum - about half (approx 775mm needing to be clear for opening )

The 260lt box (split lid) is 1550mm in length -
How much fishing space would you lose on the current set up ? - keep in mind that the opening end could also have a cushion & become a seat .

Chris

[Mopheus]

Icey Tek iceboxes are quality kit. I have two of the smaller ones (split lid 70L) and am very happy with the fit, finish and icekeeping. There are no doubt better coolers around but for a combination of looks, design, materials, functionality etc they're right up there IMO.

The chill bags are great provided you use them right - folded up out of the way until you need them, then dump ice across from a proper icebox as and when you have fish to add. They'll keep fish superbly for half a day or so (depending on temps) but don't have the longevity of an icebox.

[Brettoh]

Split lid gives you the opportunity to have a good deal of the esky under your bum - about half (approx 775mm needing to be clear for opening )

The 260lt box (split lid) is 1550mm in length -
How much fishing space would you lose on the current set up ? - keep in mind that the opening end could also have a cushion & become a seat .

Chris

I lose too much space that could be better utilised
I need to remove the existing seat boxes. The ones on the passenger side are both plumbed to be used as live bait tanks. I dont need or use them as I now have a live bait tank and bait station on the transom> They seem to have become a magnet for carrying crap..lol
My intention is to have our 45 ltr fridge under the passenger seat and a cooler under the helm seat. The existing boxes are too low where they extend behind the seats and act as tripping points >
I think a cooler, even if longer but one which can double as a seat might be the way to go

[disorderly]

Keeping the catch in prime condition is a challenge more so for us Qld guys then the fellas from down south...

I personally wouldnt bother with a fish bag, as mentioned it will burn through the ice like nothing up here...

man those seat boxes sure are a huge waste of space for your deck arent they..

We put an 80l fridge freezer under the passenger seat and I have a lithium and a semi flexible solar panel for the hardtop..our reasoning for that is we can keep the bait frozen and just take out what we need, we can keep a heap of ice in there or if we want we can fillet any spanish, cobia, tuna etc and bag them and put in the freezer....we looked at lots of different models to find one that was more high then wide or long to have a smaller footprint..

With a split lid esky under the other seat you would be laughing freeing up all that deck space...

That removeable day bed is a ripper I have been thinking of similar for a third person so they dont have to sleep on the actual deck..does it fold down or can you remove it entirely..?

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[TheGurn]

Couple of things I found necessary in a smaller tinny to make life bearable.

I made 3 removable eskies to fit in hatches. A small one for bait or food (not both... usually take a kilo of prawns to nibble on out of this one).
A bigger one for drinkies,
and a bigger one again for fish. The small one has thin ally angle rivetted around the top edge to sit on the hatch 'lip' while allowing storage beneath. All hatch lids are insulted to act as the esky lids. I'm not likely to catch a fish bigger than the fish esky, but I'd happily call it a day after just one if I ever did.

The next thing was to have a specific box with everything needed for each style of fishing. Bait/hard bodies/plastics etc with scissors,knife, leader etc in each box. All under hatches. Most often there's only one box out at any time.
I still have the usual emergency clothing, first aid kit, toot paper,rain coats, anchors, safety gear etc stowed away.

Then I sat my deckie mates down and told them some rules.
Everything goes in my eskies.
No bags, buckets, tackle boxes, eskies, big tubs of sunscreen ad nauseum. They use my gear. (They throw in some $$ to restock every few trips without asking... petrol is free)
I got sick of trying to cast around rods sticking out of every damn holder and avoiding tangles, so one rod only for river, 2 for reef. (They always missed the bite on the second rod anyway).

They still stir me and call me a pedantic old prick, but agree trips are so much less frustrating. None have refused an invite at least. Lol

The only things on my deck now are feet. Just the way I like it.

Cheers
Gurn

[NAGG]

Sorry for the hijack .

