Author Topic: Longest you've waited to fillet? (Read 2110 times)

FlagsUP · « **on:** Feb 23, 2015, 04:24 PM »

What's the longest period of time that you have waited to fillet your catch after a day on the ice? Just wondering how long I have before they might get "funky?"

fishmaster13184 · « **Reply #1 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 04:31 PM »

If I can't fillet right away I'll freeze the fish whole in a bucket of water, I've left fish like this for a couple weeks and when thawed they're like new

trapper2000 · « **Reply #2 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 04:40 PM »

put them in acooler with ice they last well as long as you open the drain petcock in the bottom couple days ...check the gills for a nice fresh red look if it's a slimmy or dull looking pink bury them in the garden

jsmex · « **Reply #3 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 04:59 PM »

3 days if they're kept really cold. Any more than that and it gets risky IMHO

Gills-only · « **Reply #4 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 05:20 PM »

Always clean the next day, put in bag and put in fridge in garage, meat is firm next day no blood , done it for yrs!!

OBIce · « **Reply #5 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 05:23 PM »

Quote from: Gills-only on Feb 23, 2015, 05:20 PM

Always clean the next day, put in bag and put in fridge in garage, meat is firm next day no blood , done it for yrs!!

Thats interesting... what kind of fish are you talking about, i'm curious to try it out

Kevin23 · « **Reply #6 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 05:28 PM »

2 days. As long as they are frozen solid and out of the sunshine they will stay good for a long time. Have had them come to life 24 hours after freezing when put into water to thaw.

Fish aren't dead until they are warm and dead.

Gills-only · « **Reply #7 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 05:34 PM »

Quote from: OBIce on Feb 23, 2015, 05:23 PM

Thats interesting... what kind of fish are you talking about, i'm curious to try it out

Panfish, mainly gills!!

filetandrelease · « **Reply #8 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 06:15 PM »

I have gone 3 days , at a fish market they sit on ice as long a 5 days

reeleyz · « **Reply #9 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 06:27 PM »

I normally cut them up the next day but have caught them on Friday and filleted them on Sunday more than once.

deer george · « **Reply #10 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 06:32 PM »

Have been away on trips,staying in motels for several days with no place to fillet ,an old friend told me to pack in snow in layers in a cooler or bucket ,I have been doing that for a long time,and have kept fish at least 5 days no problem just don't let them get warm and melt . I guess it's the same as packing in ice?

jeffro9023 · « **Reply #11 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 07:01 PM »

Caught on Saturday rock hard frozen by the time i get home, forgot about em til Wed. thawed em out cut em on thurs. no problem.

fishfetcher · « **Reply #12 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 07:15 PM »

i put them in snowbank . bury them deep and they stay fresh for days. if enough snow around them they wont freeze solid. the local fish buyers hold them for a week then they are shipped so who knows how long until fileted and sold

FlagsUP · « **Reply #13 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 08:12 PM »

Okay-that makes me feel better. Caught a bunch of perch Sunday. Had to work, they are frozen and won't get to them til tomorrow. But that'll work. Summer is different, I always get right on cuttin them as soon as we are back. Thanks guys!

Hey Ice Hole! · « **Reply #14 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 10:16 PM »

Like alot of the guys said 3 to 4 days packed in snow no problem. The only exception would be smelt and no I don't fillet them but I do gut them the same day I catch them put them in a plastic bag and back in the snow with the other fish and yes they will be the first fish in the pan when I get home.

peterk814 · « **Reply #15 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 10:24 PM »

Quote from: filetandrelease on Feb 23, 2015, 06:15 PM

I have gone 3 days , at a fish market they sit on ice as long a 5 days

They go a lot longer than that. How long do you think it takes for a fish to even get to the fish market....

Zeker259 · « **Reply #16 on:** Feb 23, 2015, 10:57 PM »

Quote from: Gills-only on Feb 23, 2015, 05:20 PM

Always clean the next day, put in bag and put in fridge in garage, meat is firm next day no blood , done it for yrs!!

