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New York => Ice Fishing New York => Topic started by: Ric66 on Dec 01, 2022, 08:55 AM

Title: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Ric66 on Dec 01, 2022, 08:55 AM
I'll be staying in a hotel in February at Sylvan Beach for 3 days. Wondering what people do with their catch at the end of each day. Do you clean them or just keep them whole and leave them in the car (if it's cold enough obviously) and then when you return home clean them? And where do you clean them? Doubt the hotel will like the idea of me cleaning fish in the room. I do have a vacuum sealer I thought about bringing along.
Funny how you don't think about these things until later.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,

Bob
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Arkangel on Dec 01, 2022, 11:31 AM
Hey Bob...

...bring along a poly fillet board and fillet on the ice...?

Pending local regulations, you may have to leave the skin attached.

Leave the gull some lunch or dispose remains down the hole.

Bag them up and skin at home (temperature dependent).

...just an idea... :tipup:

~ArkAngel
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: BeenPerchin315 on Dec 01, 2022, 11:54 AM
Hey Bob...

...bring along a poly fillet board and fillet on the ice...?

Pending local regulations, you may have to leave the skin attached.

Leave the gull some lunch or dispose remains down the hole.

Bag them up and skin at home (temperature dependent).

...just an idea... :tipup:

~ArkAngel
If I remember correct you can have 3days bag limit. May be only 2 days.
And for cleaning on the ice not everyone chooses to buy a battery knife for 2x what an HD corded job. Just saying.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Arkangel on Dec 01, 2022, 12:01 PM
...oh, I meant clean by standard fillet knife not battery or corded...

~ArkAngel
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: 62&done on Dec 01, 2022, 12:18 PM
My equipment consists of a standard fillet Knife. One plywood board 6 x 20"  A plastic bag to put fillets in and a bucket of snow to pack them in   I have been on a 3 day trip with no issues just change out the snow occasionally if it gets warm   Dump all entrails back to where they came from There are scavengers down there that will be more than happy to clean things up      JUST NOT NEAR THE SHORE !

   tip :    leave the skin on for identification
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: hangemhigh on Dec 01, 2022, 05:18 PM
...oh, I meant clean by standard fillet knife not battery or corded...

~ArkAngel

Thast what I use too - I guess thats old school now - hahaha
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: bosco2 on Dec 01, 2022, 07:04 PM
Bleed 'em on the ice. Then  head 'em, gut em',  and keep them on ice. Finish the job when you get home.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: WARRIOR_ON_ICE on Dec 01, 2022, 07:14 PM
I have cleaned fish in motel rooms MANY MANY times now and have had zero negative contact by the motel staff. I am careful though and so should everyone be, about giving the motel a reason to charge you for an extra cleaning charge or other admonishments. Please see the to-do list below, and if you follow this you should not have any problemds

`1.) Keep the fish you are going to clean in your vehicle until you are ready to start cleaning them.
2.) Find the biggest table or desk surface in the motel room for your operation.
3.) Bring plenty of old newspaper and plastic garbage bags, and quart or even gallon  ziploc bags for your fillets on your trip. The plastic bags especially, because usually the lobbies of motels have local free newspapers that you can take to clean fish on if you don't bring your own.
4.) Line the table or desk completely with the newspaper.
5.) After all the fish are cleaned, make sure to wrap up the newspaper and I always stuff it into the garbage bags I bring AND PUT IT IN MY CAR - DON'T THROW IT AWAY IN THE MOTEL'S TRASH AS THIS COULD DRAW ATTENTION
6.) Get down on your hands and knees to look for scales and fish parts on the floor when you are done.
7.) Bring a can of deodorant spray, and spray the room liberally right before you check out in case you believe there are lingering fish odors. I do this but honestly I don't think it is necessary because fresh fish do not have odor, cleran them the same day they are caught and no problem
8.) Depending on the outdoor temperature where you are staying, and whether you want your cleaned fish to be frozen or to remain unfrozen until you get home with them, always watch the Weather channel before turning in for the night at the motel, and depending on what they are predicting for an overnight low temp will dictate whether you put the ziploc bags of fish in your car overnight or in the motel refrigerator.
9.) To keep the minnows alive in your bait bucket, change out the water with cold tap water before turning in for the night. If the outside temp is going to drop to below around 25 degrees, don't keep the bait bucket in your car, instead keep it in the bathtub of the room but add a bunch of ice cubes from the motel's ice machine or else the water may get too warm and kill all the minnows overnight.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: filetandrelease on Dec 02, 2022, 04:05 AM
 Your allowed 2 days possession in NY ,but your allowed a limit a day  another option I’ve used is put snow in the bucket  or grain bag  with fish , bury in a snow bank they won’t freeze , or knock off fillets out on the ice and dump carcasses down the hole , just make sure your at least a 100’ from shore , that’s also the law
 If You have any questions call officer Jeff Hull he is on that end of the lake ,
 315-405-6576 ,
 
