Fish Bag/Cooler

[jsnyd86]

Ok, so I'm not sure if Ill even get much use from it, but I've been eyeing up fish bags over the winter. I guess I've been day dreaming about fishing saltwater flats a little too much.

How many use them and what are some things to consider when buying and then securing the bag to the kayak. I'm planning to strap it on the bow of my Revo and will most likely purchase the Fish Bag, pictured below.

Is a fish cooler overkill? I usually bring a stringer, but sometimes its a little too small. I could get a larger stringer, but I could also utilize the unused space on my bow.

I imagine using it for places like CBBT, CHSP and trips where Im on the water all day and keeping fish... or just lunch if the catching is slow and having the ice for camp.

035b46_fc7c4f5457014933ae934d8eeb47bad1.jpg12191861_907136266021300_390339800727406168_n.jpg

[coop1486]

I had one on my outback .Wouldn't keep anything cold even if you freeze your drinks.The fish that were caught were slime and warm.I try loading it up with ice and that turn to water.I strap it to the bow but if you had to get in front hatch that was a pain.

Good luck

[jsnyd86]

Damn, same brand?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JohnE]

I use a stringer and flip fish between my legs when moving from one spit to another. Sometimes I stay out for up to 10 hours and always bring a cooler--the stringer only works for so long. Been using cheap costco soft coolers for years. Keeps ice pretty much all day even in summer. My bro gave me an icemule for Christmas. Tried it for the first time last weekend and really like it so far. Sits nice right up on front hatch. Just wish he bought me the next size up. I have never had the need for anything as big as in your pic, but I saw that icemule makes something similar and they also make 'pro' versions of the one I have. Might want to check them out.

[jsnyd86]

Thanks! Ill check those out. This fish bag is pretty big which may be why I'm double checking before I pull the trigger. It's 36" long X 20" wide, at the widest part. It'll just fit on the bow and should easily fit a nice sized striper or red. I wish there was a size just a little smaller.

[LivinTheDream]

I also use a $10 Walmart cooler bag I expect is much like what you would get at Costco or Sams Club. It's easy to rinse out and I don't get fish stink in one of my better cooler. My routine is to cut gills and put fish on a stringer to bleed out for 15 or 20 minutes, then I put them in the cooler on ice. I love not having to drag fish around, the bleeding makes the meat very clean, and the chill on the meat makes the cleaning process much easier for me.

[kevinfry]

I don't have a cooler solution, but I love my stringer. I found by complete accident a stronger designed for bank bound catfishermen. It was 12' longe and had a big spike on the end to make a good in the lips of monster cats. The clips all were on swivels....and it was relatively inexpensive. I cut mine down to about 7' and hooked it to my anchor cleat. It is so nice having all that room for cost to swim around and I get great life out of them since they aren't struggling on an 18" chain stringer.

Sent from my SM-G360V using Tapatalk

[rob-kayak]

I made a fish cooler bag from an extra car window sun shade I had.. I cut it the size I wanted.
I "sealed" the cut edges with duct tape. Folded it to make the bag shape, and duct taped that.
I made it on the fly one night a couple of years ago before a trip, never thinking it would last.
This will be it's third year.. no problems.
At HomeGoods (the home deco store) they sell large reusable grocery bags for about a $1.
The are thin but durable.. point being they fold up small.
So I put the fish in the grocery bag first, to keep the slim out of the cooler bag.
The whole "kit" folds up nice and small, which I stuff into a plastic vegetable bag to keep dry if I don't use it.

I freeze a block of ice in a shallow tupperware container.. that goes in my generic cooler with my lunch and drinks.
A block of ice lasts longer than cubes.
And use that in the fish cooler bag when needed.

So far good results.. chilled and still alive fish when back at port.

I'll keep the fish on the stringer for short hops.. but if there is a long paddle.. they sure slow me down.
Maybe I need to eat my Wheaties.. and load up on more spinach.

[jsnyd86]

I made a fish cooler bag from an extra car window sun shade I had.. I cut it the size I wanted.
I "sealed" the cut edges with duct tape. Folded it to make the bag shape, and duct taped that.
I made it on the fly one night a couple of years ago before a trip, never thinking it would last..

This sounds great! Do you have any pics? I'd be interested to know how that comes together. How long does the block of ice last?

[rob-kayak]

The ice block.. tupperware container is 11x7x2.5 inches.. not very big.
Last all day but obviously you'll get some melt off. Make a bigger block or two.
I also stuff it into a vegie bag from the grocery store when it melts to keep the water from leaking around.

I thought I posted some pics somewhere here a couple of years ago...
but here's a youtube !
He sews his together.. I just duct taped mine... I didn't use velcro.
After I fold mine up... I wrap it tight with a long nylon shoe string..
I use the nylon shoe string to close it up with the fish in it.

same basic idea...

[rob-kayak]

also.. if you freeze your blocks of ice a couple days ahead of time.. they will last longer.
It doesn't seem like they get good deep chill overnight.

[rob-kayak]

Just a little update to this thread...
went out yesterday... June 30th.. at 7am caught a keeper rock...
Put fish in homemade cooler bag shortly after with ice block.. (tupperware container block of ice approx size 11x7x2.5 inches).
Got out of the water around 2pm.. so that was 7 hours in the bag... half of the block of ice was melted.. fish nice and cool.
I usually put the bag underneath other equipment so it's not exposed to direct sunlight.
Even though it wasn't scorching hot yesterday.. all in all.. I think that is pretty good for the homemade bag.

[ronaultmtd]

[QUOTE=kevinfry;127404]I don't have a cooler solution, but I love my stringer. I found by complete accident a stronger designed for bank bound catfishermen. It was 12' longe and had a big spike on the end to make a good in the lips of monster cats. The clips all were on swivels....and it was relatively inexpensive. I cut mine down to about 7' and hooked it to my anchor cleat. It is so nice having all that room for cost to swim around and I get great life out of them since they aren't struggling on an 18" chain stringer.

Kevin- I have used the exact same nylon rope stringer with the swivel clips for the last three years- I always throw the cooler bag I bought in Orange Beach Alabama to bring home 24 pounds of red snapper filets on the plane ride back to Baltimore behind the seat of my pickup truck to bring fish home...

[Pat Smith]

I am waiting for Yeti to come out with a catch bag... they should go for over $1000 I would think, based on the price of all their other stuff.