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RYY
07-14-2009, 06:41 PM
Hello all,
My son and daughter were in a local fishing derby over the weekend and the question got raised as to the already caught fish. My daughter caught her fish after the offical scales had closed for the night. My question is once caught, killed and put in the fridge, how long do we have before the meat spoils? I know with my limited experience hunting big game, feild dressing is done ASAP. Is there a suggested or required cleaning time limit for fish(lake trout) that anyone can help us with for next time?

Thank you
RYY

DeerWhisperer
07-14-2009, 06:46 PM
Personally I will clean them right away, I find it a heck of a lot easier when they are still soft and supple plus I find the meat tastes less fishy than if they stayed in the boat or the fridge all day. ;-)

Ddog
07-14-2009, 07:00 PM
trout or i should say fish, should be cleaned as soon as you can, it isnt quite as important as game animals because they arent warm blooded. if you put the fish on ice its will be ok for a while, however if the urine sac inside the fish bursts it will undoubtedly spoil the meat. i was in a steelhead derby and caught an 18lb 6 oz steelie after the weigh-in closed for the evening, i cleaned the fish and kept guts in a bag and weighed them in the next day.
i guess if you had to keep it overnight on ice it would be ok, but i wouldnt do it on a regular basis.

NaStY
07-14-2009, 07:00 PM
Gutted, cleaned and put on ice as soon as they were out of the water.

DBM
07-14-2009, 07:08 PM
I used to work in a trout hatchery and have dressed my share of fish. Personally I wouldn't eat a trout that sat more than a day on ice without being dressed out - but I'm picky. That being said I know some asian food markets would put our whole trout on ice and sell them that way (they were in their live tanks but died sometime during the week. :eek:)

wildprotien
07-14-2009, 07:09 PM
- Fish stay in nets for days, on ice for longer periods sometimes before they get cleaned.
- If you want to you can put it in a container with water { head and guts still on} and freeze it this way until you want to eat it.
This will save the fish from getting freezer burn in the gut cavity etc.
- Before you clean trout if you put some salt in a pan of water and let them sit in it for a while it helps take the slime off the skin, easier to hold while cleaning.
- You can also freeze ducks or geese etc by just throwing them in the deep freeze as is ... feathers on no need to clean them.
The guts stops freezer burn and no harm to the meat.

DeerWhisperer
07-14-2009, 07:16 PM
That being said I know some asian food markets would put our whole trout on ice and sell them that way (they were in their live tanks but died sometime during the week. :eek:)

Cant say that I am that surprised :-P

Wild one
07-14-2009, 07:39 PM
I have a trout farm and I would not eat a trout that was not cleaned the day it was caught. That said I also will not eat them if they were frozen so I might just be picky. If you want good trout you clean and eat them right after they are caught.

Summit 512
07-14-2009, 08:55 PM
The wife and I clean our trout right away and they go on ice, we never freeze fish but we smoke and can fish.

wolverine
07-14-2009, 09:01 PM
Sorry if this sounds sarcastic but .... geez. How long would you leave a deer before you dress it? Same goes for the trout. Get it done asap. This is some of the finest food you will be blessed with putting on your table. Cleaning your fish and game is all part of fishing and hunting and it is the "work" part of it that some find unpleasant. How many times do you hear someone complaining about how their venison or fish or whatever came out tasting like and many times when you ask the question about how it was field prepped you get the true answer for the crappy taste. Anyone that leaves the guts in a fish and then complains about the taste later is only getting what they deserve. So, in answer to your question.... as soon as possible!

Johnnybear
07-14-2009, 09:23 PM
Sorry if this sounds sarcastic but .... geez. How long would you leave a deer before you dress it? Same goes for the trout. Get it done asap. This is some of the finest food you will be blessed with putting on your table. Cleaning your fish and game is all part of fishing and hunting and it is the "work" part of it that some find unpleasant. How many times do you hear someone complaining about how their venison or fish or whatever came out tasting like and many times when you ask the question about how it was field prepped you get the true answer for the crappy taste. Anyone that leaves the guts in a fish and then complains about the taste later is only getting what they deserve. So, in answer to your question.... as soon as possible!

Took the words right out of my mouth. X2 big time. The sooner you cool that fish down after bleeding it out and gutting it the better table fair it will be period.

Ddog
07-14-2009, 09:48 PM
- Fish stay in nets for days, on ice for longer periods sometimes before they get cleaned.
- If you want to you can put it in a container with water { head and guts still on} and freeze it this way until you want to eat it.
This will save the fish from getting freezer burn in the gut cavity etc.
- Before you clean trout if you put some salt in a pan of water and let them sit in it for a while it helps take the slime off the skin, easier to hold while cleaning.
- You can also freeze ducks or geese etc by just throwing them in the deep freeze as is ... feathers on no need to clean them.
The guts stops freezer burn and no harm to the meat.
Even after a fish is killed it still produces slime whether or not you salt it, ducks and geese can be frozen whole as long as they werent hunted by a shotgun.
wolverine and johnnybear your totally missing the question that was asked, and game are completely different from fish as i stated already, warm blooded vs cold blooded. its like comparing apples to oranges
obviously we all know the sooner the better but if a fish was left overnight on ice it will be fine the next morning. (as long as the urine sac doesnt break).

Johnnybear
07-14-2009, 10:06 PM
Even after a fish is killed it still produces slime whether or not you salt it, ducks and geese can be frozen whole as long as they werent hunted by a shotgun.
wolverine and johnnybear your totally missing the question that was asked, and game are completely different from fish as i stated already, warm blooded vs cold blooded. its like comparing apples to oranges
obviously we all know the sooner the better but if a fish was left overnight on ice it will be fine the next morning. (as long as the urine sac doesnt break).

