When to kill and bleed a fish

Your concern for keeping the fish alive longer than necessary is valid. I used to like to club fish to kill them immediately. However I now typically bleed by cutting the gills as you describe. This kills the fish rather quickly if done properly. It also offers other benefits which may or may not be important in any given situation.

First, it helps diminish the amount of blood getting on the flesh when fileting. Despite years of semi-regular practice, I still often nick an artery along the spine when fileting larger fish (like Striped Bass or Bluefish). This invariably bleeds all over that filet, and can be difficult to rinse off. Bleeding first vastly reduces the amount of blood that is released when this happens.

Second, for some species it really does mean the difference between a nice palatable dinner and a super-fishy tasting/smelling meal. The difference is most pronounced in oily fish like mackerel and bluefish. There is also a long tradition around here of bleeding sharks that are headed to the dinner table to help remove uric acid (I believe) and other substances that would foul the meat.

posted almost 9 years ago

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That Idiot‭

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Bleeding really only needs to be done for fish that have really bloody meat. These fish are often "athlete fish" such as Jacks or Tunas.

From what it sounds like you are going to be fishing in rivers and lakes, this is not a situation where you are going to need to bleed the fish. Fish like trout, bass and walleye have white meat so you won't need to do this to them before you fillet them.

posted over 7 years ago

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Bullbuster‭

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I kayak fish and do it this way:

• catch fish

• cut through the "throat" by putting the fish on its back (belly up), inserting a knife through one gill opening to the other, and then cutting "upward" to sever the little connection of flesh directly under the gills (where the belly becomes the chin)

• bend the head backward to snap the neck (spinal column)

• (this step I only do for certain species) remove guts and gills

• let fish bleed out for a few minutes

• put in cooler with big slabs of ice that I freeze in cake pans or juice / pop bottles that are full of ice

On warm days in Nova Scotia this will get me through a long day of fishing with fresh and high quality fish. On smaller fish I can do the above without a knife. It satisfies numerous personal requirements;

• a quick humane kill

• no fish flopping around in my kayak as they suffocate (a terrible way to die, by the way)

• the heart beats for a minute after you snap the spine so blood gets pumped out where you cut under the gills and this improves the quality of the meat

• fish are kept cool until I can fillet them that night at home

Just watch that your ice doesn't melt, leaving your fish sitting in water, which can soften the flesh. If your ice is melting a lot, drain the water out.

posted over 7 years ago

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DanD‭

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I suggest keeping it alive in a keep net. That way all of your problems disappear.

posted almost 11 years ago

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stevemarvell‭

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There is no reason to kill, bleed and gut the fish immediately. The ideal way to preserve freshness is to keep the fish alive as long as possible. Depending on your situation this is best accomplished via a livewell (found in most recreational fishing boats), if fishing from shore, a traditional fish stringer or a wire basket are your best bets. Once you are done fishing, then you can clean the fish entirely.

Examples:

Liveswells: Livewells & Aerators

Stringer: Berkley®-Fish-Stringer

Basket: Berkley®-Floating-Wire-Basket

posted over 10 years ago

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Sam‭

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I would be reluctant to use a live basket, stringer, or a keep net from a kayak or canoe in any southern water that may harbor an alligator. Securing that basket to a thwart and tempting an animal with large teeth to latch onto it just sounds like a bad idea to me..

posted about 5 years ago

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Hallmark‭

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It depends on what you have access to.

If you have plenty of cooling, then gut, bleed, and ice immediately. However only do this if you can keep it cold. This requires a LOT of ice because you have to have enough ice to bring the fish down to near freezing and keep it there.

If you cannot keep the fish cold then you want to keep it alive. There are many methods for this from the basic stringer, to live well, and live nets. The basic concept is the same.

I will mention that you have to take care with nets and stringers. Other fish/animals may like the meal you've tied up for them. ;)

posted almost 11 years ago

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Russell Steen‭

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Important to note that specific state regulations could apply to your situation. For instance, my state has a fishing regulation which states:

"It is unlawful for any person to possess a fish in any form or condition other than whole while on or when unloading the fish from a boat, while wading, or while fishing from shore on any waters in this state where a fishing license is required."

It could probably be argued by a warden that by bleeding/gutting the fish, it is no longer 'whole'. While it might not be the prescribed method of anglers, I have seen many individuals bleed the fish (specifically catfish) by removing a section of the tail. This would absolutely put you in violation of the above regulation.

Make sure you have thoroughly read and understand all of your states fishing regulations and there are not any rules similar to the one in my state (OH)

posted over 8 years ago

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Gale Dribble‭

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I fish daily in a kayak and have caught and eaten thousands of fish from snapper to mackerel to wahoo. I throw them in the hull of the kayak with no ice and continue to fish, sometimes for several hours. Been doing this for years and have never had an issue.

posted over 10 years ago

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Lance‭

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After you kill and gut the fish, then clean it (wash it and scale it, if it needs scaling.) I don't know what you mean by "bleeding" a fish: I only ever gut it. After doing this, you do not actually need to put it in the cooler. You can leave it out for a couple hours, it will not spoil. This has been my experience - I've done this, and then cooked the fish when arrived at home later. If you stick it on ice, it will preserve even longer, so no worries there.

EDIT: someone mentioned that fresh fish will spoil if left outside even for a short period of time in South Georgia. Should probably be aware of this. I can't say whether it's true or not: my experience is entirely in the dry desert southwest and Rocky Mountains.

posted over 10 years ago

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Michael Martinez‭

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It is better to have an idea what to do with the fish rather than spoil a life.

The kill method you mentioned is the ikejime method (). Ikejime is just a fancy Japanese word for sticking a sharp screwdriver to a fish's brain (where it is widely practiced). This method kills the fish humanely, with immediate brain dead. This also improve the flavor. Highly recommended.

To do this :

It involves the insertion of a spike quickly and directly into the hindbrain, usually located slightly behind and above the eye, thereby causing immediate brain death. When spiked correctly, the fish fins flare and the fish relaxes, immediately ceasing all motion.

Immediately after killing the fish, make a direct cut on the gill on each side and the fish would be bled out from the gill arteries.

If you want skin on fillet, scale the fish before take out the gut, otherwise you squash the flesh and make it mushy.

I would also gut the fish before throw it on the ice as the bacteria in the guts usually start the spoil process.

It is a clean whole fish and you can do some delicate filleting at home.

posted about 5 years ago

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Bogdan‭

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