 
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: WARRIOR_ON_ICE on Dec 02, 2022, 06:07 AM
Your allowed 2 days possession in NY ,but your allowed a limit a day  another option I’ve used is put snow in the bucket  or grain bag  with fish , bury in a snow bank they won’t freeze , or knock off fillets out on the ice and dump carcasses down the hole , just make sure your at least a 100’ from shore , that’s also the law
 If You have any questions call officer Jeff Hull he is on that end of the lake ,
 315-405-6576 ,

Filetandrelease, the regs. say you should not be disposing of fish waste in the water, so putting it down the hole in the ice is a violation of that. The 100 feet from shore reg. means you need to be at least that far from shore when you dispose the waste in the other direction - on the land.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: hangemhigh on Dec 02, 2022, 07:21 AM
Filetandrelease, the regs. say you should not be disposing of fish waste in the water, so putting it down the hole in the ice is a violation of that. The 100 feet from shore reg. means you need to be at least that far from shore when you dispose the waste in the other direction - on the land.

I don't know about that - you could be correct, I'm no lawyer, but the way its written is "It is illegal to discard any fish carcass, or parts thereof, into the freshwaters of the state within 100 feet of shore or upon any public or private lands contiguous to and within 100 feet of such water".  To me that says 100 ft from shore either way - if not they wouldn't have said OR right ??
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: hangemhigh on Dec 02, 2022, 07:24 AM
Your allowed 2 days possession in NY ,but your allowed a limit a day  another option I’ve used is put snow in the bucket  or grain bag  with fish , bury in a snow bank they won’t freeze , or knock off fillets out on the ice and dump carcasses down the hole , just make sure your at least a 100’ from shore , that’s also the law
 If You have any questions call officer Jeff Hull he is on that end of the lake ,
 315-405-6576 ,

I always thought that too but when I just looked it up it says ....."No more than two days' legal take of non-salable fish may be transported unless a permit is obtained from a DEC Regional Office, or the fish are frozen, processed, and packaged for storage."  The "or the fish are frozen, processed, and packaged for storage." makes it sound like its unlimited right ??
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: hangemhigh on Dec 02, 2022, 08:43 AM
Yup. Minnows here dead or alive can't go in the water. I take 'em home and make Anchovies out of 'em. They're great in a lime jello salad.  :roflmao:

hahahaha - I wish I read that BEFORE I ate breakfast - hahahaha
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: hangemhigh on Dec 02, 2022, 08:49 AM
Illegal here too. Even worms/crawlers must go into a garbage can, year round.

When I'm filleting my crappie in the summer I do it on our dock and throw bits and pieces (not the whole carcass) on the rocks by shore (in the water) - they last less than a minute with all the crayfish we have.  Fun to watch them come and get dinner .....my worms go in my mulch pile when I'm done with them for the year - dead or alive  ;D. Same thing in the winter when I clean the fish at home.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: hangemhigh on Dec 02, 2022, 09:04 AM
Thats nuts - so  Ilhan Omar isn't the only crazy in Minn. - hahaha
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: hangemhigh on Dec 02, 2022, 12:14 PM
I know on the ice the eagles, crows and sea gulls can't wait for us to leave, and you can see tracks in the snow the next day where the 'yotes and foxes get what the birds left.......like natures cleaning service.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 02, 2022, 03:59 PM
100 foot  from shore ....down  da hole  or feed the  gulls
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Ric66 on Dec 02, 2022, 05:30 PM
So if I understand, I can clean the fish on the ice as long as my hotel is 100ft from the hole, but I need to do it with a non battery operated fillet knife and I am not in the state MN? I don't know why I had so much trouble with this.....

Seriously, thanks for all the replies. Maybe I won't catch anything and it'll be a moot point.
In case I do catch some, I'll probably just clean them in the hotel room, in the hot tub...
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: hangemhigh on Dec 02, 2022, 07:51 PM
So if I understand, I can clean the fish on the ice as long as my hotel is 100ft from the hole, but I need to do it with a non battery operated fillet knife and I am not in the state MN? I don't know why I had so much trouble with this.....

