cleaning fish on shore and tossing back carcasses?

I am thinking of making a plywood cleaning board that will fit in the trunk of my beater kayak vehicle!
I will also load and carry with me a gallon or two of fresh water in the trunk, and try and keep the fillets unwashed for the most part and bagged but have the water to rinse any bad stuff for the moment till i get home.
pick a safe -non -public play location to toss the guts and bodies back into the water/rocky area with surging surf etc
My hope would be to cut down on the home cleaning stations stinking up my cans weekly

I have tried triple bagging and weekly scrubbing of the can but it is not working 100%

Is there any legal or ethical angle I should consider before cleaning and tossing a days catch??
My plan is to- after all my gear is loaded and ready to come home---quick out with the plywood board nd water jug/knife/bags...slice em and bag the fillets and good meat sections...heads for co-workers etc...toss the rest into deeper areas..done...is this a bad idea?

I think it is legal- requires fillets to be of a certain size for each species of length limit fish, and a  skin section retained on rock fish..which would work because I'm gonna leave the skin till I get home and freeze that for trash day

any reason why I could not clean the fish by shore on landing?

bump

I vote...DO IT!     why the hell not?

Pretty sure that's what Brenda at TC recommends.

I would say it just depends on the area...and is more an issue of disposal of the carcasess rather than the fileting..

I have cleaned fish at shore many times and thrown guts and carcasses back in water and birds usually eat them right away...

But, if I was at a spot where there were a bunch of families bathing and playing on beach I might be a little more discreet just out of respect for them cuz maybe they don't want a bunch of birds swooping in and eating fish carcasses right where their kids are playing...

But, yes, I believe technically you can filet your catch once you get to shore.

I usually just try and scale and gut rockies while out on water, and just gut Lings and cabs out there as well.

That way I just bring home whole rockies and cabs to cook whole, and a Ling or two to filet, but no guts or scales to deal with.

But that's just me...

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I used to ALWAYS clean my fish onshore before returning home (as suggested [instructed] by the boss lady). Because cleaning fish in the kitchen can be messy & stinky. Now I have a nice backyard cleaning station thanks to FishMaster1, so I often clean fish at home.
But when I used to clean them onshore, I had various sheets of plywood in the bed of my truck that I'd use as a fillet board. Then I'd chuck the carcasses back into the ocean. It is legal unless there's a city ordinance prohibiting it. And of course I always use common sense when discarding the carcasses...don't make a spectacle of it, be conscientious of other beach-goers, and throw them out as far as possible.

for sure I will only toss them where folks are not hanging and may even bucket the bodies and guts until a better return location can be driven by,to not screw up families enjoying the rocks or beaches...100% agreed

The indoor cleaning is rare but that I can clean and smell goes away-little  clean up followed by some nice incense helps the cottage recover...wolf eels digested and gophers are the worst 

but even with my homemade outdoor  cleaning station---its the trash can getting funky that is getting to me...i've tried everything and dont have room to freeze big ling and ten rock fish bodies till trash day...

I am gonna try the plywood cleaning station at shore and see how i make out...

Thanks for the replies.....and yes cleaning on old beach/work towels in the kitchen makes Amy super pissed when she gets home  ...fried calamari and fresh cabby and chips waiting there does help though

I used to dump the stuff in a bag at the local gas station trash. BUT, since my neighbors have teenagers that like to hang out next to my driveway and block the street with their inconsiderate a$$es all the time, I gladly dump the guts, bones, carcasses in my trash can! I have been adding squid weekly to every bag of trash, and it has been a GREAT tool in them not hanging out there the last month and a half! Simple math, people will not accumulate in places where it stinks! That is why Galt will never have a Chuck-E-Cheese!

Took me a while to find... Is the site slow or something right now?

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=56598.0

Cleaning no problem. If you are planning to fillet any fish, make sure you leave the skin attach. Including lingcods. Otherwise, you might get a ticket.

In Morro Bay the parking lot next to the fish cleaning station at the boat launch has turned into a landmine of rotting fish carcasses.. Disgusting. The seagulls are carrying the rotting guts all over the place.. and leaving them after picking at them for a spell.. This seems to be a fairly new phenomenon. I wouldnt throw out the guts solely for the fact that gulls will become wise and start bringing those guts back onto the beach, eventually turning it into a morro bay cleaning station situation.. Just a thought. Much better idea would be to bury the guts in your garden. Excellent organic fertilizer. 

I almost always clean when I get home.  Bury the guys & such under the trees.  The bucket of water & small debris from sanddabs makes GREAT for the potted fruit trees!

I'm not sure you need to leave the skin on if you're filleting on the beach? I don't.

 Hojo?

Bushy

I'm not sure you need to leave the skin on if you're filleting on the beach? I don't.

 Hojo?

Bushy

I've taken to leaving the skin on at certain locations where cleanliness is not next to godliness or on the beach where one slip means SAND in everything

I'm not sure you need to leave the skin on if you're filleting on the beach? I don't.

 Hojo?

Bushy

I believe if you are still within the sea body of water contact you will still need it to leave the the skin, no? I could be wrong. I usually stop by at half moon bay harbor to the fish cleaning station to clean my catches.. .