fish bag under deck

Love this thread!  Fresh fish preservation is of utmost priority to me, I will learn this Iki jime japanese technique and keep ya'all posted.  Ice pick to brain and wire down spine, ice slurry.  Blood flows to gut and not meat, no rigimortis(sp) if done properly which is lactic acid in muscles which is a toxin.  Seems complex but I'll try to keep it simple.  I like the cutting board material attached to the hatch door that provides a surface and rigidity to the door on the Kraken.  No rush cause I gotta catch some fish first

I strap a cooler in the rear storage area of my kayak so I can put my fish on ice as soon as I catch them.  I often bleed and gut them as well.  I attach the cooler with nylon straps, so it can't twist out of place if I get dumped in surf.  I put a bungie cord over the top of the cooler so I won’t lose its contents if I get dumped.  For fish which are too big to fit in my cooler, I’ve lined the area under the front hatch of my 13’ Revolution and my 13’ Trident with half inch thick closed cell foam, and put a couple bottles of frozen water and a heavy garbage bag containing ice cubes in the front hatch area.  It’s a hassle to get into the front hatch of many kayaks when you’re on the water, but I like to get those big fish out of the sun and on ice.

pmmpete is killing it with the fish porn this winter both here and especially at nwka, always in threads about rigging or technique, and being super helpful while he's at it. 

When I grow up I want to go fishing in Montana with pmmpete.

  I usually do the burlap sack thing too..  but  there's been times I've gone after YT and WSB where the water and air temps are warmer.    I tried the insulated fish bag ,  always seems to get a hook snagged in it..
 
   I made my own insulated "bag" that tucks into the front hatch.  Using the white bubble wrap material that the Hobie's come shipped in,     Three inch wide celo- packaging tape is perfect to seam it into a shape that will fit your hatch.     

    The problem with ice coolers  etc on deck is once the wind comes up, you've got a "sail" pushing you.  Keep your profile as low as possible.  The ice / fish inside keeps your COG lower too. Might come in handy on a surf reentry someday.

The problem with ice coolers  etc on deck is once the wind comes up, you've got a "sail" pushing you.  Keep your profile as low as possible.

Baitman is right about coolers on deck catching wind.  It's definitely a disadvantage of strapping a hard shell cooler in the rear storage area of a sit-on-top kayak.  I've been looking for a low-profile top-loading well-insulated soft-sided fish cooler which will fit in the rear storage area of my Revolution.  I'd like something like the kayak fish bag manufactured by Reliable, and sold by Hobie with its name on it, but that fish bag is way too big.  Fishbag (find them on Facebook) makes an almost identical bag.  I've been prodding various manufacturers to produce a low-profile well-insulated top-loading soft-sided fish bag which will fit in the rear storage area of various models of fishing kayak, but none of them have produced the desired product yet.

When I grow up I want to go fishing in Montana with pmmpete.

Ya'll come.

When I grow up I want to go fishing in Montana with pmmpete.

Ya'll come.

I was going to come this summer but plans have changed. I have a buddy way out in colstrip that I have t seen In way too long. It got to be kind of a big giant cluster this summer though, I need to plan better. Then afte i change plans I see the brownlee crappie shoot that looks like tons of fun. Ugh. Seriously though you are killing it with the fish porn.  Love it!

I sometimes use a Trader Joes insulated bag like this one for trout. I think it cost me $7 or so at the store. Works well for soft fish like trout, not so well for spiny rockfish.



I brought the TJ's bag on this particular trip to Muir Beach. It fit nicely behind my seat, but didn't get much use that day.

Glad you posted this thread since I was thinking of a way to put fish under deck in my outback without getting fish slim and what not underneath.

I purchase the 36"x20" Sea Angler Gear Inshore Bag and its a big but quality kill bag! I'm looking at getting something that will fit in the front hatch of the outback. I seen picture of PA owner using a plastic bucket in the front hatch lined with insulating material and putting ice in it. The outback hatch isn't as big as the PA.

Just depends what kind of fish you plan/hope to catch. A bucket might be OK for a couple trout or a couple small rockfish, but it won't cut it for lingcod, halibut, salmon, decent striped bass, etc.

I say plan for the fish you WANT to catch.

very true. Haven't gone lingcod, halibut or salmon fishing yet. Those are bigger than what I normally catch so the big kill bag will work great looking forward to it...

Might not be the most efficient way to keep rockfish, but I take my ab tube (25% air in the tube for more space - still floats) on the kayak to store the fish.  I attach the tube to one of the cleats with a small rope and drop it off to the side of the kayak while fishing.  Keeps the fish alive the entire day (the bigger lings go in the tank well if the tube is filled, but they will stay alive in the tube) and do not have to deal with bleeding/killing the fish until you come in for the day.  When paddling to a new location, the tube goes on my lap or behind in the tank well.

Might not be the most efficient way to keep rockfish, but I take my ab tube (25% air in the tube for more space - still floats) on the kayak to store the fish.  I attach the tube to one of the cleats with a small rope and drop it off to the side of the kayak while fishing.  Keeps the fish alive the entire day (the bigger lings go in the tank well if the tube is filled, but they will stay alive in the tube) and do not have to deal with bleeding/killing the fish until you come in for the day.  When paddling to a new location, the tube goes on my lap or behind in the tank well.

I admit this is getting nitpicky... but... Aside from a few Japanese techniques, you'll get best quality flesh if you fight fish quickly, bonk, bleed, gut, and ice ASAP.

When a fish is kept alive and struggling (on a stringer, in a bucket, in a tube, or wherever) lactic acid builds up in the flesh. The lactic acid decreases the quality and shelf life of your filets.

I say plan for the fish you WANT to catch.

Then I'll need a really, really big bag...

Okay, based on this thread I am saving up for that Sea Angler Inshore Bag.  I currently use the TJ's Blue Bag for Trout.

I get the idea of keeping the catch cold.  And the I get the idea of bleeding it.

But is gutting it on the water actually useful, beyond being able to pack ice in the belly cavity?

I know from hunting big and small game, that gutting was important, but mostly to let the meat cool faster.

A fish is already cold, as a cold-blooded creature, it should be the same temperature as the water (other than some large tuna which do generate body heat).  And the food in its belly isn't going to rot unless the fish increases in temperature.

So, does gutting really help?

Also, it seems dangerous to gut a fish on the ocean, knives and swells and things. 

Also, any recommendations on a good glove to protect hands when handling spiny and poky ocean fish?