Best Way To Keep Fish Fresh After Catching In 2023

What is the best way to keep fish fresh after catching? Aside from learning how to catch more and bigger fish, anglers ought to know how to keep their catch fresh after that. Assuming you’re new to this, don’t be afraid, let our experts give you a few tips about it.

Table of Contents

Dressing Fish Immediately

Best Way To Keep Fish Fresh After Catching

It is a “term” meaning that you should cut off the guts, gills, fins, and head before packing it with flaked or crushed ice, then storing it in your cooler to Dress a fish. Make sure to drain out all the excess water before storing it.

Instead of leaving the fish to slowly die, make a humane cut. This also helps remain the flesh quality.

For the best cooling results, per pound of fish, prepare two pounds of ice; any lower than that might lower the flesh quality as well as encourage bacteria to develop. You can keep them in a cooler, a freezer, or a fridge as long as it has an insulation system and a drain plug open.

This method can keep fish fresh for 3-5 days in the event that you remain the right ratio of ice and fish.

Remember to rinse the fish completely and dry them out before storing them. It’d be better on the off chance that you wrap them with waxed paper, fish will last a bit longer with less deterioration.

Freeze Fish

This method is ideal for those anglers who don’t plan to immediately eat the fish. Frozen fish can last up to 12 months whenever stored properly.

There are two methods for freezing fish:

Ice Glazing

Assuming you have time, try ice glazing your catch because this helps keep fish the longest.

Prepare a cold-water solution while putting a baking pan made of metal in the freezer for 15 minutes. Presently, remove the pan. Dup your fish in the solution then, at that point, place it on the pan until you see a nice glaze.

Repeat this cycle until that layer of glaze on the fish is up to ¼” thick.

Next, tightly zip lock, seal, or vacuum the fish and store it in a freezer.

Freeze The Whole Fish

Scale and gut the fish, then, at that point, rinse it completely under running water. After air-drying the fish, store it in a ziplock, seal it, or vacuum it.

Assuming that the fish is fatty and small, this method keeps it for up to three months.

On the off chance that the flesh is lean, it tends to be up to six months.

Transporting Fish From The Fishing Charter To Your Home

Best Way To Keep Fish Fresh After Catching 1 — Best Way To Keep Fish Fresh After Catching

While your fishing trip is over, and you’ve gotten your fish, and your fish has been fileted, now is the ideal time to get them home.

Use Plastic Bags

Sealed plastic zip-lock bags are great to transport fish filets. Ensure the bag is secure and that no water can enter and leak

Invest in a Good Cooler Box

Consider investing in an ice chest with plenty of ice inside. Look at a few best cooler boxes.

Keep The Fish Alive

Best Way To Keep Fish Fresh After Catching 3 — Best Way To Keep Fish Fresh After Catching

This is the most popular option for anglers – keeping fish alive before ready to eat them. Contingent upon the fish size, the water temperature, and the tools you have, there are several methods for keeping the fish alive:

Method 1: Keep Them In Shaved Or Flaked Ice

Prepare a bucket or a cooler, fill ¾ with shaved or flaked ice. While catching a fish, keep them in there in the upright position, which will make them instantly go torpid.

This method is suitable for storing small fish.

Remember two things assuming that you intend to try this one:

Never overcrowd
Give them plenty of room

The main disadvantage of this method is you probably couldn’t say whether the fish is alive or dead already.

Method 2: Store The Fish In A Live Well

This is one of the best methods to keep fish fresh the longest because a live well is literally a water container worked with an aerator. The two biggest benefits of this extra tool are cleaning the water and remaining sufficient oxygen in the water for fish to breathe.

Nonetheless, the price tags of these live wells are relatively high, which appears to be perfect for pro anglers because they have a great deal of catch.

The main thing you ought to consider while looking for another live well is its depth which ought to be enough for fish to stay upright.

Method 3: Store The Fish In A Basket

To travel light, try this method. It simply requires you to bring a wire mesh basket that is sufficiently huge to accommodate your catch.

Simply take note that this way is recommended when the water is cold. The fact that warm water contains less amount of oxygen than cold, which causes your catch to be sluggish and latent. The meat quality accordingly will be diminished.

About the basket, ought to feature a rope to lower the basket into the water, and a self-closing latch to prevent the fish from getting away.

Assuming you’re wondering about the drawback of this method, it is that the wire mesh might leave bruises on your creature.

Besides, remember not to soak them in that frame of mind for a really long time unless you need a mushy filet eventually.

Method 4: Store The Fish In A Stringer

This way is similar to method 3 however you’ll need to insert through the fish gills and out the mouth to keep them in place before soaking them in cold water.

Because it might leave stress on your fish, just try this way for a brief time frame.

Note: Using a stringer to keep your fish fresh isn’t suggested for:

Fishing from a pier because it attracts sharks or someone might steal them
Surf fishing

Conclusion: Best Way To Keep Fish Fresh After Catching

Above are the three best ways of keeping fish fresh after catching. Regardless of your choice, consistently remembers to check your fish regularly for indications of fighting, signs of stress, or melting ice, which helps them last a bit longer. Thanks for perusing!

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