Seriously, thanks for all the replies. Maybe I won't catch anything and it'll be a moot point.
In case I do catch some, I'll probably just clean them in the hotel room, in the hot tub...

Depending when you come, and how windy it, is you might find yourself on a piece of ice that breakaway from shore - you could be 100 ft away from shore at one point and too close when it starts floating - so keep your tape measure handy.... ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: filetandrelease on Dec 02, 2022, 10:21 PM
 Ric you caught fish up here last year I’m sure this coming ice season will be no different ,
 I called region 7 and asked for clarification on the disposal of fish waste , they are checking with Albany ,as they couldn’t give an answer do to the wording ,poorly written , and that was from a biologist I’ve talked to many times , and others at the office whom I don’t know
 I know several wardens , he mentioned  I should give 1 of them a call
 
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: WARRIOR_ON_ICE on Dec 03, 2022, 06:34 AM
Ric you caught fish up here last year I’m sure this coming ice season will be no different ,
 I called region 7 and asked for clarification on the disposal of fish waste , they are checking with Albany ,as they couldn’t give an answer do to the wording ,poorly written , and that was from a biologist I’ve talked to many times , and others at the office whom I don’t know
 I know several wardens , he mentioned  I should give 1 of them a call

Thanks for that effort, and let us know on here what the verdict is- either fish waste IS or IS NOT allowed to be dumped into the water. It doesn't matter for me , personally, because I don't clean fish until I get home or to a motel, but I can see why others would want precise clarification of the law.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: filetandrelease on Dec 03, 2022, 06:38 AM

 No problem , I to take my fish home to clean
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: KingPerch on Dec 03, 2022, 06:55 AM
6.?No person taking or assisting in the taking of fish in other than the marine and coastal district, as described in section 13-0103 of this chapter shall discard any fish carcass or parts thereof into the waters of this state or upon any public lands contiguous to and within one hundred feet of such waters or upon any private lands contiguous to and within one hundred feet of such waters unless such lands are owned by such person or unless such person enters or remains with the permission of the owner of record or his representative or agent. ?The provisions of this section shall not be deemed to prohibit: ?the return to the water of live fish or fish required to be returned to the water pursuant to section 11-1301 or 11-1303 of this chapter or rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto; ?the use of fish or parts thereof as bait; ?the discarding of fish carcasses or parts thereof into waters not within one hundred feet of any shore; ?the proper disposal of fish carcasses or parts thereof into suitable garbage or refuse collection systems or by burial; ?or the incidental cleaning of fish for consumption except that no wastes resulting from such cleaning of fish may be disposed of in waters or lands contiguous to and within one hundred feet of any public boat launching sites or public docking facilities or on such sites or facilities except by proper disposal into suitable garbage or refuse collection systems or by burial.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: KingPerch on Dec 03, 2022, 07:00 AM
The way I’m reading this is… fish remains cannot be disposed of within 100’ from both directions of any said shoreline. Whether on land or in the water. It seems there is a 100’ buffer for disposal. If we own the land that is connected to a waterway, we can’t even bury remains within 100’. Correct me if I’m wrong…..
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 03, 2022, 11:32 AM
100 foot out i feed the  gulls  and   scavengers if i'm closer i'm a licensed trapper i'm  pre baiting mink and coon  sets  ;D

remember you  can't  clean a game  fish  the have to be able to  measure  it and  tell what it is........i think small walleyes  could  pass as perch ???????
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: hangemhigh on Dec 03, 2022, 01:26 PM
100 foot out i feed the  gulls  and   scavengers if i'm closer i'm a licensed trapper i'm  pre baiting mink and coon  sets  ;D

remember you  can't  clean a game  fish  the have to be able to  measure  it and  tell what it is........i think small walleyes  could  pass as perch ???????

I don't catch small walleyes.  ;D ;D ;D   Hope you had a good summer .....(frogger)
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: reeleyz on Dec 03, 2022, 03:05 PM
I think the 100’ rule is to keep people from pulling up to a public launch or public pier and tossing in a bucket of guts.

And trapper is right about cleaning fish on the ice (or in a boat) you need proof of length so dumping the remains back down the hole with no proof of length could be an issue.

I would fillet them after you get off the ice to be safe.

Also as a side note, Do not toss guts into a DIFFERENT body of water than where they were caught. That is a big NO NO.

