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If you guys want a MUCH tastier fish eating experience with a whole lot less mess at the fillet table, tear out the gills immediately upon catching a keeper.
On my boat I keep an old school metal stringer that has a big brass swivel at the boat end (It keeps a fish on a stringer from twisting the chain). The second a 'keeper' is landed, I immediately put it on the stringer and rip it's gills out to bleed it out. It is a very humane method as the fish dies very quickly. I put the fish back in the water which not only dissipates the blood but the water brings the temperature of the flesh down very quickly, quicker than throwing it in a cooler. After 10 minutes in the water the fish is then transferred to my 'deadwell' on ice to be processed later.
I then end up with a very nice, practically blood free fillet, with no blood on my table to make a mess or to get on the fillet of the next fish.
Try it and I'm sure you will like it.
Good luck!
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Could you just chop of the head to, or would that not have the same effect?
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For tuna and bonito in the ocean it makes a huge difference in decreasing the oils in the fish. I've tried it on freshwater fish here and don't think it makes a big difference, but it doesn't hurt either.
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Not to be a contrarian here, but I don't think it is necessary to bleed fish out. I could maybe see a case made for certain species... but I don't think there is any reason to do it on walleye, crappie, wipers, perch, etc... It might make a subtle difference on catfish, but even then I don't think it is worth the hassle personally. The best thing you can do in terms of keeping your catch fresh, is keep them alive as long as possible... not everyone has a big livewell on their rig though. It has been awhile since I even tried it but I don't remember there being any difference between a bled fish and one that was not bled. But I guess you might have a point about the fillet table... I could see there being less blood on it if you bleed your fish. If you are careful though you won't get any blood on your fillets while cleaning imo.
I guess some evidence (pictures) showing the difference between a bled fish vs. not bled would be ideal in this argument...
Lastly, I have to disagree with you about putting them on a stringer to cool the flesh down faster... "... the water brings the temperature of the flesh down very quickly, quicker than throwing it in a cooler". Unless you are ice fishing that statement is just not true... A cooler with an adequate ice / water mixture will cool a fish down faster than the water in the lake will... simple thermodynamics says so anyways.
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I agree with you on this 100% I bleed out all fish, and put them on ice in a cooler. The quality of the fish is much higher in my opinions. But if nothing else you don't have to deal with as much blood on you filet table.
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Would quickly gutting and cooling it down also help in better tasting fish?
I am thinking about trying this on catfish because I have never prepared a good tasting catfish before. I must be doing something wrong when it comes to the kitties.
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+ 1 on the bleeding.
If you cut there heads off they fall off the stringer.[sly]
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That's true. Didn't think of that!
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IF your cooler has an ice/water mix then yes, that will cool quicker than lake water. I try to keep my coolers dry so the fish is less slimy come time to fillet.
If it is just ice and you lay the fish on top of the ice it will take longer to cool down than being immersed in a cold lake.
Sort of like a human getting hypothermia quicker in water than air, water is an excellent heat sink.
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So that explains where my fish are going!
Last week I fished Powell for a long weekend and camped on a beach in Forgotten Canyon.
For dinner one night I bled a bunch of fresh caught walleyes and fried them up for taco makings.
Powell+beach camping with friends+fresh caught walleyes+sunset= a small glimpse in to Heaven!
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Learned this on the trip to Alaska we did. If you're keeping, whackem on the head quick to put them out, take a fillet knife and cut across the gills. Bleeds them out quick and it does clean the fillets up better IMO. Then have a cooler that is down on temp and full of ice. Throw em on top and they will cool pretty quick. Have to figure that even on ice if the cooler is cold will chill faster than water. Top water is usually 50-60 cooler on the ice is cooler than that.
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Anything you do to get the meat clean and chilled is a bonus.
I daresay your cats just may be getting cooked at a slightly too low temperature? They like to be released in to a little hotter oil than other species.
Have you tried to eat the smaller ones instead of the larger ones?
I very rarely keep anything big with the exception of a good silvery koke.
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I bet that was an awesome trip!
I only keep the fish in the water for no more than 10 minutes. I like how it washes off the fish and brings the initial temp of the fish down a bit so quickly.
Then off to the icy deadwell it goes.
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[quote SBennett]I bet that was an awesome trip!
I only keep the fish in the water for no more than 10 minutes. I like how it washes off the fish and brings the initial temp of the fish down a bit so quickly.
Then off to the icy deadwell it goes.[/quote]
[#0000FF]Can't get past the putting your newly killed and bled fish back in the lake water "to cool them down". Fish are cold blooded. Their body flesh is already at the exact same temperature as the lake water. How would putting them back in the water "cool them down"? In the open air the process of evaporation may have a cooling effect...but not soaking them in lake water of the same temperature.
I been doin' dis for a few years my own self. And I have never seen more of a positive reason for bleeding freshly caught freshwater fish than simply reducing the amount of blood at the fillet table.
On the other hand, some salt water fish...like tuna...have the ability to raise their core body temps higher than their surrounding water temps...to give them more power and fast bursts of speed. Commercial fishermen who catch large tunas do sometimes "wash" their freshly caught fish in the sea water. But those who immediately gut their fish and stuff them with shaved ice get the job done more quickly and efficiently.
As far as catfish, keeping them alive until filleted is a better flavor enhancer then quickly killing and bleeding. The big problem with catfish flavor and texture is in the cooking. They need more cooking than fish with more delicate flesh. So it is a good idea to cut the fillets in smaller pieces before cooking. Then cook them longer...over higher heat...until they are very firm but flake easily to the fork. A lot of folks just lightly brown them and end up with rubbery and fishy tasting cat meat.
I'll be first to admit that filleting cats is a messy business. They are big, cumbersome and bloody. Working on a larger cat is akin to butchering a hog. But once you have learned the basic process...and know how to prepare the filleted flesh for the cooking process...you will end up with some great eating.
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cat fish have scent strings one in each side of the fillet if you pull those out your cats will taste better.
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Ok, I can go with that.
Maybe the cool down thing is subconsciously being carried over from my big game and goose processing.
I do know this, with only having one hand a slime free and blood free fish to work on is MUCH easier on me.
And they taste better I tell ya!
Good luck everyone.
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[quote cat-tech]cat fish have scent strings one in each side of the fillet if you pull those out your cats will taste better.[/quote]
[#0000FF]????
If you are referring to the strips of dark flesh along the lateral line, that is sensory tissue...not scent strings. And yes, it does usually help to slice those out...especially on larger fish.
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no they are white or light gray looks like a small vein cat fish farmer I new in Alabama told me about it at the top of the fillet or when you cut the head of there is a small white string runs down the fillet from head to tail near middle you can pull it out with your finger nail from the top.
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Sbennet if the awesome trip was at me.... Yes it was. 5 days self guided on the ocean across from glacier bay. Between 3 of us we brought home 200 lbs of fillets. Had some firsts on some big fish. 15 lb silvers and drug in a 124 lb halibut the last day.
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Yes, it was.
Halibut, yummm....
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