Cleaning frozen fish

[trying the ice]

So you're ice fishing all day and tossing the keepers on the ice and they freeze solid.  How long can you keep them frozen before cleaning?  Thanks for any advice.

[bubby]

Your best bet is to put your catch in cooler. A bag will work but the key is to keep your catch cold and fresh. Pack it with snow. Fresh fish should be either eaten or frozen. Best eaten immediately!.YUMMM.

[acsacmboy]

within a day and a half you want to clean them once you get home really...


the boy and the old man

[TGF]

I have sometimes frozen my fish whole in the freezer. Apparently alot of Europeans do it this way. They taste fine. Cuts down on the freezer burn with no jagged edges, just a smooth belly. I have kept them up to a year.

[fishingking]

Throw them in a bucket and catch more keepers then the fresh caught fish keep the older ones warm

[Bussman]

Sit on your bucket! And if its really cold eat beans and venison the night before!

[FishDeepCreek]

I find its best to clean them as soon as you get home, leaving them in snow filled bucket overnight, makes then get real slimy when they thaw to clean them.

[Mr.Seaguar]

Cleaning frozen fish is not much fun. What I do is scoop water into bucket first thing after putting lines in, enough to keep the fish alive and swimming. At the end of the day I have nice flopping fish to clean. I do kill them before fileting though.

[cid]

cleaning them after they have thawed out some is not the best way. Try to keep em from freezing solid before you clean them is the best. Coolers/Buckets  with water will work even if it  gets cold

[acsacmboy]

if theyare still frozen, thake some hot water and just slosh them in it for a second. instant warmth of fish. ive even had perch come back to life after they had frozen solid. i did that one day had about 50 frozen perch put them in the tub in the bathroon and let the water in. about 10 started to flop. oh well. get the fish cleaned quick