I've literally turned my boat into a big ice box

125lt seat box (usually used as dry storage for gear / tackle ) 125284

75Lt split under the transom - food , drinks & ice 125285

158 Lt mackerel box in front of the console - Fish & Ice 125286
Which also extends the casting deck

Oh & there is a 22lt bait esky that sits in the walk through - something that is now a typical inclusion for Barcrusher owners 8-) 125287

Totally agree on decluttering the cockpit

Chris

[Brettoh]

Keeping the catch in prime condition is a challenge more so for us Qld guys then the fellas from down south...



That removeable day bed is a ripper I have been thinking of similar for a third person so they dont have to sleep on the actual deck..does it fold down or can you remove it entirely..?

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It jusr clips over the gunwhale handrail and sits on the floor. Can be moved to either side




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[NAGG]

It jusr clips over the gunwhale handrail and sits on the floor. Can be moved to either side




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125295

That's awesome

I'd love something like that on my boat but just dont have the length - just have to rely on clip together mats & self inflating mattress to sleep on the floor

Chris

[Brettoh]

That's awesome

I'd love something like that on my boat but just dont have the length - just have to rely on clip together mats & self inflating mattress to sleep on the floor

Chris
And this is where it gets interesting. I plan to put the fridge under the passenger seat but with the bed there I will not be able to move the fridge back to get access to the door so will have to leave enough room towards the forward bulkhead so can pull the fridge forward in front of the seat. The addition of a large esky under the helm seat will see it take up more space for the bed to be able to fit on that side now. UGH
How can I get the features of a 30ft boat in a 20 ft boat...???lol

[Dignity]

And this is where it gets interesting. I plan to put the fridge under the passenger seat but with the bed there I will not be able to move the fridge back to get access to the door so will have to leave enough room towards the forward bulkhead so can pull the fridge forward in front of the seat. The addition of a large esky under the helm seat will see it take up more space for the bed to be able to fit on that side now. UGH
How can I get the features of a 30ft boat in a 20 ft boat...???lol

Buy a 30 ft boat a d tell your partner its only 20 ft.

[BigE]

Icey Tek 160ltr split lids ...good gear

BigE

[ranmar850]

Split lids are the go, I built my own boat fridge for just that reason--couldn't see a durable plastic cased fridge on the market with a good split lid arrangement.

I use a fish bag a lot. I live on the edge of the tropics, and regularly go right into them, hotter than you where we are, not so humid as FNQ. Name a type of fish storage, I've tried them all. Both amateur and commercial. You can shove your moulded plastic ones are far as I am concerned, none of them hack it here in real heat, you simply can't beat laid up GRP with 3 inches of foam. If you only want to day trip, the better quality fish bags are fine. There are cheap rubbish ones out there, just avoid them. I have used a couple of different sizes of the Madfish, settled on the medium, 140 cm inside. I've never seen a Madfish punctured by spines, you can even keep crayfish in them. I'd be confident on overnighting as long as you started full.

I'm all about getting the deck clutter off, as well. I had a divided compartment with two lids as standard on the Reefrnner. The divider was easy to get out, then you have a large fully moulded compartment underneath. I was initially getting the bag in through one hatch, then I had a shipwright make it into one big hatch.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boat-build/i-GXS9FFQ/1/4cc0b89f/X2/20200922_082729-X2.jpg

[NAGG]

Split lids are the go, I built my own boat fridge for just that reason--couldn't see a durable plastic cased fridge on the market with a good split lid arrangement.

I use a fish bag a lot. I live on the edge of the tropics, and regularly go right into them, hotter than you where we are, not so humid as FNQ. Name a type of fish storage, I've tried them all. Both amateur and commercial. You can shove your moulded plastic ones are far as I am concerned, none of them hack it here in real heat, you simply can't beat laid up GRP with 3 inches of foam. If you only want to day trip, the better quality fish bags are fine. There are cheap rubbish ones out there, just avoid them. I have used a couple of different sizes of the Madfish, settled on the medium, 140 cm inside. I've never seen a Madfish punctured by spines, you can even keep crayfish in them. I'd be confident on overnighting as long as you started full.

