10-30-2007, 07:02 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Yes, I do keep my fish in a live basket until I reach shore. Then, I either fillet them at a fish cleaning station and put them on ice...or take them home on ice to be filleted as quickly as possible. This is a concession to the fact that I do not have enough room on my second deck (of my tube) to have ice storage available. The fish stay alive in the basket but it would be better to "gill and gut" them and put them on ice. That is the best process if one is in a boat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Since most of my fishing is done within an hour's drive of my home, any fish I take home alive, on ice, is usually still alive and kicking (flopping) when I get them to my fillet board. Then, part of my filleting process is to prepare an ice water bath for the fresh fillets, by partially filling a large container with water and adding a quantity of ice to chill that water. Each fillet is rinsed of blood quickly under the faucet and then dropped into the ice water to bring the temperature down as quickly as possible. After a few minutes in the ice bath, the fillets are removed, drained and either frozen or kept in the refrigerator for cooking within a day or two at most.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]All species will benefit from prompt dispatch and removal of innards. Some are more delicate than others. But, what many anglers do not understand is that as soon as a fish dies, if it is not gutted it will begin to digest itself...with its own body enzymes...through a process known as "autolysis". The longer a dead fish remains without gutting the poorer the quality of the flesh when cooked and eaten. And the warmer it is, the faster that process works on the fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I generally take pictures of my fish BEFORE I hack them up. More appealing to the audience. If you like blood and gore, here is a [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=142538;#142538"]LINK TO FILLETING CATFISH[/url]. It also shows how to remove the sensory tissue strip along the lateral line.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Since most of my fishing is done within an hour's drive of my home, any fish I take home alive, on ice, is usually still alive and kicking (flopping) when I get them to my fillet board. Then, part of my filleting process is to prepare an ice water bath for the fresh fillets, by partially filling a large container with water and adding a quantity of ice to chill that water. Each fillet is rinsed of blood quickly under the faucet and then dropped into the ice water to bring the temperature down as quickly as possible. After a few minutes in the ice bath, the fillets are removed, drained and either frozen or kept in the refrigerator for cooking within a day or two at most.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]All species will benefit from prompt dispatch and removal of innards. Some are more delicate than others. But, what many anglers do not understand is that as soon as a fish dies, if it is not gutted it will begin to digest itself...with its own body enzymes...through a process known as "autolysis". The longer a dead fish remains without gutting the poorer the quality of the flesh when cooked and eaten. And the warmer it is, the faster that process works on the fish.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I generally take pictures of my fish BEFORE I hack them up. More appealing to the audience. If you like blood and gore, here is a [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=142538;#142538"]LINK TO FILLETING CATFISH[/url]. It also shows how to remove the sensory tissue strip along the lateral line.[/#0000ff]
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