For the first time this season I had to clean out my fish storage on my boat as I ran out fish bags...didn't realize I was down to the last one. How many of you clean out your fish box/storage after every trip you land fish? How much time does that represent each season? If you forget to clean it...isn't that smell just lovely the next morning! Here's a tip that I've used for about 8 years now. I make my own (long) fish bags during the winter out of 4mil poly. Have a heat sealer and just buy a couple 50lb rolls of 14-16" poly tubing. When I catch something it goes right in the bag, then in the hold. If its hot out I soak a burlap bag in sea water and lay it on top to cover. No blood or slime in the boat...it all stays in the bags. Fish stay in great shape, no mess no fuss (no bleach) and get home sooner after a every trip. I'll put 6 socks in one bag or a large spring per. I give the bags a rinse when I clean the fish and the customer takes them home in the same bags.
Keeping Fish Lockers Clean
- Thread starter profisher
- Start date
Hmm. Sounds like it would keep it clean, I usually bleach every three days or so. Of course, the bagging trick I don't think is tripple header friendly 
Last Chance Fishing Adventures
www.lastchancefishingadventures.com
www.swiftsurebank.com
Last Chance Fishing Adventures
www.lastchancefishingadventures.com
www.swiftsurebank.com
Sushihunter
Active Member
I seem to recall somewhere that it is not good to bag fish that are fresh out of the water. They need to be cooled down first. Something about the enzymes working full speed to break down the fish.
Good idea to gut & gill them before bagging too.
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
Good idea to gut & gill them before bagging too.
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
Whole in the Water
Well-Known Member
I have heard the same thing that Sushihunter mentions about bagging fish right away. Like most meat you need to cool it down first before you bag it. I have a big aluminum fish box in my boat. I just rinse it out every time I use it with water and the stiff brush. Never had a smell or bacteria problem yet.
Long live wild salmon!!!
><)))>
Long live wild salmon!!!
><
)))>Never had a problem with deterioration of the fish...just have to add the wet burlap sack on the hot days..like July 09 in Nootka. Not sure how you would cool the fish more than their natural body temp after catching them without having ice. That is my next addition to give the customer an even better product when they leave. Going to find a good used ice making machine. Want to take a couple of big bags of ice each day for the boat and give them more at the end of the day for their trip home.
Sushihunter
Active Member
That's a good plan, Profisher.
I have a large cooler and line the bottom with 2-litre coke bottles that are full of salt water and frozen solid. It takes about 8 of them to cover the bottom. Fish are bled and then placed in the box on top of the coke bottles. I can get two days out of one set of bottles of ice.
If I have to buy ice before a trip, I will get 4 bags of cubes and keep them in the bag until the first fish goes in the box. I'll then open up 1 bag of cubes and scatter them in the box, and as more fish go into the box through the day, I break open more bags of ice.
Idealy, I'd love to have an icemaker on the dock right next to my boat so that I could fill the box to the top each day before going fishing, and throw out ice to replace it with fish. [8D]
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
Barnacle Bill
Well-Known Member
Like Jim, I to like to bleed my fish before I do any thing else. Better product IMO.....BB
T
tedg
Guest
What kind of sealer do you use? Is it like a hot iron you run along the side of the bag?
Ted
Ted
It has an arm that swings up and down...you set a dial to the right length of time it actually welds the bag...a 4 mil bag needs more time than a 2mil...trial and error to get it right at first. Slide the tube into place, pull down the arm and it automatically activates and shuts off...give it a second to cool and remove the bag. I make mine extra long so any fish fits and enough left over to tie a knot easily. Never had a customer have a fish go through the bag onto the ground...and never heard a complaint about a leaky bag and smelly car either!
I'm running a trophy with 2 lockers in the floor, but have scuppers, after boating fish, I too like to bleed them out usually in the outboard well, then into the locker. The pumps in the locker never take all the water out so I use the flush down water a few times and vavoom. mo stench, reek or any thing to worry about.
The bag idea is a good idea but will not work for me.
HT
The bag idea is a good idea but will not work for me.
HT
That's is a great idea profisher. Last year at nootka after the first day of fishing with the days catch in the cooler I forgot to rinse out the fish hold. The next morning went offshore (it was a little windy) first fish in the boat ,opened the fish locker,both my buddies were chumming the water! What a smell!
Halilogger
Active Member
I have a 2525 Kingfisher, aluminum, it has a big fish locker, but no pump out, why o why Harbor craft why? so I use the wash down and hand pump it out. It can get pretty ripe in there at times.