I'm all about getting the deck clutter off, as well. I had a divided compartment with two lids as standard on the Reefrnner. The divider was easy to get out, then you have a large fully moulded compartment underneath. I was initially getting the bag in through one hatch, then I had a shipwright make it into one big hatch.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boat-build/i-GXS9FFQ/1/4cc0b89f/X2/20200922_082729-X2.jpg


I think a poly esky with 3" of foam would be pretty good too ;)

I certainly put my new Engel mackerel box through its paces at the Whitsundays - this box sat in the sun all day up the front of the boat .... 4 bags of ice would last 4-5 days which I thought was pretty good in a 158lt esky that sat in the sun .

Chris

[disorderly]

While an underfloor esky is a nice idea, there is no way I'm laying down on my fat guts to try and wipe down and clean up and sterilize all surfaces inside.....absolutely no chance...and how do you clean the fish..?..get up into the boat and take them out a couple at a time..? or transfer to an esky near your filleting station which then also has to be cleaned afte use..?

With my current 200l esky we take out almost all the fish and ice bottles and bags and place onto my stainless cleaning table in the shade beside the boat..then lift out the esky and repack the fish which i can then start to process while the fish remain chilled....this can take several hours or more after a 2 day trip..

I doubt I'll ever come up with a perfect solution ..its always a bit of a compromise between what you would like and what actually works for you.....and each trip can throw up more challenges..

Likewise I think underfloor kill tanks are a stupid idea...what person over 50 years of age wants to get down on their hands and knees to reach down in to get fish out of there and then also have to scrub it out and disinfect at home...to bleed fish I just tie a 20 litre plastic bucket to the rear bollard and poke spanish head first in there ...the missus got me a little mesh thingy that sits an inch up and its stops trout and reefies from sitting in their own blood whilst bleeding them..

[NAGG]

While an underfloor esky is a nice idea, there is no way I'm laying down on my fat guts to try and wipe down and clean up and sterilize all surfaces inside.....absolutely no chance...and how do you clean the fish..?..get up into the boat and take them out a couple at a time..? or transfer to an esky near your filleting station which then also has to be cleaned afte use..?

With my current 200l esky we take out almost all the fish and ice bottles and bags and place onto my stainless cleaning table in the shade beside the boat..then lift out the esky and repack the fish which i can then start to process while the fish remain chilled....this can take several hours or more after a 2 day trip..

I doubt I'll ever come up with a perfect solution ..its always a bit of a compromise between what you would like and what actually works for you.....and each trip can throw up more challenges..

Likewise I think underfloor kill tanks are a stupid idea...what person over 50 years of age wants to get down on their hands and knees to reach down in to get fish out of there and then also have to scrub it out and disinfect at home...to bleed fish I just tie a 20 litre plastic bucket to the rear bollard and poke spanish head first in there ...the missus got me a little mesh thingy that sits an inch up and its stops trout and reefies from sitting in their own blood whilst bleeding them..

If it's big enough (150lt plus) then an in floor icebox would be a pain but I would still love one if it eliminated the need for a big esky .
I do like my 158lt Engel because it utilises that wasted space in front of my console ...... I actually went to great length to find the biggest icebox I could get that would fit up there - so I think i got it pretty right as I know I can fit fish that are over a meter laid flat & upto 1.3m in length when bent . The downside is that you need 4 or 5 bags of ice to make a decent slurry which could then last for days ..... thankfully I rarely go fishing for just one day .

Agree there is no perfect solution - size / long vs deep ::) - I do say though ..... long boxes are the go in my opinion - long boxes with a split lid even better.

Chris

[Dignity]

While an underfloor esky is a nice idea, there is no way I'm laying down on my fat guts to try and wipe down and clean up and sterilize all surfaces inside.....absolutely no chance...and how do you clean the fish..?..get up into the boat and take them out a couple at a time..? or transfer to an esky near your filleting station which then also has to be cleaned afte use..?

With my current 200l esky we take out almost all the fish and ice bottles and bags and place onto my stainless cleaning table in the shade beside the boat..then lift out the esky and repack the fish which i can then start to process while the fish remain chilled....this can take several hours or more after a 2 day trip..

