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[gcal]

I know that most of you bleed the fish (pinks) immediately.   I now do that. 

But I'm not sure of also immediately cleaning (gutting) the fish.  The reason is because I don't carry fresh water and I end up rinsing the freshly cleaned salmon in the saltwater (Fraser).    The Fraser water doesn't always look so clean and I think I may be exposing the flesh to that water.

I of course, put it into a cooler with ice packs right after.

I'm thinking that I should be OK with just bleeding, and then putting the fish under ice.   Then gutting and cleaning when I get home, where I can use fresh clean water for rinsing.

Any thoughts?

[dennisK]

Wouldn't cooking your food kill any water borne fraser bugs? You are not going to eat this fish raw.

[gheart008]

Ya that's perfectly fine.  The most important part is bleeding it and keeping it cool.

The best of course is to bring ice and throw the fish on after bleeding, but I don't even do that as the water is cool enough right now.  I just let the fish bleeding in the water and leave it there till I'm done fishing.  Again, it's not the ideal, but i don't want to always bring a cooler with me.  I leave that in my trunk.

Lol plus my old man likes uses the guts from the fish as fertilizer for his garden.

[koko]

I like to keep the fish cool and clean the fish at home, just because Frazer is so muddy. You have to clean the fish again any way.

[Nitroholic]

I rarely clean them on the fraser. Bleed thoroughly and right on ice is what I do

[Fish Assassin]

I bleed, gut and ice them right away. If they're biting, I'll gut them later.

[doja]

I bleed, gut and ice them right away. If they're biting, I'll gut them later.

I do the same.

I was amazed at how many people didn't have a cooler with them fishing. Everybody had them in save on food type bags or even worse black garbage backs. Not even an insulated bag. 

[bbronswyk2000]

I bleed, gut and ice them right away. If they're biting, I'll gut them later.

Same

[funpig]

I just put the fish in a garbage bag and usually leave it on the rocks.  Sometimes, I'll let it sit in the river to keep cool, but that depends on the tide, current and depth.  I clean it at the end before I head home because I don't want to be cleaning the blood and guts off my hands or clothes while I am still fishing and I don't want smelly guts at home (which is appreciated by the wife).

[4x4]

Bleeding helps but if you want quality meat (especially Pinks which deteriorate very fast) gut them and then into a wet burlap sack kept in a cool place until I bring them to the truck and put the fish into a cooler. It only takes a minute and is well worth it when you're eating them later.

No matter how good the fishing is I clean all fish I catch including trout right away. Walk out a few feet in the Fraser (less sand) and rinse them off. When I get home I rinse them off with the hose, take off the heads and fins, scale and de-slime (is that a word) then also rinse off again, wrap them and into the freezer.

It is worth the little effort it takes to look after your catch properly in the end. Stomach acids eat away at the meat even if the fish is bled.

Ps - tempura Pink is fantastic when fresh or in the freeze (if looked after right) within a month.

[Nucks]

Bleed right away, surround in rocks with the upriver end open so cool water can run in and flush out the warmer water, gut when fishing is slow or just before I head home. The wife doesn't like it when I bring fish home to gut 

[Lawsch]

I gut and descale right away, the sooner you clean them the better they will taste, also ice them as soon as you can to ensure no ecoli or other bacteria grow.  If you leave your fish in the water, the meat absorbs a lot of water and does not taste very good, it will not make much difference if you rinse them off they have already been swimming in the river so a little mor water wont make any difference, but leaving a cleaned fish in the water will affect the quality.

[mr.p]

I bleed all my fish immediately.  If I am within 5 minutes from my car, I will clean it, throw it in a fish bag and go put it in the cooler which is filled with ice. If I am too lazy to walk back to my car, I will bleed immediately and clean within 10 minutes.  Then I will place it in a fish bag and put it in a nice cool place.

Garbage bags are not good for storing/transporting fish.  Many garbage bags contain chemicals and deodorizers.  I wouldn't want that absorbing into something I'm going to eat.

[JBB]

I second the burlap bag. I use the bag at the river after bleeding and gutting the fish. I keep the cooler in the truck and put them in the cooler for the trip home.

[avb]

Burlap sack baby! i never fish without one. I picked them up from the city a few yrs ago during our flood scare. now i have a hundred sacks....
And i vote for Bleed, and keep it cool any way you can, like a wet burlap sack perhaps? . Use your common sense and mind the temp. thats all.