Fred - one of your favorite lakes for catching smelt never had smelt until, as my cousin claims, that he cleaned a bunch of smelt and tossed them into that lake. Seems like a stretch but he caught them during the smelt run. Right time of year, bucket full of remains of males and females mixed together. It’s possible and it has changed that lake forever.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: filetandrelease on Dec 04, 2022, 08:30 AM

 X2 on the smelt Bruce ,  , never underestimate nature ,
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: 62&done on Dec 04, 2022, 01:16 PM
Yes sir, Trapp is right about the minimum length rule. A 16" walleye or even a 9 " bluegill, or an 11" crappie would be fine to walk off the ice with after it has been gilled and gutted. But once you cut his head off you might get into a sticky situation. I fish a small body of water where I see the ECO regularly and I intend to ask him what HIS personal opinion might be. I'm sure I already know what it will be.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 04, 2022, 05:37 PM
theres  only a  min  size on  bluegills in a  few  lakes  .....  once we  have  stunted  fish and  over populated waters  the insanity will end
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: BeenPerchin315 on Dec 04, 2022, 06:51 PM
theres  only a  min  size on  bluegills in a  few  lakes  .....  once we  have  stunted  fish and  over populated waters  the insanity will end
x2
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: 62&done on Dec 05, 2022, 12:16 PM
We're getting a little off subject here but here goes anyway.  I'm kindof on the fence as to a size limit on gills' as I'm really not sure whether it will make a difference or not. I'll give it a couple years before jumping on the soap box. I do however fish a lake with a 15 fish limit. It has been that way for quite some time, (not really sure how long) and we regularly catch some great bluegills. In fact, there is absolutely no reason to keep one under 9" so if that's the results we get from good management, then I'm not complaining. If I were fishing another water, I don't believe I would keep one under 8". Just to small.  It's kind of like volunteering to pass a small buck right ?
    To each his own, but that's just my 2 cents
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 05, 2022, 03:52 PM
ib know i will get alot more  fish  out of  50 71/2 inch gills then you will 15 8 inchers ....thats why i fish for panfish  for  dinner  not bragging rights
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Iceassin on Dec 05, 2022, 04:06 PM
ib know i will get alot more  fish  out of  50 71/2 inch gills then you will 15 8 inchers ....thats why i fish for panfish  for  dinner  not bragging rights

Perhaps. But it's a lot more fun for me seeing a 9"+ Gill coming out of the hole than a 7" or less. Same with a 40" Pike or a 30" Walleye. I can eat AND brag.  ;)
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 05, 2022, 04:30 PM
if  you'd  eat a  30 inch walleye  over  a  good  blue gill dinner  we can't be  friends
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: DR.SPECKLER on Dec 05, 2022, 04:33 PM
Lol.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Iceassin on Dec 05, 2022, 04:36 PM
if  you'd  eat a  30 inch walleye  over  a  good  blue gill dinner  we can't be  friends

We can. In order of favorite...Pike (highly underrated), Bluegill, Walleye.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: 62&done on Dec 05, 2022, 04:40 PM
I guess it's just a common sense thing. I have no need to brag nor fill the freezer. when I can fish every day I've no need to clean 50 fish.  when I know there are better fish in the pond why keep one that will be bigger next year when I am limited to 15   And you can decide whether it's bragging or nonsense by the DEC but I'm pretty sure that 15 / day limit is producing some nice fish
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: filetandrelease on Dec 05, 2022, 04:50 PM
We can. In order of favorite...Pike (highly underrated), Bluegill, Walleye.
[/quote that must be a Michigan thing 😉
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: DR.SPECKLER on Dec 05, 2022, 04:51 PM
Must be.my fave is pike followed by perch then gill/speck.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 05, 2022, 04:53 PM
i like eating  fish  and  family fish fries are a tradition i  don't want to give that up for a  8 inch blue  gill ........not to mention kids  love  bringing fish home and they are the  future  .....you had fun  let them have  theirs..... go chase them  30 inch walleyes  and  40 inch  pike  as  for  me  bobbers bluegills and beer   ;D along with grand  kids  and  a   fish fry .......i can't help  but think  ,people  forgot what  fishing  was really all about.....
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: 62&done on Dec 05, 2022, 04:55 PM
I think I could enjoy pike if I could get my knife to sort out the bones   Have tried a few times and just ended up with scraps after killing a nice fish    I just let them go now
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Iceassin on Dec 05, 2022, 05:00 PM
I think I could enjoy pike if I could get my knife to sort out the bones   Have tried a few times and just ended up with scraps after killing a nice fish    I just let them go now
 