I doubt I'll ever come up with a perfect solution ..its always a bit of a compromise between what you would like and what actually works for you.....and each trip can throw up more challenges..

Likewise I think underfloor kill tanks are a stupid idea...what person over 50 years of age wants to get down on their hands and knees to reach down in to get fish out of there and then also have to scrub it out and disinfect at home...to bleed fish I just tie a 20 litre plastic bucket to the rear bollard and poke spanish head first in there ...the missus got me a little mesh thingy that sits an inch up and its stops trout and reefies from sitting in their own blood whilst bleeding them..

I'm sure you can set up a pulley/gantry to remove the eskies. A mate did that, worked well.

[Lovey80]

Icy Tek are by far the best ice holding Esky I've ever owned. Incredible.

[NAGG]

What's everyone's expectation on ice holding ability in days ? (bagged ice) ....... Yeh , I've seen the claims by some brands that ice retention is up to 10 days ( in your dreams I say) - not unless you have 50% ICE , dont open it , store it in a cool place & the temperature doesn't get over 20 deg C .

My real world experiences would limit the time to 3-4 days without any special treatment (20% ice)

If I want longer , then I make up the big 10kg blocks of ICE & put it in with the bagged ice

Chris

[NAGG]

Icy Tea are by far the best ice holding Esky I've ever owned. Incredible.

What size do you have & how much ice do you typically use ...... how long do you get ?

I've had the 75 split lid for a couple of years now & I think it's great - but more for the split lid & where it lives ( in the kill tank) . We used it up at the Whitsundays recently as the camp esky & it would hold ice (2 bags) for about 3 days .

Chris

[disorderly]

I'm sure you can set up a pulley/gantry to remove the eskies. A mate did that, worked well.

Thats a bloody great idea Sam...I'll have a think on it...

Chris the ice holding/cooling capability will also be determined by the proposed use...A well packed esky full of pre-cooled stuff for camping should last longer then an esky thats used for a day or 2 of fishing where hot fish are constantly added to it and its regularly being opened and closed...which makes comparison a bit difficult..

Meanwhile this is the one I really want that came up for sale yesterday....;D

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[ranmar850]

Well, I'm now 69 and have no trouble getting down to clean out out? The idea with the fish bag is that the in-floor area doesn't actually come into contact with the fish, it is all contained within the bag. If the bag is full, a few of the fish get lifted out first, otherwise, it all comes out as a piece. So no scrubbing of the underfloor is needed--just a quick squirt with the detergent dispenser and a wipe with a soft brush. This is where the whole thing intersects with Disorderlies disdain for underfloor kill tanks--not a great fan of them myself, unless you have a way of draining them straight out through the hull without them going into the general bilge area first. If you actually bleed them in there, then that has to drain into the hull --pooh. Hard to keep a stink from developing over time. My underfloor space does drain directly into the general bilge, which is why I'm not keen on putting in fish directly. We always kill into a 40 litre tub which slides under the well, keeps the blood in. As well as the general problem of the fish just moving around too much. It's big space under there, extends well to each side of the lid. Pic below is with the floor panel which holds the lid, removed.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boat-build/i-H3NqX7s/0/a0eaef0e/XL/20200915_104624-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boat-build/i-9RH2KkR/0/0512bebc/XL/20201015_155247-XL.jpg

So I don't want fish sliding around inside there on that nice gelcoat surface, beating themselves up. Even with no direct draining of much fishy content into the bilge, it can still start to smell stale, so a squirt of Domestos down the hole, transom drain plug in, and some fresh water takes care of that. As to the bag, I've seen people complain about " me mates' fishbag got real stinky, had maggots in it, not as good as an esky" unquote. Well, if yer bloody mate had the brains to scrub it out, it wouldn't happen. Just make sure you soft brush along the seams, including the ones inside the zip.

I've tried a lot of different setups on rec boats--iceboxes tied to one side, feet glassed into the deck to stop them sliding around, mounted crosswise, mounted lengthwise. My personal preference is to be able to move across the deck without having to go around/trip over something. We typically mix our fishing up, quite common to be both deep dropping demersals over 300m deep and trolling for sails or marlin on the same day. So the setup has to be versatlie, yours , depending on use, can be more specialised. So, to each their own.

