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RachelFromTheBlackLagoon
Joined: 21 Aug 2012
Posts: 25
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 Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 1:55 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks, everyone, for the input, advice and information! SeaDog, I've never heard that about freezing in water, neat trick.
For me, I do think I will have to kill the fish when I decide to keep it. So I should dispatch, bleed out, put on ice and then clean it at home, yes?
Mr. Cranky, I loved your post and I completely agree with the last paragraph. I haven't eaten a bird or mammal in over 18 years, and that's why. It's not because I think it's wrong to eat animals...on the contrary, I think my understanding of the "circle of life" is pretty realistic. I just can't agree with the way food animals are raised and killed. It goes back to having respect for the animal. My personal belief is that if we're going to force an animal to give its life for our sustenance, it's our duty to ensure that animal has a comfortable life and a swift, humane death. I don't think I really understood it the same way when I was a kid and made that decision to stop eating birds and mammals. Had I made the decision later in life, I probably would have opted to only eat animals that were raised locally and humanely or hunted responsibly. I toy with the idea of starting to eat that way just a little bit sometimes, but I think it's been too long and it doesn't really appeal to me much at this point. Part of me wishes I grew up with that mentality and lifestyle, because if I were I'd most certainly raise and hunt my own food. I have the utmost respect for those who do, I suppose that's part of why eating some of the fish I catch is so appealing to me. A little off topic, but that's it in a nutshell! |
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Michael
Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Posts: 3823
Location: Bridgeport
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| Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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I keep certain fish from cleaner waters. Certain fish include stocked trout, bluegills, yellow perch, white perch, pumpkinseeds, calicos, rock bass, walleye, and an occasional chain pickerel.
With panfish and stocked trout having no legal size limit in most places, I keep fish that have a better length and girth so I can get plenty of meat without having to waist and smaller fish. A chubby panfish around 8" or bigger is your usual keeper size. Stocked trout that have a good girth and are 10" or bigger are good keepers. |
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JustinSolak
Joined: 17 Jul 2011
Posts: 245
Location: East Hartford, CT
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| Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Michael wrote: | | With panfish and stocked trout having no legal size limit in most places, I keep fish that have a better length and girth so I can get plenty of meat without having to waist and smaller fish. |
Correction: stocked trout have to be a minimum of 9 inches in length in most, if not all, places.
Rachel, glad to hear the respect you have for the fish you wish to keep. I try to do so myself when I can. Though when I'm unprepared on the boat and have an absence of ice, in the livewell they go making sure I run the pump as often as I can.
Keeping fish, sure. A bigger fish will yeild more meat. But a bigger fish will also have more contaminants, with a few exceptions. I'll keep the two 30 inch stripers but throw back the 30 pounder, both because of contaminants and in the hopes that she'll be around next year and bigger. Same with blues. I rarely keep any larger fresh water fish. Though smaller fish like perch and bluegill make fine table fare and lack the higher amounts of contaminants. Stocked trout and small bluefish also contain very minute levels, which is why its not bad to eat them all the time.
If you can, bleed the fish and get em on ice immediately. Gut em if you can, especially if you don't plan on filleting them. This is almost a must when it comes to bigger game, such as stripers, blues, etc. Best to get em in a salty icey slush after you bleed em, if you have the resources. Thats how you can ensure your fish is "sushi grade", and it doesnt get much better than that.
Now that my mind is on sushi, I know whats for dinner.
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...of all the liars among mankind, the fisherman is the most trustworthy.
Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught. |
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Michael
Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Posts: 3823
Location: Bridgeport
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| Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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| JustinSolak wrote: | | Michael wrote: | | With panfish and stocked trout having no legal size limit in most places, I keep fish that have a better length and girth so I can get plenty of meat without having to waist and smaller fish. |
Correction: stocked trout have to be a minimum of 9 inches in length in most, if not all, places |
I know TMA and Trophy Trout Lakes have size limits but never knew there was a size limit for all places from my history fishing Great Hollow, Bunnells Pond, the Pequonnock, Twin Brooks Park, the Pootatuck, the Saugatuck, the Norwalk, Ball Pond, Tyler Lake, and the Wepawaug. |
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JustinSolak
Joined: 17 Jul 2011
Posts: 245
Location: East Hartford, CT
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| Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Michael wrote: | | JustinSolak wrote: | | Michael wrote: | | With panfish and stocked trout having no legal size limit in most places, I keep fish that have a better length and girth so I can get plenty of meat without having to waist and smaller fish. |
Correction: stocked trout have to be a minimum of 9 inches in length in most, if not all, places |
I know TMA and Trophy Trout Lakes have size limits but never knew there was a size limit for all places from my history fishing Great Hollow, Bunnells Pond, the Pequonnock, Twin Brooks Park, the Pootatuck, the Saugatuck, the Norwalk, Ball Pond, Tyler Lake, and the Wepawaug. |
I stand corrected. Just happens to be that most areas i fish have a 9inch minimun length. Just assumed it was statewide
Go figure...