Your right and I have done it on occasion when we get back late etc. ON ICE (lots of it) not the refrigerator. I guess I was just posting what should be done and not what can be done:cool::D.

srupp
07-15-2009, 07:34 AM
hmmmm annual fish tournament in ABBOTSFORD @ WILD ONES PLACE???..lol

OOPS

STEVEN

Wild one
07-15-2009, 01:06 PM
I still owe you a few fish Steve when ever you are in town just let me know

500grhollowpoint
07-15-2009, 01:37 PM
Wasn't there something in the regs this year? Something about not cleaning them until you get home? Damn hippies seem to think putting guts in the bush or water is bad? Am I the only one who reads them front to back? Was thet too many questions in a row?

wildprotien
07-15-2009, 01:51 PM
[quote=Ddog;481804]Even after a fish is killed it still produces slime whether or not you salt it, ducks and geese can be frozen whole as long as they werent hunted by a shotgun.


Ddog hope you see this if not I will try to pm you.
Why can't you freeze ducks shot with a shot gun ?
Does your comment have anything to do with steel shot.
Please let me know, pm me if you wish.
PS. the salt and drain a few times method worked for elders cleaning trout in our family for years so we still use it.

wolverine
07-15-2009, 02:22 PM
Even after a fish is killed it still produces slime whether or not you salt it, ducks and geese can be frozen whole as long as they werent hunted by a shotgun.
wolverine and johnnybear your totally missing the question that was asked, and game are completely different from fish as i stated already, warm blooded vs cold blooded. its like comparing apples to oranges
obviously we all know the sooner the better but if a fish was left overnight on ice it will be fine the next morning. (as long as the urine sac doesnt break).


Nope... didn't miss the point at all. I don't care if it's cold blooded or not. It's still full of bacteria that is flushed from the animal as long as it's alive. When it dies, those bacteria don't and keep multiplying and the warmer it gets, the more they multiply with no way of bein flushed out of the animal/fish, cold blooded, warm blooded makes no difference. And they multiply exponentially. Naturally, if the fish is iced down it slows this process down but does not stop it. Only way to do that is to CLEAN the bacteria out, wash it out and THEN put it on ice to help slow down the decomposition of the flesh, which by virtue of being dead and not frozen starts decomposing from the moment of death. The less live bacteria left in the fish, which by an large comes from the stomach and the organs, the better it is for the table. The only difference between fish and game is that with game the clock runs even faster on the critical time to have it dressed, skinned and cooled. Apples and oranges.... I think not.

Ddog
07-15-2009, 04:19 PM
Hi Wildprotein,,i didnt want to hijack this thread, but in short the reason for this is, if the duck or goose was killed by hunting with shot it is possible that a pellet or two hit the bird in the chest, side, stomach , back or wherever and penetrated enough to rupture any internal organs, which in turn does spoil the meat.

Ddog
07-15-2009, 04:29 PM
wolverine,,once again missed the question,,,

question is. Is there a suggested or required cleaning time limit for fish(lake trout) that anyone can help us with for next time?

obviously the quicker the better, we all know this, but if the fish was iced and cooled it would be fine the next morning, there would be no taste difference.

wolverine
07-15-2009, 08:27 PM
wolverine,,once again missed the question,,,

question is. Is there a suggested or required cleaning time limit for fish(lake trout) that anyone can help us with for next time?

obviously the quicker the better, we all know this, but if the fish was iced and cooled it would be fine the next morning, there would be no taste difference.


Yeah, Ddog I get it. That doesn't change the fact that I differ from the opinion that leaving the guts and gills in it and putting on ice over night isn't going to change the taste of it. The question was suggested or required time for cleaning. If you don't mind eating something that could have been much better leave it as long as you want. If you want it as fresh and clean tasting as possible do it right away. When I guided fish in Campbell River there was never a fish in my boat that had a head and guts in it unless it was bait. I guess my astonishment at the question is why it needed to be asked at all. But each to his own. I know Englishmen that hang ducks by the neck until they fall before they say they are ready to eat too. Judus Priest! Can you friggin imagine..:shock:

IPA
07-15-2009, 08:48 PM
Commercial caught salmon are kept in slushed ice for up to 5 to 7 days at times whole with no problem to quality. The temp is between 1-2 C ,not frozen but as always the sooner the better if you can

Jagermeister
07-15-2009, 08:56 PM
Hello all,
My son and daughter were in a local fishing derby over the weekend and the question got raised as to the already caught fish. My daughter caught her fish after the offical scales had closed for the night. My question is once caught, killed and put in the fridge, how long do we have before the meat spoils? I know with my limited experience hunting big game, feild dressing is done ASAP. Is there a suggested or required cleaning time limit for fish(lake trout) that anyone can help us with for next time?

Thank you
RYY
Since the fish was caught after the weigh in closed for the night, the fish was likely no longer qualified for entry, even the next day. In which case, you clean it ASAP.

Jagermeister
07-15-2009, 08:59 PM
You don't clean derby fish until after the weigh in. Put them on iceright after they are caught and head for the scales.

wolverine
07-16-2009, 10:06 PM
Yeah, and you don't bonk derby fish either. It's a real biatch to see two or three ounces of blood in the bottom of the tub that could have been left in the fish and I've seen major derbies won and lost by ounces, not pounds.

RYY
07-21-2009, 08:50 PM
Thank you all for the info. Most all of it is useful for my future adventures

RYY

steelheadSABO
07-22-2009, 05:31 PM
i just clean them as soon and i get them out of the water then stick a stick through them and leave them in the water