Fish storage question

[C_Run]

I guess I am pretty optimistic because I went ahead and invested in one of those big coolers with the little extra lid to slide the fish in the side of the top. Later on I am planning for a multi-day fishing trip to the coast where I hope to put the new cooler to use. So, the question is, how long can you keep a gutted fish on ice? I recall asking the commercial guys who we have bought tuna from off their boats and it seems like " 5 days is OK" was the answer. They had the tuna in kind of an ice slurry. How should I handle the fish if I will be on the road for several days? Thanks.

C

 

[mikeredding]

I start with 3-4" of ice in the bottom of the coolers, fill the insides of the gutted fish and bury the completely so they are packed solid in ice. I usually end up with 90-100lbs of ice in my big marine cooler. They seem to be very firm and cold when taken out after a day or two.

I personally wouldn't go more than two days but that is just me. Kinda paranoid like that.

 

[DYJ]

We've done 3 and 4 day trips ocean fishing for silvers and kept em on ice the whole time plus an extra day for the trip home. But we always put our salmon in thick water tight plastic bags tied off so they are not sitting in the water. Drain water every night and add more ice to replace the melted stuff.

 

[jamisonace]

I would go as long as 6 days on ice but that is pushing it and make sure the ice is kept fresh and it's kept as cold as possible. I always keep filets that I plan on eating fresh for up to 6 days in my fridge and they still taste fresh.

I just read DYJ's.....my comment is pretty much the exact same...

 

[jamisonace]

Also Chris,

Let's keep in touch about the Elk and Sixes this year. I plan on being down there a lot. It would be fun to fish the mouth or do a drift together sometime. Also, I haven't forgotten about the Chanty's.

 

[C_Run]

Also Chris,

Let's keep in touch about the Elk and Sixes this year. I plan on being down there a lot. It would be fun to fish the mouth or do a drift together sometime. Also, I haven't forgotten about the Chanty's.

Will not forget, Jamie. A south coast meet up sounds great.

Thanks for the input. Now all I need is the fish and the ice. I am hoping to make a four day trip about two weeks from now so it sounds like I will be ok (if I get any fish). I won't be going down south for awhile but that's a later season down there anyway.

 

[fredaevans]

We've done 3 and 4 day trips ocean fishing for silvers and kept em on ice the whole time plus an extra day for the trip home. But we always put our salmon in thick water tight plastic bags tied off so they are not sitting in the water. Drain water every night and add more ice to replace the melted stuff.

Same here back in the day. But, available, I'd also use 'dry ice' just don't put it/fish in contact. For that I took a chrome covered shoe stand (kind you'd use in your closet) and put the packs of DI on top of that. Two 5# blocks last a very long time.

 

[the_intimidator03]

Make sure you keep the fish out of the water. It will ruin your feesh.

 

[rippin fish lips]

Same here back in the day. But, available, I'd also use 'dry ice' just don't put it/fish in contact. For that I took a chrome covered shoe stand (kind you'd use in your closet) and put the packs of DI on top of that. Two 5# blocks last a very long time.

You can also put dry ice on bottom, put 3-4" of Cubed ice on top of that, then your fish and more ice on top to covor it completly. Dry ice on bottom will kep the cubed ice from melting so quick. Dont leave your fish sitting in water.

 

[C_Run]

Thanks for all the advice. I wouldn't have known not to let the fish sit in the water so you probably saved me from learning the hard way on that one. Roth's sell dry ice here so I might get some of that , too. Anyway, I'm in week six of a big remodel project so I have been kind of like a shut in except for making runs to Home Depot. This forum has been a link to the outside world but now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on my project and am itching to get out of the house and try to catch some salmon. I got different kayak for that this year that I got used last spring. I call it "the battleship" since it's two feet longer than my original one. It came with a fish finder which I am liking a lot already and I am looking forward to putting it through its paces. Thanks again.

C

 

[fredaevans]

A fish finder? How cool is that? Where do you put the battery?