[disorderly]

Sorry ranmar..i dont quite understand..

Are you saying you use a fishbag inside that underfloor cavity as your primary fish storage or is it just a backup and you have a main esky on the deck or under your seat..?

I would love all that underfloor space you have as storage..

[Dignity]

Thats a bloody great idea Sam...I'll have a think on it...



I probably have some strapping you can have to make a sling, we used to use them to carry pallets off the barge on North West Island many years ago.
Might need an excuse to head north, found another boat up in Cairns that I like the look of, just need to sort out some details, fingers crossed.

[ranmar850]

Sorry ranmar..i dont quite understand..

Are you saying you use a fishbag inside that underfloor cavity as your primary fish storage or is it just a backup and you have a main esky on the deck or under your seat..?

I would love all that underfloor space you have as storage..

Sorry if I was unclear, the fishbag is the primary fish storage, and it fits into the underfloor space. I originally had the Large Madfish bag (1.75m, IIRC) and used it on the deck of a couple of boats, would leave it along one side. Madfish didn't originally have a medium size, and I pointed this out to them in a customer survey. They actually responded to me directly, said they were getting that a lot, so inside of a year, they had a medium size model. Which co-incidentally, fitted perfectly into that underfloor space. So I sold the big one.

Yes, that underdeck space is very useful. I've gone to a lot of trouble to create underdeck space in boats previously, and to have that built in was gold. However, it is not insulated--gelcoat moulded and quite thick, all one piece with the deck, but no insulation, divided into 2 sections, just intended for wet storage. I've seen them used for fenders, ropes, water bladders---- but remove the divider, which is easy, a whole other set of uses come in. It cost me $400 to get a shipwright to modify the panel containing the lids from two entries to one, with a new Starboard lid, worth every cent.

Since my previous post, I've been out fishing, and it has been hot. We've been over 40 deg max every day since Tuesday, was 42 the day we fished, strong, hot dry nor'easter. I dumped a 15kg bag of crushed ice into the bag before we left before we left. We are limited to 2 snapper each nowadays in this zone, so a 5.5 kg and 3 smaller fish went in, and we were headed for home by 8.30, trolling for mackerel. ( different fish class, we can have 3 each of those in addittion) An hour of that produced one good strike and a nasty set of teethmarks on a new lure, but no fish.Got in at 11.15, hot at sea, even hotter on land, left the fish in the bag under the deck until near 3pm, did the boat clean up, had lunch. etc. Dragged the bag out, tipped it up to drain out excess water, carried them out to the cleaning table. I estimate I still had about 70% of the original ice left. So, an overnighter in those temps? I'd certainly start with 2 x 15kg bags. 45 degrees forecast for here today.
I can hear some of you saying--only two snapper each? we can load up on nannys, red emperor, etc. And this is probably where we diverge. It's all horses for courses. If you are fishing 4 blokes who can kill 30kg of fish each, you just need a 400 litre icebox. Period. Or maybe one of the large bags for a daytrip. We've had our bag of demersals and 4 mackerel in that bag, day tripping, room for more. Or six big Rubies and a couple of large pelagics. Works really well for us fishing up to three, daytripping. Your useage may be different to mine.

[disorderly]

I probably have some strapping you can have to make a sling, we used to use them to carry pallets off the barge on North West Island many years ago.
Might need an excuse to head north, found another boat up in Cairns that I like the look of, just need to sort out some details, fingers crossed.

I might not actually need to make up one Sam...

If they are thinking of closing down both the Spanish and Nanni fisheries entirely, I definately wont need my 200 litre mackeral box if this turns out to be the case...

and be sure to drop in for a cuppa if you ever find yourself this far north...

[NAGG]

Just on these insulated catch bags - I wouldn't mind one to use at the cleaning table to reduce the need to lift out the bulky 158lt Mackerel box ..... a total pain in the back - specially if full of ice / fish .... or just on my own

I was thinking that a catch bag might be good to use ...... transfer the fish to the bag- take to the cleaning table - clean the fish . The fish can stay in the catch bag for the trip home or to where I'm staying . It's also probably good to keep the fish cold rather than sitting on the cleaning table .

