I dunno. i’m not buying this whole “ zero contact with fresh water” thing, like it somehow instantly ruins the fish quality....
however there are steps i take to come home with the best quality product. why go thru all the hassle and expense only to end up with an inferior product on your table.
when i go on my annual west coast trips we thoroughly clean ANY and all blood from our fish. Blood left on or near your salmon will taint the meat faster than any other introduced substance. This includes complete removal of the gills ( which make excellent hali bait btw; fresher the better )
Ever catch and clean a chinook, or more often a coho and the guts burn your skin? sorry but i’m taking water to the stomach cavity and hosing that nastiness out of the coho. no way that is good to leave in there.
We always belly ice our salmon. The remaining cavity membrane prevents water from directly permeating the flesh of the salmon. having said that, if the salmon is sitting in a cooler full of half-melted ice-water slurry, this is no good for the quality of the flesh.
the water has to drain from your cooler. i leave the drain plug removed from my cooler and i store the cooler on an extreme angle so it drains.
( wolves frequent our cabin so i usually lash the cooler shut with a ratcheting tie down as both my igloo clasps are busted, but I digress; that’s another thread)
one of the factored expenses of our trip is ice. it is what it is; i buy it often and keep the fish iced as possible for the duration of the trip.
When i am home and processing my fillets, i will wipe off any foreign substance from the flesh side careful not to damage the grain structure of the filets. Never blast your filets with your hose as it will tear and ruin the flesh, making it look opaque and less desirable. my 2 cents