X2 (Walleyes, Perch, Gills)

big_guy_13021 · « **Reply #17 on:** Feb 26, 2015, 06:39 AM »

If there caught threw the ice the next day usually frozen when i get home and im to tired to clean them ...in the summer when i get home

deadsmelthead · « **Reply #18 on:** Feb 26, 2015, 06:44 AM »

I have gone a couple days before filleting.. I also slit their throats to bleed them out if i know its going to be 24hrs or more before they get diced up

Rangerclay · « **Reply #19 on:** Feb 26, 2015, 07:03 AM »

Interesting thread. I have always cleaned fish the same day I caught them. Are fish like perch easier to clean if put in a refrigerator overnight?

fishfetcher · « **Reply #20 on:** Feb 26, 2015, 07:48 AM »

even in the summer i put them in fridge overnight. firms them up, easier to fillet

perch chacer · « **Reply #21 on:** Feb 26, 2015, 02:33 PM »

Over the years when I would go on Summer fishing trips way up North (Canada) and they did not have electricity for frig. or freezers we would take the gutted and gilled fish we wanted to bring home and put them on ice in the ice house. We would scrape the saw dust off the ice blocks, lay the fish on the ice and cover the fish with the saw dust about a foot deep (outside temps would be in the 80-90's some years). The fish were perfect for cleaning and eating 5-7 days later. So, if you pack your fish in a snow bank or on ice in a cooler I say 5-7 days. If just in a frig. then a couple of days will be OK. The idea is to never let them get warm.

Perch Chacer

trapper2000 · « **Reply #22 on:** Feb 26, 2015, 05:14 PM »

I wouldn't eat a fish that was 7 days old I don't care how you pack it the gills will lose cooler and slime ....

not to mention the acid forming in the fishes guts .......

ain't worth it to me i'd bury them and go catch fresh

utes · « **Reply #23 on:** Feb 26, 2015, 05:37 PM »

I like'em firm when I handle'em too!!

ThisGuy · « **Reply #24 on:** Feb 26, 2015, 07:04 PM »

I only keep fish through the ice. To me, the whole advantage of catching your own fish is the freshness, isn't it? Can't compare fresh fish to anything store bought. I use the snow bank method, but never more than 2-3 days

SPARKYICE · « **Reply #25 on:** Feb 27, 2015, 08:41 AM »

grandpa always said "never let the sun set on a fish", meaning clean them the day you catch them.
that being said, i have kept fish packed in snow overnight to clean the next day and they were still ok but i could tell they were begining to turn sour.
i just can't see them being ok after a couple of days, let alone a week, but then i never tried it. if i had to i would at least try to get the guts out of them, it's my belief the gut starts to rot the moment a fish dies.

while i'm at it i can't stand to see a dead fish in a bucket of water or on a stringer in open water season. if i can't keep them alive i kill them and keep them in a cool damp shady place.
just my opinion.

Shouldabeenhereyesterday · « **Reply #26 on:** Feb 27, 2015, 10:46 AM »

Hate to break it to you guys...but I know multiple people who save frozen fish for weeks at a time before they run them to the market. Guy buys them and then turns around and sells "fresh" fish to the customers. Not a doubt in my mind some of the fish at the market are months old. Just a thought for ya!.....I like to clean mine right away, if I can't then I give away.

perch chacer · « **Reply #27 on:** Feb 27, 2015, 01:28 PM »

Quote from: trapper2000 on Feb 26, 2015, 05:14 PM

I wouldn't eat a fish that was 7 days old I don't care how you pack it the gills will lose cooler and slime ....

not to mention the acid forming in the fishes guts .......

ain't worth it to me i'd bury them and go catch fresh

Noticed I said gutted and gilled in my previous post.

spoonfeeder01 · « **Reply #28 on:** Feb 27, 2015, 09:08 PM »

Quote from: deer george on Feb 23, 2015, 06:32 PM

Have been away on trips,staying in motels for several days with no place to fillet ,an old friend told me to pack in snow in layers in a cooler or bucket ,I have been doing that for a long time,and have kept fish at least 5 days no problem just don't let them get warm and melt . I guess it's the same as packing in ice?

x2 for me also, this works awsome for trips.

reeltime · « **Reply #29 on:** Feb 28, 2015, 06:50 AM »

I always fillet them the same day or the next morning after being in the fridge. I was taught that you take what you can take care of.

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Author Topic: Longest you've waited to fillet? (Read 2110 times)