So which ones are worth considering - how big ?

Madfish seem to get great reviews - but are also expensive & limited in sizes .
Chiller are another well regarded bag with a big range - still pretty expensive though .

Then there are a raft of others ........ which are good & which are the ones to avoid ?

Interested on hearing your thoughts .

Just on the size of these things - for me it's likely to be used on snapper , jew & mackerel ...... so a 1-1.2m bag will probably suffice . That said can also see these bags as great dry storage if a overnighter is planned ..... a place to keep sleeping gear dry . 8-)

Chris

[Cobbo1]

Just on these insulated catch bags - I wouldn't mind one to use at the cleaning table to reduce the need to lift out the bulky 158lt Mackerel box ..... a total pain in the back - specially if full of ice / fish .... or just on my own

I was thinking that a catch bag might be good to use ...... transfer the fish to the bag- take to the cleaning table - clean the fish . The fish can stay in the catch bag for the trip home or to where I'm staying . It's also probably good to keep the fish cold rather than sitting on the cleaning table .

So which ones are worth considering - how big ?

Madfish seem to get great reviews - but are also expensive & limited in sizes .
Chiller are another well regarded bag with a big range - still pretty expensive though .

Then there are a raft of others ........ which are good & which are the ones to avoid ?

Interested on hearing your thoughts .

Just on the size of these things - for me it's likely to be used on snapper , jew & mackerel ...... so a 1-1.2m bag will probably suffice . That said can also see these bags as great dry storage if a overnighter is planned ..... a place to keep sleeping gear dry . 8-)

Chris

I’ve been thinking the exact same thing, I was just going to get a bcf bag

https://www.bcf.com.au/p/bcf-insulated-fish-bag-m/576787.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAuvOPBhDXARIsAKzLQ8FCQjPN pTS6potdUTGstzZSTkJU1xb9sC3P-7VNBcn3U1jlZNA_RBkaAnDPEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Assumably won’t be the same sort of quality as the ones you referred to, but for that job it will likely be fine

[NAGG]

I’ve been thinking the exact same thing, I was just going to get a bcf bag

https://www.bcf.com.au/p/bcf-insulated-fish-bag-m/576787.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAuvOPBhDXARIsAKzLQ8FCQjPN pTS6potdUTGstzZSTkJU1xb9sC3P-7VNBcn3U1jlZNA_RBkaAnDPEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Assumably won’t be the same sort of quality as the ones you referred to, but for that job it will likely be fine

I certainly wont be too interested in spending $300-$400 ......

There seem to be a lot of choices these days in that $150-$250 ..... & I reckon that's what you'll need to pay for a half decent (insulated ) bag with good zippers handles & straps .

When I looked at the BCF bag - I didn't think that it would last very long & even at half price I couldn't fork out the cash & buy one when I had the opportunity . Maybe I'm wrong & someone who owns one might have a differing opinion .

Chris

[ranmar850]

I bought a cheap Wilson one , once, to fit into the underdeck hold where the largest Madfish wouldn't. Didn't last half a year. Bough the new medium Madfish after that, haven't looked back.

Just a bit of real life feedback--did an overnighter, came in yesterday. Our weather has been 42-44 deg on land, with a hot dry Nor'easter each morning, going off to calm and hot. I wasn't far offshore, came into the mainland for a comfortable camp. I put 2 x 15kg bags of crushed into the hot bag first morning. The fish were a bit ordinary, at least ones I wanted to keep. ie, a 14kg longtail, returned, then a string of bloody estuary cod up to over a metre long. I kept a little 70cm one, then got a mackerel. Next day, the only keeper was a snapper, so there wans't a big load of fish. But the bag was still well over 60% ice, not a great deal of defrost water in it.

