Quickly Dispatching a Perch

[RuralMT]

Good evening all.  I was hoping to discover a method to quickly dispatch a perch, especially after reading through the archives and stumbling upon this post started by Mike (aka PerchAssault)

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=208196.0

I'm more than a little ashamed to admit it, but during a hot bite, I'm apt to simply toss the perch on the ice and drop the jig back down as quickly as possible.  More often than not, I end up with a pile of flopping perch next to me, which bothers me from an ethical perspective.  As a post in the above article mentions, I've tried the tried and true method for dispatching a trout or kokanee (a blow to the head between the eyes) but noticed an unbelievable ability for perch to survive...one came back to life after several strikes with my metal scoop that left a 1/4" trench between the eyes.  As several individuals in the above-linked post mentioned, they also have a knack for surviving hours upon hours out of the water, flopping around while I'm filleting them later that evening, and I'm not fond of the spasm of a live fish as I insert the fillet knife. 

The obvious answer is to bleed them out, but in my perusing of the site, I've seen several negative comments regarding piles of blood on the ice, which would necessarily occur if one is keeping a mess of perch. (Judge me all you like, but I'm a school teacher, and paying for my master's degree requires me to save money elsewhere, and I save it by approaching perch with a meat-hunting mentality...hence a lot of blood would be left on the ice.)  So bleeding the fish is out of the question if folks are opposed to the site of red on the ice.

I've come across references to breaking the neck of the perch, but haven't been able to find a description of how to do so efficiently.  Can anyone explain how they quickly put a perch out of its misery?

[Idahogator]

Two 1X6 boards, 12" to 15", cut away belly holes in each, a strap hinge with the boards mounted on the outside, hinge toward the tail at the bottom, spring or bungee to hold the perch, keep hands off, Zzzzap behind the eyes over the brain with a stun-gun.

Very humane, instantaneous and no messy blood.

No stun-gun?  Make one from an old speaker power transformer.  Google is your info source.   

[MTviking]

.22 pistol also would work if you have good aim.  Watch for them ricochets and let everyone else on the lake know that your having a hoot.

[HWeber]

Mainly commenting to follow this thread because i think the entire idea is quite odd. IF i were to worry about killing the fish id probably ruin and old filet knife making it about 2in long and pointed. Jab knife into perch head. Splash some water on the ice if there's "too much blood" IMO you're overthinking the entire thing

[pmmpete]

Commercial fishermen who supply fish to the sushi industry kill fish by driving a spike into their brain, in order to kill them quickly and maximize the quality of their meat.  Google "fish kill spike" or "iki jime."  Shown below is the kill spike I use to kill pike when I'm snorkeling and speargunning in the open water season.  click on the thumbnail to enlarge it.  I keep the spike in a sheath on my forearm. 

Using a spike to kill perch might seen like overkill.  But it will definitely kill them, and you could end up with sushi quality perch!

[CMS]

I usually put my index finger in the mouth and thumbnail right behind the head and quickly bend the head back, they’ll give one quiver then that’s it.

[lundin-loading]

Take a set of scissor with you and nip they're gills, I've never heard anyone b!tch about blood on the ice.

[hoofer]

most of the time its so dam cold they freeze to death before i can kill um.