 

[C_Run]

A fish finder? How cool is that? Where do you put the battery?

The kayaks I have are Ocean Kayak Tridents and , like most fishing kayaks, they come set up with built in rod holders and battery bags. Fishing kayaks usually have a big well in back of the seat for fish and all your stuff. The bags hang inside the bow where they won't get wet and you run the wires from there. It usually involves drilling some holes. The Ocean Kayaks have one of the scupper holes extra large so you can mount the transducer in it and it's out of harm's way. I was lucky to get the finder with the used one because I've been too nervous to do any drilling on my original one so far.

 

[Irishrover]

We, my wife and I, take a seal a meal..vacuum packer along with us. I usally fillet the fish, hand it off to my wife and she vacum packs it. It then goes into the cooler full of ice. The rest of the fish goes for crab bait. We like to get it into a freezer by about the third day. The vacuum packing give you more room for fish in the cooler, and in the freezer.

 

[rogerdodger]

We, my wife and I, take a seal a meal..vacuum packer along with us. I usally fillet the fish, hand it off to my wife and she vacum packs it. It then goes into the cooler full of ice. The rest of the fish goes for crab bait. We like to get it into a freezer by about the third day. The vacuum packing give you more room for fish in the cooler, and in the freezer.

X2 on the vacuum sealing- we run ours off an inverter on 3-4day kokanee fishing/camping trips, clean and vacuum seal 5 or 6 kokes per pack and layer them in ice inside one of the coolers with extra insulation. no worries about an ice/water slurry once the fish are sealed up....they are already partially frozen when we get them home and toss them in the chest freezer...

 

[C_Run]

I know this thread is really old but I wanted to do a follow up. First, I never made the big fishing trip and the cooler has never seen a fish yet. However, it has been used to cool beverages twice and recently I used it for the second time. Here is a picture of the Igloo cooler with BOTH latches broken.



And next, the $14 repair kit.



I could have spent twice as much due to shipping but got them on Amazon for $14. To say the least, it is disappointing but, I guess when you do a Google search for "Igloo cooler", the first things to pop up are "hinges" and "latch" , that says something. Anyway, I don't have a lot of faith in the plastic hardware and I would recommend steering away from this type of cooler if there is an alternative with better hardware. I was starting to get mad at the Chinese but when I looked at the bottom of the cooler it said "made in USA".

 

[Tinker]

Chris, carry a reasonably accurate thermometer and if you can keep the fish below 40-degrees, you can go three to four days. Any longer is pushing it, IMHO. You can find pretty accurate low-temp thermometers at Home Depot/Lowes - and probably any larger appliance store. They sell them so folks can check/test the temperature in their refrigerators.

Put one in the top-most bag, in contact with the fish, and you can be reasonably certain it hasn't turned. If you're in my area, stop by for a few minutes and we'll vaccuum pack your fish any time you want or need.

I don't think the USDA recommends keeping fish in the 'fridge longer than 4 days. I should check that!

Dry ice can damage a thermoplastic cooler. Best used with styrofoam if you can find a decent foam cooler.

 

[eugene1]

C,
I had a similar igloo cooler a couple of years ago, but it was marine-grade since it was white right? The hinges broke OFF like your latches did. I was too cheap to get replacements after seeing the reviews about them just breaking again, so I made new ones out of sheet rubber that I had from another project. That worked for awhile, but eventually they busted too. Finally I junked the made in USA cooler.

Picked up another igloo from costco (I know I'm a sucker) last year that had stainless steel hinges and latches. After a year's abuse it is still good to go. I think it's about 105 liters? It has wheels and a handle and was less than a hundo probably like $80. I use it a lot for fishing and camping and so far, those stainless pieces of hardware are good to go. The plastic ones are just a moment away from breaking, I think.

Best,

 

[C_Run]

Geebers, people! This thread is almost two years old but we finally got to use our fancy cooler for its intended purpose a couple of times so far this summer.

 

[eugene1]

Glad it's holding up for you!

Nice fish too.