[NAGG]

I noticed that Salty Captain have a deal on where you get the boat wash , engine flush , dispenser + their 1.2m treasure chest insulated bag for $204 . ..... with a further 10% discount (new customer) I couldn't resist

Here is the deal if anyone is interested

http://saltycaptain.com.au/collections/catch-bag-bundle-collection/products/kill-catch-kit?_atid=ZBJ3zCcwEc1qMAKJkTSs6j10n8gxXH

Chris

[Cobbo1]

I noticed that Salty Captain have a deal on where you get the boat wash , engine flush , dispenser + their 1.2m treasure chest insulated bag for $204 . ..... with a further 10% discount (new customer) I couldn't resist

Here is the deal if anyone is interested

http://saltycaptain.com.au/collections/catch-bag-bundle-collection/products/kill-catch-kit?_atid=ZBJ3zCcwEc1qMAKJkTSs6j10n8gxXH

Chris

Be interested to hear what you think Chris, after your comments on the bcf bag you’ve got me thinking!

[NAGG]

Be interested to hear what you think Chris, after your comments on the bcf bag you’ve got me thinking!

I wanted to try the wash products for myself - then saw this deal .

I've never seen the bag for myself so it's a leap of faith ..... but in real terms it will cost me less than any bag out there ($75) if I take into consideration what the wash products would have cost me .

I'll certainly give my opinion once it arrives

Chris

[ranmar850]

Looks like a good deal. I have no experience with their salt-away type product, use Salt-Away myself. Had a quiet giggle at the "Power Musket"--this is the third different branding I have seen of an identical product--Sabco and A-salt are identical, interchangeable parts, and this one appears the same.

[NAGG]

Looks like a good deal. I have no experience with their salt-away type product, use Salt-Away myself. Had a quiet giggle at the "Power Musket"--this is the third different branding I have seen of an identical product--Sabco and A-salt are identical, interchangeable parts, and this one appears the same.



I saw these products in Anaconda - It cost $140 if yo bought the gun , wash & flush separately . $115 from Salty Captain (plus shipping) ..... so it was going to cost me $130-$140 for the wash products

I've asked a few people I know & they rate the stuff - some say better than Salt Away ... which really never impressed me on my unpainted boat .

Anyhoos - I saw this deal which cost me $183.60 (after 10% discount) incl shipping ..... so for $53.60 for the bag I wasn't going to wait for opinions considering the bag sells for $180 ( discounted from $200) ..... it costs double that for a cheap option .

So yeh , a good deal alright

I'm imagining that the bag might be pretty decent by the look of of it ..... time will tell

Chris

[NAGG]

Well the Salty Captain catch bag arrived - bloody big bugger. 125376 It certainly could hold a lot of fish & ice - I recon you could get 3 or 4 120cm mackerel in there easily.
I've got to say straight off - I like the fact that it is grey as it wont show up getting dirty like white does .

The PVC is typical of all the bags I've seen ..... insulation (10mm) feels like neoprene ( but I doubt it)

It looks pretty well made with wide sealing & reinforcing inside - ditto for the handles 125377

It has a bung which also comes with a quickfit hose attachment - allowing the bag to be drained with a hose going to the bilge 125378

The zipper looks pretty good too - It's good that the zip is not directly on top .... so the bag will be reasonably waterproof if you want to use the bag for storage . There is also a velcro tab to keep the zipper shut 125379

For $200 its probably a fair price ....... As part of the package deal ($183.60)- it's insanely good value .

I reckon - jump on this one while it lasts

Chris

[disorderly]

I reckon - jump on this one while it lasts

Chris

Call me old fashioned but I think I'll stick to the esky, thanks anyway..;)

[NAGG]

Call me old fashioned but I think I'll stick to the esky, thanks anyway..;)

I didn't buy it to replace an esky ...... not after spending the big bucks on a 158lt Engel - this is a good supplement & for transferring the fish to the cleaning table ... much easier with something like this . also extra dry storage if required for an overnighter

Chris

[Mopheus]

I saw this on FB the other day and grabbed one - yet to arrive given current shipping delays to WA. Have been eyeing off the Chiller Midi 1.5m but couldn't pass up the package deal pricing, assuming quality is decent (as it seems to be). The 1.2m is probably the ideal size for fishing over here too.

