To Bleed or Not to Bleed?

Ok.... Probably a dumb question, and I have had my share of them recently!  But I was reading many posts over the last few days, and keep having this question come do mind...

                            Do you bleed your fish on the ocean?


Because....  Well, you know.... Sharks?

I mean, I haven't had any issues myself with sharks, but do I really want to draw them closer for a blood frenzy?  They can detect blood in one part per million per wikipedia...  Is bleeding your catch like chumming for disaster?

I also hear how much better and fresher fish taste when bleed, which I have been doing for trout and seems to work to me, but I don't swear by it or anything.

I can recall some trips my dad took me on when I was a kid deep sea fishing and we almost always had to chase, jab, etc some sharks from catches.  But hey, your in a boat, so who cares?

And sure, some blood is probably always present from catching fish...  Maybe its not that big a deal?


Yeah, probably a dumb question...   But when your on a roll, you might as well pick up some speed! 

Not a dumb question at all, Al. I read in an article from Australia that two ways of NOT attracting sharks is to not let the live fish flop around in the kayak (the kayak can act as a loudspeaker, signaling sounds of distress) and to not let blood leak out of the scuppers or over the side. So if you bleed fish on the water, do it into a bucket.  -Matt

Personally, I don't bleed fish on the water in NCAL particularly in the Red Triangle for 3 reasons:
1. The ways I prepare rockfish and hali's, I don't think it matters taste wise particularly with fish tacos with habanero sauce. 
2. Blood in the water can attract sharks. All of the places we fish have shark attack potential. Why increase the chance? BTW, if you are bleeding fish in a Hobie Outback at Bean Hollow, don't tell your life insurance salesman. 
3. Bleeding fish is messy and there is more cleanup at the end of the day. You sometimes have to use a brush to get dried blood off of a yak.   

In SCAL, with yellowtail, alot of folks bleed the fish on the water. I think this makes sense, particularly if you are preparing sashimi.


Scott

2. Blood in the water can attract sharks. All of the places we fish have shark attack potential. Why increase the chance? BTW, if you are bleeding fish in a Hobie Outback at Bean Hollow, don't tell your life insurance salesman. 
Scott

Too funny. . 

Me, I don't bleed on the water.  I'll get to shore and then gut and gill the fish before the long drive home, but I won't bleed em out on the water.  Aside from the sharks, pulling out your fillet knife also helps reduce your risk of inadvertent cuts and what not.

 In my experience bleeding only works well when the fish was alive. On the Sacramento River we would cut the throat latch to bleed the salmon (very effective) but very messy if the fish is upside down (read fountain).
 I used to keep rockfish alive on a game clip, until I had a couple close encounters with very large sealions. Since then I've been using one of the fish cooler bags that I got from Scwafish. It keeps the fish cool and wet OTW then iced good for the ride home. Sometimes I bleed fish in the bag since its inside my hull, but most of the time I don't.
Rockfish clean up well and the flavor is fine.
 If I was catching Albacore for Sashimi that would be another story, those get bonked gilled and gutted immediately then put in ice slush. But that would be on, or close to a boat.

Because....  Well, you know.... Sharks?

Not just sharks....but sea lions as well.

Because....  Well, you know.... Sharks?

Not just sharks....but sea lions as well.

When we were at The Cape I heard what I thought was a whale blow right behind me. When I turned around to look, there was a huge male Calif. sea lion about 30ft. away. He was all wide eyed with flared nostrils licking his lips looking at my juicy fish hanging on the game clip. 
 I started imagining what was going to happen when his 500lbs plus of blubber climbed onto my kayak. I stowed my fish and he kept swimming towards my yak as I yelled and slapped the water with my paddle. None of that seemed to bother him at all, and then he went under me. 
 I kept my eyes peeled the rest of the time OTW.

  Not having fished the big blue yet, I'm wondering, about bleeding fish away from where your fishing, and returning to the area. I guess with sea lions it wouldn't matter as they can see you and follow you, but if you were to catch something you felt you needed to bleed could you just move away 200yds down current, or so, bleed it, rinse yak, then return? (Moving away from blood slick) Would this be considered too much work?

When it comes to rockfish, it doesn't really matter. Especially if you plan to fillet them. And considering the way I like to prepare them [deep-fried with lots of seasoning] it really would be hard to tell the difference between a bled vs non-bled fish.
I would bleed salmon, tuna, and halibut. But not rockfish. I keep them on a game clip in my tankwell.
PK

It keeps the fish cool and wet OTW then iced good for the ride home. Sometimes I bleed fish in the bag since its inside my hull, but most of the time I don't.
Rockfish clean up well and the flavor is fine.
 If I was catching Albacore for Sashimi that would be another story, those get bonked gilled and gutted immediately then put in ice slush. But that would be on, or close to a boat.

Best buds cause we think SOOoooo alike!

Hi Yakers:

          I don't Bleed them now that I fish from a Yak but, I do Spike them.
                                                             Sea-ya
                                                             Ernie

What about sharks?  Not the EAT YOU kind, but the you EAT THEM KIND.  Isn't it pretty much a MUST to bleed shark if you plan on eating it?

Most times I have kept lings and rockfish alive on a game clip, and bleed them just prior to going back in.

What about sharks?  Not the EAT YOU kind, but the you EAT THEM KIND.  Isn't it pretty much a MUST to bleed shark if you plan on eating it?

Good Q. I've been told that you should bleed leppies because it increses the quality of meat dramatically. Not sure though because I haven't kept one yet. I bet somebody else on here knows the answer.
PK

I know some people say sturgeon should be bled as well, I never knew that before and have never bled any or known anyone who did... so I have only eaten un-bled sturgeon, and thus have no basis for comparison.  But I've always heard sharks have to be bled because the blood has a lot of some chemical in it,  Urea or uric acid or something like that, and if it settles in the meat it ruins it... I don't know if it is true or not.