Mess-Free Fish Cleaning Ideas?

I've heard of guys carrying one of those pump garden sprayers filled with water to wash down gear...  I was thinking it might be a good idea to clean fish right on my tailgate.  I always make a pretty big mess, though...  Has anyone tried a similar method, or care to share any tips to keep mess to a minimum?

I usually lay down newspaper under a large cuttingboard and go to town, sometimes I'll filet, but usually just gut em and/or steak them.  Usually takes a lot of water to rinse everything down afterwards, not sure if those little sprayers are up to the task.  But if so, I could throw a brush, bottle of soap, filet knife, and cutting board in a mesh bag and be good to fry up fish anywhere, any time.  Guts could go in the ice chest in a ziploc bag awaiting disposal at a home, or a dumpster.

Thoughts?

Eric, you have been fishing and cleaning fish for a long time compared to me I think.

But the way I do it is just at my kitchen sink. It is a corian sink with no seams. The faucet has a hose attachment and there is a fsink disposal but best to use that for almost nothing. I have a sharpener and sharpen the knife in between fish sometimes. the knife is a soft steel chicago cutlery thing. easy to sharpen, easy to dull.

I use an orange fish gripper to attach the fish to a cutting board with a hole cut for the handle. position the mouth of the fish over the hole in the cutting board. Stick orange fish gripper thing into fish mouth. close.

this makes things a lot easier as now you can turn and twist the cutting board to cut the fish.

I do not scale, gut or gill, I slab the fish. even small ones. then slide the carcass whole with guts and all into a bag and put it in the freezer. set the alarm for the day before trash day and put the frozen carcass in the trash. If I was good I would bury it in the compost (or something green like that) but I'm not that organized to do that yet.

the slabs I place flesh to flesh in a ziploc, skin still on. If I think I won't get to them that soon, I add water to the bag and freeze the filets inside the ice. reduces freezer burn but makes thawing a littler trickier as you don't want them sitting in water. you have to put them on a rack with the ziploc open and below so the ice can drain off.

John

Sometimes, I'll just gut my fish just prior to landing, or right there on shore.  You've got great rinse water if the surf is clean and you don't have to transport any guts.  Also, I think that if the fish is gutted, it keeps a little better for those long ass drives (e.g. elk to san jose)  Now, I've never gotten any heat for discarding fish guts into the surf.  However, that does not speak to the legality of the matter.  You'd think there's no problem doing so b/c party boats always discard while they are underway.

I got sick of not having a good place and bought a used restaurant sink off of craigslist and used it to build a fish cleaning station at my house.  It didn't cost too much and I wish I would have done it years ago.

wanw!!

I tremble in awe at the sight of a true....



MAN SINK!!!!!!

I got sick of not having a good place and bought a used restaurant sink off of craigslist and used it to build a fish cleaning station at my house.  It didn't cost too much and I wish I would have done it years ago.

That's awesome! You must have some serious WAF points in the bank!

Janice aka "Big J"

Argh! Argh! Argh!



Man, I wish I had an outdoor sink like that!  So does my wife...

That outdoor sink is bitchin!!!

I like the idea of gutting them at sea, but I'm not sure I trust myself with a sharp filet knife out there on my yak just yet... 

John, good tip on the water deal.  I leave the skin on too, so I know what's what.

Sweet man sink! I've been drawing up plans for something similar for a year now. Just haven't found a good deal on the sink yet.

I always bring a cutting board (3x2 plywood sheet), fillet knife, newspaper, plastic grocery bags, and gallon ziplocks with me to the launch. Afte loading everything up, I just fillet the fish, wrap the carcass in paper and toss it in a bag, then dispose in a garbage can or at home. Although, I often toss the carcass into the ocean too.

PK

The man sink is actually a WAF generating device.  No more fish cleaning in her kitchen (an expensive WAF consuming activity) and I now fry all fish/abalone as well as cook crab outside, which earns WAF too. 

I just searched craigslist for a week or two and found several of these for under $200...cheaper than materials to build on.  I bought my at a Pho noodle place in Fairfield...I bought the sink and some vermicelli for lunch.

Man there's LOTS of cool restaurant stuff on there amazingly cheap.  If I only had a place to put it all I could build a killer kitchen cheap.

Sean, Very nice and I do not doubt the improvement in WAF as a result.  I also suppose it helps that this kayak fishing thing is more than just a hobby for you (the whole family is involved, career related, GW Kayaks etc.).  We are all envious.

PK there are a few places around Monterey and SC where you can purchase used equipment like that.  I used to spend lots of time in those places while I was remodeling.  Try the one in Castroville right on the main drag or the one behind OSH on 41st in Capitola.  The campsite we rent in Big Sur every year has a sink like that.  What more could you want while camping?

After the BC trip I need to get a sink like that... sweet setup and good idea on cooking etc. outside scwa. Time to make more WAF!

Z

After tiring of dealing with the mess and hassle and sore back from cleaning fish in the driveway, I shamelessly ripped off Sean's idea a couple of months ago.  I had no luck finding a used restaurant sink (which I believe is the best way to go) so I bought this stainless table and shelves at IKEA ($155).  The faucet came from Home Depot($39.95).  Ability to clean/filet the catch at work height and clean up effortlessly = priceless.

After tiring of dealing with the mess and hassle and sore back from cleaning fish in the driveway, I shamelessly ripped off Sean's idea a couple of months ago.  I had no luck finding a used restaurant sink (which I believe is the best way to go) so I bought this stainless table and shelves at IKEA ($155).  The faucet came from Home Depot($39.95).  Ability to clean/filet the catch at work height and clean up effortlessly = priceless.

nice randy!  Looks great, real clean.  I'm biting your idea when I replace the utility sink in my garage.  You got the item number on that Ikea stuff?