How Long are fish good in an esky for??

[OZ 640]

Hey All?
Most of my fishing has been catch and release or quick arvo trip to the reefs.

Looking at doing my first "real" fishing trip to 1770 and staying out in the boat for 2 nights.

My question is how long are fish good for in an esky filled with ice and salt water?

Will fish caught on a Friday still be good to go into the freezer Sunday night after being filleted and skinned?

Happy to let most go, but if I got my first big red, would love to bring it home to show the kids and the missus.

Looking for general advise and info.

Cheers in advance. Dale

[Noelm]

no worries at all for that time.

[cobiaman]

Hey All?
Most of my fishing has been catch and release or quick arvo trip to the reefs.

Looking at doing my first "real" fishing trip to 1770 and staying out in the boat for 2 nights.

My question is how long are fish good for in an esky filled with ice and salt water?

Will fish caught on a Friday still be good to go into the freezer Sunday night after being filleted and skinned?

Happy to let most go, but if I got my first big red, would love to bring it home to show the kids and the missus.

Looking for general advise and info.

Cheers in advance. Dale

Absolutely no worries at all, id probably say fish would be fine for 4 or 5 days on ice

[OZ 640]

Cheers guys, that on ice. What if its a salt water slurry?

[netmaker]

generally speaking fish are only good in an esky until they turn bad. this will of course vary depending on the quality of the esky and the amount of ice used to keep it cold. using a salt slurry will keep your esky colder.

[Moonlighter]

Salt water slurry is even better - in fact, its the preferred way. Gets the fish much colder, much quicker. I know a couple of bay pro-s and that's the way they keep their fish and its how the markets prefer them to be kept.

If you are at all worried, which I wouldnt be in the timeframes you have mentioned, you could gill and gut them, then keep them in the slurry. It's the gut contents that will start fish going off, with them removed the fish last even longer.

[OZ 640]

Awesome...
Sounds like catch em, bleed em in the kill tank, quick gut and gill and then into the ice slurry.
Thanks for the info lads, very much appreciated.

Just want to make sure the catch is kept in top condition.

Cheers Dale

[Noelm]

when making the slurry, make sure you do not add too much water, remember that sea water up there is quite warm, and will melt ice quite quickly.

[jtpython]

Done 7 days on ice

[Horse]

Pros do a week then send them to market. I would not gut and gill unless you are going to stack them upright in ice. An extra handful of salt in the slurry will keep the temp down and stop the fish swelling from fresh water soaking

[therapy]

On a charter to the Swains last year the decky stuck the deck wash down there throat until all the sh*t out came of the back passage. This was to keep the slurry clean and the fish in top condition and from the eating side of things it seem to work!! All fish were bled separately in a tub by a single stab to the gills and went into the slurry after the reverse enema. Good luck up there. Hope you find your big red!!

Cheers..Terry...

[clevelandv8]

Brain spike, gill n bleed but dont gut. 7 days upright as in how they swim.
More cutting of flesh exposes flesh to spoil quicker. In a slurry fish will almost freeze.

[OZ 640]

Thanks again to all for your information.

Anyone freeze salt water for their esky??

Dale

[Alchemy]

Thanks again to all for your information.

Anyone freeze salt water for their esky??

Dale

Dale, I make salt water blocks. Go to Super Cheap and buy the the SCA 10 litre basins for $5. I dissolve two table spoons of salt and mix with fresh water then freeze. I have quite a big esky at about 400 litres. If going out for a couple of nights I take five or six of the salty blocks and about 80kg of party ice. Fortunately for me I've had access to a free supply of party ice for the last six years. All our fish are bled in the kill tank which ensures the slurry stays clean then they go into the esky. As soon as we start putting fish in the esky I start pumping in sea water. I keep adding sea water as the fish go in to ensure they remain covered.

This system works very well. Water temp up here can be close on 30c in the summer hence the large amount of party ice. The slurry is so cold that it hurts like buggary digging the fish out. A couple of years ago I checked the temp at the top of the esky with an infra-red after a three day trip - it was -8c!

Regards,
Dave.

[Shark Poker]

Doesn't it depend upon how hungry you might be?