How do you get your keepers home???

[frettr00]

I usually have them on a stringer until I get them to a cooler in my car. The only issue with this is some species like croaker/catfish are really tough fish and they survive so long that I'm literally fileting them alive. I feel like this is an unethical kill so I might get a cooler bag which will kill them faster, but keep them fresh.

[ronaultmtd]

I filet them alive all the time- fresh meat- they are cold blooded so what's the difference between cutting them up still kicking or bleeding them to death on a stringer then cutting them up?

[MetroMan]

Nice bag cooler Metro. That is sweet. How much does one cost? I am going to make something that I can adapt to my Revo setup....

$55 from Austin Kayak. I got mine from Amazon, using a gift card though. It has worked out really well thus far. I just need a trip to fill it up...

[MDFishin]

Thanks, guys!

MDFishin - so I'm cutting parallel to the length of the fish right between the gills? I've seen a fish bled out, but he was already floating upside down in the live well. Not to get too graphic, but do you hold him in the water to bleed him or do you do it on the yak? I'm thinking I probably don't want a cooler bag full of fish blood.

No you want to cut perpendicular through the "gill juncture", Which as at the base of the Gill Cover.



Ron-Your bleeding the fish out by cutting it up while still alive. The only time the blood doesnt leave the meat is when it dies without major blood lose, and is kept for a few hours before cutting up. They bleed out the large Bluefin Tuna that they catch for the japanese sushi market.

[CaptainDelirious]

I have one of these on order: http://www.salmonuniversity.com/pr_katchkooler.html I'm new to the kayak fishing game so I'm not sure how this will work out. I really didn't want to be toting a hard cooler around behind me so a bag seemed like the natural choice. Another bag to look at is the Jackson Big Tuna Bag.

[ronaultmtd]

Then don't bleed out- they are still kicking until the muscles are cut- very little bleeding occurs- I just filet them leaving all internals intact- head, organs, etc.backbones and ribs bones are left- the remains are tossed into the woods and possums consume all that-