Bleeding Fish

[Reel Delight (Walt)]

When catching most species of salt water fish, especially tuna, it is a common practice to bleed and fish that is being kept for eating. It is a fairly agreed upon thing that bleeding many fish especially tuna, halibut, bluefish and most other species that bleeding a fish right after catching it will make the fillets taste better and also promotes the firmness of the fillets or loins. In doing some recent research I did find many discussions on bleeding your catch; but the discussion was usually related to saltwater fish species.

I personally like to keep some of my catch in a livewell if possible and then fillet my fish while they are still flopping around on the fillet table. With fish that don't survive or can't be placed in a livewell, I will put them in a cooler and cool them down as quick as possible and keep them very cold. I have bled some saltwater fish before but not freshwater fish. Now I am wondering... should I bleed my trout and salmon that I keep for the dinner plate?

Is anyone bleeding their catch as a common practice? Do you have an opinion on this subject?

Yes I also believe in catch & release too, but I eat my share too as I rather have a fresh seafood dinner than a steak.

[Wallyandre (Andre)]

Bleed and on ice, taste much better

Also when you clean them it's a lot more cleaner, no mess.

[Sleepswithdafishes]

Walt I spent with 2 of my sons a week fishing in Alaska this summer and our captain bled every fish we caught!!!! We caught our fish in fresh water but they were from the ocean!! I must say they were very good table fare!! Sleeps

[Matt]

Yep, I bleed every fish I keep, especially Trout and Salmon. Like Andre said, less messy and they do taste better(I don't much care for Trout or Salmon), plus if you won't be able to clean it for a while it won't spoil as fast. You should test it out, next time you keep 2 fish of the same species around the same size, bleed one and then leave the other and see the difference.

[Reel Delight (Walt)]

Actually I was/am thinking to stop putting any fish I plan to eat into a livewell and put it directly on ice after bleeding it properly. I have two livewell/baitwells and I think I am going to use one of them for a bleeding tank. Plus I have the raw water wash down hose if I need it. I am happy to hear others are also in agreement with bleeding fish.

I do like my fish dinners fresh as possible! My catch never sits around too long before being filleted. Also if I plan to keep any fish to eat at a later date, I freeze it in water to prevent any possible freezer burn. It is all better than anything you can buy in the market.

[Thorny]

Hi Walt
I sell fish for a living.
I do not like to clean or eat fish that have not been bled first. Blood is the enemy! The more blood that gets in the fillets or flesh the stronger and less desirable the tast of the fish generally is. If you let the fish die first and gut it before you fillet it then it's not as bad. If you put a knife to a live fish with the heart still pumping then you will have blood throughout the meat and make a mess out of the fillet station. Matt is absolutely right. If you clean a live bloody trout, and a bled trout you will see a huge difference. I think this is one of the reasons so many people dislike Lakers. I think that a fresh 4 to 8 lb laker with firm yellow blood free meat is one of the best eating fish in the lake. Everyone I have ever served it to has loved it. If you keep your catch in a live well and slit their gills and keep the pump running most of the blood runs right through the overflow and back in the lake. I clean all my fish on board before I get off the boat. If you decide to do this make sure you save the head to tail carcass in tact in a gut bucket,this is required by law. Believe me when I tell you they take law very seriously on both sides of lake! I used to throw the carcass in the woods but sometimes the critters would not get them and they would stink up a storm. The admiral gave me a great tip a few years ago. I now throw the carcass in an open field and let the turkey buzzards get them. They never miss. I hope this answers your questions.
Thorny

[Matt]

Great info Thorny!

[Hairbone]

Thorny's spot on!

I gilled 2 lakers a few weeks ago and they smoked up fine! Was like an iron chef at huntin' camp the next weekend

[Matt]

Thorny's spot on!

I gilled 2 lakers a few weeks ago and they smoked up fine! Was like an iron chef at huntin' camp the next weekend

That big 30"er is in my freezer, I bled it right after catching and then ran it through the water to get the blood out. Hesitant to try it, but I'm going to soon...

[Reel Delight (Walt)]

Hey Rob & Matt... don't misunderstand what I have done in the past. I have either let a fish die and put it on ice, or I would remove them from a livewell and let them die before cleaning. I also have cut my fish at the gill area to let them bleed first before I fillet them. Actually my fillet station at camp is all stainless and has a sink, so usually bleed them into the sink and we usually use the blood & some water to fertilize our roses. Oh yes those roses do grow big. I have always kept my filet station clean and my fillets away from any blood. I immediatly rinse the fillets too.

Now I am just thinking or planning to cut the fish behind the gills and bleed them before putting them on ice in the cooler. I will then fillet them back at camp most of the time.

Matt I also know not to transport my catch without the head and etc. so that they can be identified and measured.

We also enjoy the fillets of a clean laker too. If you really want some great tasting Lake Trout... you have to take some from Lake George, mmm mm good.

Do you guys just snip your catch behind the behind or thru the gills with a pair or scissors to bleed them?

[Fishdawg]

Very interesting. What and where is the best tactic for bleeding a fish? Years ago when I was a river and stream fisherman I would usually break the neck and rinse a trout that I would decide to keep before putting it in my creel. I had never heard of "bleeding" the fish fror eating, but recently watched a show on ice fishing for whitefish and they mentioned bleeding their fish and putting them on ice and also raved about them as tablefare. Any discription of where to cut them for bleeding would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Matt]

Very interesting. What and where is the best tactic for bleeding a fish? Years ago when I was a river and stream fisherman I would usually break the neck and rinse a trout that I would decide to keep before putting it in my creel. I had never heard of "bleeding" the fish fror eating, but recently watched a show on ice fishing for whitefish and they mentioned bleeding their fish and putting them on ice and also raved about them as tablefare. Any discription of where to cut them for bleeding would be appreciated. Thanks!

The way I was taught was to take your finger under the "neck" and rip it out, I think that's where it carries alot of the blood. I did it to the Laker and the blood spurted out for a good 5 seconds. I'm hoping to hear more ways to do it myself, I feel bad doing it that way to be honest...but then again I rarely keep fish nowadays so I dunno.

[Wallyandre (Andre)]

There is a few videos that shows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjbsWMcq ... r_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsJ5BBh9wQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZQDdSheKk4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSDG-w5PTwY

[Reel Delight (Walt)]

Andre I have seen the first video before and a number of others that were mostly with salt water species. I like the others that you found with using the livewell. I think the scissors or pruning shears are the way to go and I do have a pair of scissors aboard my boat that I have used in the past.

The one thing that none of the videos really address is to keep the fish cold once it has been bled. I would personally make sure my catch is bled out, and rinsed with fresh water so that it is cleaned of drained blood and then in a cooler on ice. I also like to use a heavy duty plastic fish bag to keep my catch in, inside my cooler. That way the fish and ice are keep from each other and if needed I can always re-rinse the fish and fish bag and keep the cooler clean too. The fish bag also is great to transport my catch and I am able to wash and sanitize it with clorox at the end of the day. I use one of those heavy fish bags that they use for catch & release tournaments.

The point is not to leave deceased fish in the livewell once bled as the fish will tend to spoil when not alive and very cold!

[Wallyandre (Andre)]

I also use scissors and ice