I had the same problem until I found the "5 Filet Method". Several YouTube videos on it. Easy to do and not near the waste. Still struggling with cutting around the Y-bones but getting better.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 05, 2022, 05:02 PM
well maybe if you practise  more on  a bucket of  blue  gills  ya   could  figure it out.............just saying
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Iceassin on Dec 05, 2022, 05:05 PM
well maybe if you practise  more on  a bucket of  blue  gills  ya   could  figure it out.............just saying

That's "practice"...just saying.  ;)2
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 05, 2022, 05:06 PM
you  guys are   "BIG  PIKE" fisherman and  you  can't  fillet  a  pike  with out  cutting it into 5 pieces  ...... your  right you two couldn't  clean a  bucket of  gills  take ya a week
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Raquettedacker on Dec 05, 2022, 05:10 PM
you  guys are   "BIG  PIKE" fisherman and  you  can't  fillet  a  pike  with out  cutting it into 5 pieces  ...... your  right you two couldn't  clean a  bucket of  gills  take ya a week
;D

   ;D ;)
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 05, 2022, 05:13 PM
You spell the verb form, practise, with an S. However, if you are referring to the the doctor's business, you can use the noun form, practice with a C. depending on your  dialect  of  English
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 05, 2022, 05:16 PM
dacker i thought i would  get  everyone  stirred  up over the  bucket of fish guts on the  ice  ...nope  but take a  71/2 inch bluegill  home   and  i lite them  up !!!!!   :roflmao:
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Iceman1899 on Dec 05, 2022, 06:32 PM
Oh boy.  Can already tell it’s gonna be a good year here on iceshanty lmao. To the original topic if it was me personally I’d clean them on the tailgate of my truck put the fillets in a gallon ziplock bag then into a cooler with ice till I get home. Put the remains in a plastic bag of some sort then next time ya get gas toss em in the garbage by the pump. They change the bags couple times a day they can afford to take some stinky fish guts every now and again
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: WARRIOR_ON_ICE on Dec 05, 2022, 07:15 PM
When the garden dirt is thawed enough when I get back home from a weekend of fishing, I dig a trench a few inches deep and bury the guts then cover them. If the gfround is frozen solid to the point that I can't get a shovel into it, I just throw the guts away.

As with the MI guys that replied, I too know that pike are very underrrated by a lot of people. The ideal size for eating is the 25-30 inch range. The bigger ones are still OK eating but can have a stronger taste. The fillets from those 25-30 inch pike remind me of cod. I don't try to make completely boneless fillets, as I have not learned how to get the Y bones out. After you cook the fillet, there is a visible seem in the meat and if you separate it there, all of the Y bones are exposed in a straight line and are easily pulled out. I won't rate pike over good quality panfish, but mopst of the pounds of fish that I eat happen to be pike.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: BeenPerchin315 on Dec 05, 2022, 08:01 PM
dacker i thought i would  get  everyone  stirred  up over the  bucket of fish guts on the  ice  ...nope  but take a  71/2 inch bluegill  home   and  i lite them  up !!!!!   :roflmao:
Your doing great.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 06, 2022, 03:07 AM
Oh boy.  Can already tell it’s gonna be a good year here on iceshanty lmao. To the original topic if it was me personally I’d clean them on the tailgate of my truck put the fillets in a gallon ziplock bag then into a cooler with ice till I get home. Put the remains in a plastic bag of some sort then next time ya get gas toss em in the garbage by the pump. They change the bags couple times a day they can afford to take some stinky fish guts every now and again

if the seagulls and raccoons are full i find the trash cans in the parking lot at wal mart work great

you guys  discuse  filleting them pike i'm going  fishing then planning  a fish fry tonight  ;D
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Iceassin on Dec 06, 2022, 04:43 AM
if the seagulls and raccoons are full i find the trash cans in the parking lot at wal mart work great

you guys  discuse  filleting them pike i'm going  fishing then planning  a fish fry tonight  ;D

Quick, funny story...

Me and my buddies had just finished Walleye fishing on Erie. It was late and the cleaning station was closed plus everyone forgot their fish cleaning "stuff", and we're 3 hours from home  ::). So off to Walmart (in a sketchy part of town) to buy knives, bags and everything else we forgot. So there we are, under a lamp post in the Walmart parking lot cleaning fish on the tailgate of the truck. You wouldn't believe how many people stopped and asked if we'd sell them some fish. So in keeping with the topic, we did put the remains in the trash cans there.

