Preserving Saltwater Catches in the Field
Preserving catches without the aid of stringers and coolers
Timothy Kusherets
The stringer allows you to keep you fish alive and fresh while you continue
to fish and you don’t have to worry about leaving early for fear that
your fish will go bad. The time between preparing each fish to the time that
it takes to put it in the freezer assures that the catch will be the freshest
it can be. There may come a time however, when you get to your favorite spot
and realize that you forgot to take a stringer or cooler. It can happen. This
quick set of tips is perfect for preserving catches without the aid of stringers
and coolers.
If you are on shore, you should gill your fish right away. It is an action that
involves the removal of gills from legally retained fish. Gilling allows the
organs to evacuate unwanted blood for a better tasting food that is not as pungent
or fishy tasting. This part of the processing of the fish makes for some of
the best tasting fish you will ever eat.
Reach under the gill plate and insert two or three of your fingers around the
gills. Twist your fingers back and forth in a semi-circular fashion. This action
will release the gills. The time for the blood to evacuate the fish will vary
by the size of the fish, but you should allow five to ten minutes for fish that
are larger than eight pounds. Next, dig a shallow pit in the sand. The sand
should be as close to the shoreline as possible. The moister the ground is,
the better the preservation of the fish. The pit does not need to be deep; rather,
it should be about half the width of the fish. Cover it with sand. Because the
pit is shallow you will be able to spot the location of it without tipping it
off to some other fisherman, or bird. The mound will identify the location of
the fish, which is something only you will recognize. The moisture will keep
it fresh and cool while you continue to fish.
If you are in a boat the procedure is just as simple. After you have gilled
your fish, lay it in the bottom of the boat. There are a few things that you
need to do in order for the fish to stay fresh. Find something to cover the
fish so that any dehydration that may occur will be minimal. It is important
that moisture be routinely applied to either the cover or the fish. Make sure
to flip the fish over from side to side every half hour. Flipping it ensures
that any residual blood that is left in the fish will not settle into the meat,
thus making sure that your fish is still optimally fresh.
Whether you are on shore or in a boat, if the trip home is more than a couple
of hours you need to store it in a cooler or plastic bag, making sure to pack
it in ice that you can pick up at just about any store.
It's entirely possible that you may find that these preservation techniques are better
than lugging around coolers that need ice. it's possible.
© Timothy Kusherets 2006/07
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