My apologies
_________________
...of all the liars among mankind, the fisherman is the most trustworthy.
Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught. |
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Mr.Cranky
Joined: 26 May 2012
Posts: 57
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Redneckangler
Joined: 05 May 2012
Posts: 851
Location: Meriden, CT
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| Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Heavy metals and other toxins get accumulated in the fishes liver (same as any other animal as it is the body's main filter).
The dark meat you see thru the middle of a fish fillet is where toxins will have accumulated.
Best to not eat that !
If you plan to freeze your catch -> freeze it submerged in water -> Will stay fresher longer and No freezer burn.
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Tons of good advice here. Bleeding and immediately icing is ideal. Fish spoils rapidly. When I'm on a boat and keep the occasional fish, I bleed them out by cutting the main artery right above the heart at the base of the gill plates. They will bleed out in seconds. If you kill it by methods other than bleeding, you will still have blood in the fish. Pretty simple - the heart stops and the fish doesn't really bleed out. Not the end of the world, but I wouldn't dream of damaging the flesh of a fish like tuna by not properly bleeding. Icing in a slurry (add some water to the ice chest/cooler) will eliminate pockets of warmer air. With salt water you can bring the temp in an ice cooler down below freezing. If you like freezing your fish, the water technique is good. I add a bit of salt and lemon juice to the freezer bag. My brother loves fish, and takes most of what we keep on our trips. I bought him a vacuum sealer for Christmas. It will significantly increase the time you can freeze your fish. If the fish you take is an oily species, like bluefish, you can smoke them and then vacuum pack. If you do plan to release a lot of fish, check out or start a thread for effective release methods to increase survivability rates for various species. Most of all, enjoy the fishing 
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Weekly reports from around CT, the LIS and beyond. |
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RachelFromTheBlackLagoon
Joined: 21 Aug 2012
Posts: 25
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| Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Wow, you guys are great! All of the insight and information is incredibly helpful and very much appreciated! |
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PECo
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 5203
Location: Avon, CT
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| Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 8:40 am Post subject: |
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| Redneckangler wrote: | | With salt water you can bring the temp in an ice cooler down below freezing. |
Coincidentally, I just saw an episode of Mythbusters where they tried different methods of chilling beer in a can (e.g., refrigerator, freezer, ice, ice water, CO2 fire extinguisher, etc.). By far, the quickest and most effective method was salted ice water. Saltwater fishermen really know what their stuff.
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SeaDog1
Joined: 21 Dec 2009
Posts: 2629
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| Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:12 am Post subject: |
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| PECo wrote: | | Redneckangler wrote: | | With salt water you can bring the temp in an ice cooler down below freezing. |
Coincidentally, I just saw an episode of Mythbusters where they tried different methods of chilling beer in a can (e.g., refrigerator, freezer, ice, ice water, CO2 fire extinguisher, etc.). By far, the quickest and most effective method was salted ice water. Saltwater fishermen really know what their stuff. |
Hey Phil,
What? Ever see an old fashion ice cream churn -> Ice and rock salt is used to drop the temperature to make ice cream.
Mythbusters and Saltwater fishermen -> Ha! ... They got all their knowledge from Ma & Pa Kettle on the old family farm who actually got it from the inventors of ice cream -> Romans and Chinese in 4 B.C. 
SeaDog1  |
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PECo
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 5203
Location: Avon, CT
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| Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:36 am Post subject: |
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| SeaDog1 wrote: | | Mythbusters and Saltwater fishermen -> Ha! ... They got all their knowledge from Ma & Pa Kettle on the old family farm who actually got it from the inventors of ice cream -> Romans and Chinese in 4 B.C. |
Well, Stephen, you're the only one on here who was around back then. . . . 
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Redneckangler
Joined: 05 May 2012
Posts: 851
Location: Meriden, CT
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| Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 10:16 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Mythbusters and Saltwater fishermen -> Ha! ... They got all their knowledge from Ma & Pa Kettle on the old family farm who actually got it from the inventors of ice cream -> Romans and Chinese in 4 B.C.
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No sense in reinventing the wheel! If it's worked for thousands of years, why change it?
Tight Lines folks!
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RNA - It's in my blood.
www.redneckangler.com
Facebook @ TheRedneckangler
Weekly reports from around CT, the LIS and beyond. |
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