Now, back to "practicing" cleaning those Pike.  :roflmao:
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Raquettedacker on Dec 06, 2022, 05:20 AM
Oh boy.  Can already tell it’s gonna be a good year here on iceshanty lmao. To the original topic if it was me personally I’d clean them on the tailgate of my truck put the fillets in a gallon ziplock bag then into a cooler with ice till I get home. Put the remains in a plastic bag of some sort then next time ya get gas toss em in the garbage by the pump. They change the bags couple times a day they can afford to take some stinky fish guts every now and again

  Been waiting for someone to say that.. ;)
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: WARRIOR_ON_ICE on Dec 06, 2022, 07:10 PM
To reign this topic in some, the OP was asking about cleaning fish in a motel room, so to repeat myself, this is absolutely fine and should not bring any attention to your activities as long as you don't dispose of the fish waste in their garbage cans.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 07, 2022, 05:47 AM
to  be honest  ...i  don't think you should  be  cleaning fish in a  motel room i can't  picture  any motel owner (unless its a  dirt hole) not minding .....that  being said gut gill   on ice  then  pack the  cooler  with  ice ......this really isn't rocket  science

 not  lets  get  back  to  making  fishing  bait out of play doh  and   ice  jigs  out of  pop tops .....oh wait that was in  my survivalist  thread sorry
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: hangemhigh on Dec 07, 2022, 06:12 AM
Yeah when I clean (fillet) fish in the kitchen I usually find scales for weeks ....or at least my wife does ..... ;D ;D
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: WARRIOR_ON_ICE on Dec 07, 2022, 06:21 AM
to  be honest  ...i  don't think you should  be  cleaning fish in a  motel room i can't  picture  any motel owner (unless its a  dirt hole) not minding .....that  being said gut gill   on ice  then  pack the  cooler  with  ice ......this really isn't rocket  science

 not  lets  get  back  to  making  fishing  bait out of play doh  and   ice  jigs  out of  pop tops .....oh wait that was in  my survivalist  thread sorry

Read my earlier post about the measures I take to leave no trace of fish waste. Since I have done this dozens of times now and nothing was ever said, the motel does not even know that I did this
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Iceassin on Dec 07, 2022, 06:21 AM
Yeah when I clean (fillet) fish in the kitchen I usually find scales for weeks ....or at least my wife does ..... ;D ;D

Lol. Same here. But either I've gotten better at cleaning up or she just got used to it.  ;D

Sidenote: When I did scale fish ( mostly pannies) I would put a few inches of water in the sink and scale them underwater. Kept them from flying all over the place.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 07, 2022, 06:34 AM
Read my earlier post about the measures I take to leave no trace of fish waste. Since I have done this dozens of times now and nothing was ever said, the motel does not even know that I did this

so your  saying as long as you  don't get caught it's ok  to do  something you know the owner  would not allow?????  i just want to understand  what your  saying here......

Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 07, 2022, 06:38 AM
Lol. Same here. But either I've gotten better at cleaning up or she just got used to it.  ;D

Sidenote: When I did scale fish ( mostly pannies) I would put a few inches of water in the sink and scale them underwater. Kept them from flying all over the place.

ever notice  no matter how  good it looks  they find a scale  or  you  clean  everything looks great the sink  drys and scales appear  lol
i  clean out in the shed now or  outside 
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Iceassin on Dec 07, 2022, 06:49 AM
ever notice  no matter how  good it looks  they find a scale  or  you  clean  everything looks great the sink  drys and scales appear  lol
i  clean out in the shed now or  outside

Yup. Mines a pretty good egg about it though. Now...if she finds a piece of meat, blood, guts, etc...different story.  ;)
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: fishon814 on Dec 07, 2022, 07:06 AM
Lol. Same here. But either I've gotten better at cleaning up or she just got used to it.  ;D

Sidenote: When I did scale fish ( mostly pannies) I would put a few inches of water in the sink and scale them underwater. Kept them from flying all over the place.