I have 2x 70L Icey Teks - one for food and drinks; the other for ice and/or fish. The plan is that the fish bag stays stowed until something won't fit in the esky (only 695L internal), and I'll just transfer ice across at that point.

[NAGG]

I saw this on FB the other day and grabbed one - yet to arrive given current shipping delays to WA. Have been eyeing off the Chiller Midi 1.5m but couldn't pass up the package deal pricing, assuming quality is decent (as it seems to be). The 1.2m is probably the ideal size for fishing over here too.

I have 2x 70L Icey Teks - one for food and drinks; the other for ice and/or fish. The plan is that the fish bag stays stowed until something won't fit in the esky (only 695L internal), and I'll just transfer ice across at that point.

Well I dont think you'll be disappointed - very similar to the Chlller .
120cm seems to be a good size - certainly for what we might catch & keep (Kingfish , cobes . tuna , Mackerel & Jew )

Interested to hear your opinion once it arrives

Chris

[Mopheus]

Arrived today - quality looks good; couldn't find anything to complain about. It's a sizeable lump even when empty though so needs some thought as to stowage.

[NAGG]

Arrived today - quality looks good; couldn't find anything to complain about. It's a sizeable lump even when empty though so needs some thought as to stowage.

It is big isn't it ?
I knew is was big by the videos ......

When I did a comparison to a few other bags (that show their dimensions) - This bag is certainly deeper than pretty all of the 100-150cm long bags ( Mad fish , Icey Tek , Chiller 40cm Vs 50cm Salty Capt ) - it's also wider than most (30cm vs 25 .... Mad fish is 35cm).
It's volume is more akin (if not greater) to the 150cm bags .

so yes it's big .

I was hoping that I could use it inside the 158lt Engel that I have in front of the console .... nah too big - so it will have to be stored & used as originally intended (transferring fish for cleaning,... transporting )
I'm pretty lucky as it fits under my front hatch (cast deck) nicely though on top of stuff that is rarely used

Chris

[Brettoh]

I am happy with Satlt away> I chose to use that product after a comprehensive search revealed a University study on a number of different methods to treat "the City's " fleet of snow ploughs, mobile plant and vehicles from salt corrosion during the winter. Saltaway was the recommended or best performer.
The other products from Captain whoever are probably very similar products< some sort of tall oil , a surfactant and something to bond the 2 together so they dont seperate in the bottle






I saw these products in Anaconda - It cost $140 if yo bought the gun , wash & flush separately . $115 from Salty Captain (plus shipping) ..... so it was going to cost me $130-$140 for the wash products

I've asked a few people I know & they rate the stuff - some say better than Salt Away ... which really never impressed me on my unpainted boat .

Anyhoos - I saw this deal which cost me $183.60 (after 10% discount) incl shipping ..... so for $53.60 for the bag I wasn't going to wait for opinions considering the bag sells for $180 ( discounted from $200) ..... it costs double that for a cheap option .

So yeh , a good deal alright

I'm imagining that the bag might be pretty decent by the look of of it ..... time will tell

Chris

[Kev_McC]

Any updates on the Salty Captain fish bags? Any experiences with how they have worked? I’m thinking about getting one of the Daiwa versions as I can get them locally, thought I would ask about these.
The large Madfish bags are out of stock on their website.

[NAGG]

Any updates on the Salty Captain fish bags? Any experiences with how they have worked? I’m thinking about getting one of the Daiwa versions as I can get them locally, thought I would ask about these.
The large Madfish bags are out of stock on their website.

I've only used mine on the one occasion where we stored a jew & a couple of mackerel for around 18 hours before getting around to clean them . It held the ice really well .
On this occasion we transferred the fish from the boats esky into the bag & then stored the fish till we got around to cleaning them the next day . In this case it did it's job well .

Chris

[Kev_McC]

Thanks Chris, good info. Reckon I might get one to keep in a long compartment for Mack’s and threadies, the bigger ones rarely survive capture so it’s good to be prepared to store one.