Hey,
I was wondering what the proper way to keep a striper before cleaning it at the docks. I typically just put the fish in the cooler on the boat and clean it at the dock when i get back later. I don't have ice in the cooler, I just put the fish in there for someplace to put it. I know it depends on how long out of the water, temp outside. What do you guys usually do? Do you
bleed your stripers? Do you keep them on ice in a cooler and let them die?


My last time out we caught 5 keepers and the first one that was caught was the most discolored than the others when we got back to clean them. Is that discoloration a bad sign.


Thanks for any responses.

wutdl4

:smash: Discoloration is most certainly bad. If you eat bad fish, boy, you are in for a world of trouble. If you are headed out to fish on your boat with the intention of keeping fish, at least grab a 20# bag of ice at one of those ice companies, they only cost $5.00, and you will be all set. Its worth the investment. Just some friendly advice. You don't want to end up like these guys.:yak: :yak4: :yak6: :yak5:

i try and always have ice on my boat. you should really try and have ice on the fish you are keeping for consumption, you do not want that flesh to warm up.

I thought you had to clean fish at home. Cleaning at the dock is a no-no correct?

length limit concerns.

I am curious about the bleeding - any answers?:rolleyes:

I was always under the impression the fish had to be transported "in tact"....which leads me to believe filleting at the dock or on the beach is not ok.

We always bleed the fish and then throw it in an ice/saltwater slurry.

Jenn--you can't filet the fish but you can gut 'em

i agree with Rocklobsta, that is exactly what i do. it seems to keep the flesh much colder.

here's a good trick....

Go to your local skating rink and fill your cooler up with the left over ice from the zamboni. Free ice. Can it get any better than that?

..if you want to take the best care for the table fillet it off and save the racks seperately..ice the filets and keep the racks submerged in water to keep the flies and stink down...the law won't have a problem if you can show both...also, the racks and heads are the best source of chowder stock there is....

discard the racks after you are in port...you can put them back into a deep water spot if you have one to feed the crabs and complete the cycle, or discreetly dispose of them otherwise...try not to dump them in the 1 foot of water at the ramp or, worse yet, into an uncovered wast drum...use your head...

Cleaning the fish at the dock is perfectly legal. The reason you can't clean your fish at sea is because there is no way to tell how many fish you cought and what size the fish were when they are in zip-lock bags.
As far as keeping your fish on ice, that is a must and should be done immediately. I have an extra freezer at home and freeze old plastic orange juice bottles with water. I then layer the bottom of my cooler with them. They last longer than ice and you can continue to re-use them.
As far as bleeding stripers, don't bother, you don't have to, it doesn't really make a difference.

All good advice. Let me just add one tip - if you had little or no ice to begin with and your fish is not chilled when you get it home or to the dock for cleaning, put it on ice for a while BEFORE you fillet it. Cold, firm flesh will fillet much easier.

like i said in the previous thread on cleaning or gutting fish which i forgot the title. anyway, i gut and clean the fish and wash the open booty in fresh saltwater in a dipping manner. then i use the shaved ices or cubes and stuff them into the belly of my striper and cover it in a blanket of COLD, COLD, COLD ices. then i wrapped it in my hefty bag or in my cooler. then i get a healthy striper meat for my family to eat.

Yo.

Fishing from shore , bury your bass.
Fishing from boat, bury your a...

Bottom Bouncer has a good trick in that free skating-rink ice. Might not be too practical though unless you have a strong gullet for spit, blood, and crud. Rink ice is a bit nasty and not as hard as real ice. Still, might be better than none if you live close to rink. I'd be more worried about rink ice on my fillet than the flesh eating bacteria touted on another thread. But, B.Bouncer's idea is still better than what most anglers do (cool your carcass in the hot sun...).

If you are non-commercial and you have a small keep, then the live well might do it. Or it might "do it" to know that many boaters, commercials included, don't use ice (and don't gut...). Doesnt' make it "right", but if you eat at a restaurant then....

Few do (?), but I would gut them and ice, bucket up in fresh seawater, or bury (leave head on if without it there is a less-than legal issue).

You can always gut, but sometimes head-on is required. Do not fillet until home.

B.L.:D

Quickest way to rot a Striper is to let it sit in FRESH WATER. Don't even rinse the fillets in FRESH WATER.
We only wash it just before you cook it.
We kept tons of bass in the old days in Freezers set at 34 degrees and cover the fish with a salt water soaked towel or burlap bag. Never ever let the fish set in FRESH WATER> Ugly!

I think I read something in the Mass. Fisheries Laws that a Charter Boat can fillet fish at sea. I don't know why that would be restricted to just charter boats. You get a better product if you fillet it right away, wash it well in salt water from the ocean and then package it into plastic bags that can be tied off. Then bury them, sealed in plastic, in your ice. Now you have a good cold product.