I find jumbo perch armor is the main culprit
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Iceassin on Dec 07, 2022, 07:34 AM
I find jumbo perch armor is the main culprit

 :thumbsup:
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: hangemhigh on Dec 07, 2022, 08:15 AM
I find jumbo perch armor is the main culprit

Yep, those things really go flying - I even find them stuck to my skin after a couple days of showers ..... although that may have more to do with my shower technique too.  LOL
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: filetandrelease on Dec 07, 2022, 08:22 AM
 Fillet my perch and eyes in the kitchen no issues and no scaling , I’m a pretty good house keeper 😊
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: nykonsdream on Dec 07, 2022, 10:13 AM
I have mastered the art of filleting pike and pike real. Now I get excited when we get them home.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Steidyj on Dec 07, 2022, 11:03 AM
Clean away, as I say, you paid for the room, do it neatly and courteously. If ya get a scale or some blood try to clean it, but the source is better than 99% of the stains in the room. I've cleaned many a flounder and stripped bass in hotel rooms and don't give a second thought. Take the guts bag it and lob it into the dumpster, extra points if it explodes upon impact, gives the animals something to eat while pondering the best way to clean a pike.
When I'm local I clean everything on the kitchen counter cause it's warmer inside than in the yard on the board, if its warm outside do it in the grass or on the board. On the grass it gives the animals something nice to lick, don't let the dogs lick it though. Guts at home get put in the trash and get to ferment for 4-8 weeks till they get thrown away. Creates a nice aroma and makes you contemplate getting trash pickup.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: SKIFFLAKEJIMMY on Dec 07, 2022, 11:58 AM
If you are gonna scale fish, you can't beat a tumble drumm.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: 62&done on Dec 07, 2022, 03:35 PM
I don't scale anything - too much work - too much mess - Fillet it off and it's gone.  Don't care a whole lot for the skin anyway. As for the motel room,  well I did it once on the Maryland shore with some Drum in the bathtub.   I felt guilty as hell and never did that again.  I guess if I rent a room I don't want to find a mess, so I won't do anything that I don't want to find for myself. As for home, I do it in the yard over a pair of saw horses in the summer. Winter time it is done in the garage with the wood stove working.  I have a seasonal water supply and sink out there that works for me.
     This all works if I don't do it on the ice
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 07, 2022, 04:42 PM
i  ain't cleaning  fish or cutting up deer in a  motel room   i  can't imagine  a  motel owner  giving his blessing  over those shenanigans.....that's  just  wrong to  do something on  some ones property you know they  don't want you to  do ..... now  hang  a  pressure  washer and a  can of gunk will get those  scales off ya 
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: filetandrelease on Dec 07, 2022, 05:01 PM
 I’ve been places for a couple days , mix snow in a bucket or grain bag , bury in snow bank, will keep for days , then clean at home been doing this for 45+ yrs , I to won’t clean fish in a room ,
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: WARRIOR_ON_ICE on Dec 07, 2022, 05:14 PM
so your  saying as long as you  don't get caught it's ok  to do  something you know the owner  would not allow?????  i just want to understand  what your  saying here......

I don't know if it is allowed or not, and I don't ask. They probably never thought to put it in their rules, as they do with smoking. The reason smoking is prohibited in motels, and they can charge you a stiff cleaning fee if you violate this, is due to the unmistakable smoke smell that is left behind. If my fish cleaning leaves no signs whatsoever that it ever happened, I have not done anything to harm the establishment, and therefore I do not feel like I am doing anything wrong.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Iceassin on Dec 07, 2022, 05:19 PM
A couple of things...

Whether it's a motel, hotel, rental cabin/ cottage, etc. best to ask first if it's ok to clean the fish. Honestly,  I'll bet most would say it's ok.

There are actually a few hotels/motels around the Detroit River/Lake Erie areas in Michigan that allow it. Many have cleaning stations outside, but during inclimate weather, inside cleaning has been done. Never known of any issues.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 07, 2022, 05:51 PM
I don't know if it is allowed or not, and I don't ask. They probably never thought to put it in their rules, as they do with smoking. The reason smoking is prohibited in motels, and they can charge you a stiff cleaning fee if you violate this, is due to the unmistakable smoke smell that is left behind. If my fish cleaning leaves no signs whatsoever that it ever happened, I have not done anything to harm the establishment, and therefore I do not feel like I am doing anything wrong.

i never read  that i  couldn't  milk a cow in my room  or  park my motorcycle inside  during the rain  ....... so i guess its ok huh?
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: WARRIOR_ON_ICE on Dec 07, 2022, 06:06 PM
i never read  that i  couldn't  milk a cow in my room  or  park my motorcycle inside  during the rain  ....... so i guess its ok huh?

Yes, those activities should be OK, but if you are not careful and your cow poops on the carpet, or your motorcycle leaks oil and leaves a big oil stain on the carpet then you may get hit with a room cleaning fee   ;D ::)
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 07, 2022, 06:25 PM
naaa it's  not right   no matter what and i know that....see  when i rent a  room  i feel i have  been intrusted to  act  as a gentleman and  respect  the  mans property and  wishes  ice is  right   you should  be man  enough to ask ......this is  a  moral issue  not  just  how  clean you are .......you  drop a  bucket of  fish guts on a  carpet and that  room  might  not  be  able to be rented  for  days  not to mention  the  cleaning  ...the fees  mean  nothing what if  the  man can't get  someone to clean it????  thats   messing with  a  mans  property  and  peoples  living ..... all over a  fish?  i  ain't going to  do that  throw  em in the cooler with ice  i fished all  day i want a  hot shower  cold  beer  and  the tv on  ;D
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Iceman1899 on Dec 07, 2022, 06:38 PM
I don't scale anything - too much work - too much mess - Fillet it off and it's gone.  Don't care a whole lot for the skin anyway. As for the motel room,  well I did it once on the Maryland shore with some Drum in the bathtub.   I felt guilty as hell and never did that again.  I guess if I rent a room I don't want to find a mess, so I won't do anything that I don't want to find for myself. As for home, I do it in the yard over a pair of saw horses in the summer. Winter time it is done in the garage with the wood stove working.  I have a seasonal water supply and sink out there that works for me.
     This all works if I don't do it on the ice
X2. If it’s warm enough it’s done outside.. if not I do it in the garage on an old countertop next to the wood stove and refrigerator full of beer close by. God I can’t wait for good ice!!!!!!! Sick of reading this beaten horse of a thread lol
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 07, 2022, 06:46 PM
why wait  fish the open water  plenty of  panfish  and  eyes  not to  mention  trout  ;D
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: WARRIOR_ON_ICE on Dec 07, 2022, 06:56 PM
naaa it's  not right   no matter what and i know that....see  when i rent a  room  i feel i have  been intrusted to  act  as a gentleman and  respect  the  mans property and  wishes  ice is  right   you should  be man  enough to ask ......this is  a  moral issue  not  just  how  clean you are .......you  drop a  bucket of  fish guts on a  carpet and that  room  might  not  be  able to be rented  for  days  not to mention  the  cleaning  ...the fees  mean  nothing what if  the  man can't get  someone to clean it????  thats   messing with  a  mans  property  and  peoples  living ..... all over a  fish?  i  ain't going to  do that  throw  em in the cooler with ice  i fished all  day i want a  hot shower  cold  beer  and  the tv on  ;D

Wow, if you feel so strongly about the evil thing that I am doing, maybe you want to call the Super 8 motel and tell them to be on the lookout for me from now on, and let them know I have been destroying their property for the last 10 years and they never noticed it. It is the one in Ticonderoga, NY and the phone number is 518-585-2617. I will be checking here for your update on what they tell you about this situation. It is only because I want the other members reading this to laugh that would I ever consider engaging an individual as mentally challenged as you are.  :'(
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 08, 2022, 06:58 AM
FISH ON !!!!!  first of the year  :roflmao:

no update it appears i  just have more respect for other peoples property then  some.... :)
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 08, 2022, 07:00 AM
 this  video  although its a  bit  of adverticing   really got me  wanting to be on the  ise  it also  shows  how  big a  7  inch  blue gill actually is  and how  good of a dinner you can get ...hope ya  enjoy it i did

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR75bGl4LyI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR75bGl4LyI)
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: 62&done on Dec 08, 2022, 07:46 AM
Been a long time since I enjoyed a fish fry on the ice. Dad always put a few small lakers in the pan. Wow those were the days.    May have to put together a small cooking kit.
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: 62&done on Dec 08, 2022, 07:47 AM
Looks like temps are dropping nights for the next week    Let's keep our fingers crossed
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: trapper2000 on Dec 08, 2022, 07:56 AM
boggy put on a  nice  get together on sandy  pond  we  should   clean and fry up  some  perch  next time  for  everyone to  enjoy  ;D.....
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: Raquettedacker on Dec 08, 2022, 08:14 AM
boggy put on a  nice  get together on sandy  pond  we  should   clean and fry up  some  perch  next time  for  everyone to  enjoy  ;D.....

  X2
Title: Re: cleaning and keeping fish
Post by: filetandrelease on Dec 08, 2022, 09:08 AM

 X3