[Leif]

Well the fall season is almost upon us and the fishing is heating up!
Numerous reports of Tuna, Stripers, Fluke, Blues and Ling are being reported and it looks like it could be a very productive year.

That being said, I thought I would share a few ideas and techniques for handling and preparing your catch this year. Feel free to add your ideas and comment to the post as well.

One reason I felt compelled to share my ideas is because all too often I see a certain amount of waste when it comes to our precious resource. I do a fair amount of fishing and inevitably I see practices every season that can’t possibly bode well for the quality of meat when it arrives home. (Leaving any fish in a burlap bag in the sun will not work) With all the money we spend to actually go fishing, why not take the time to prepare the fish properly if we intend on eating them or give them away.

I will first provide some general procedures which should apply in most cases and elaborate in more detail for specific species. Most Charters will take care of your catch properly but it is up to you to prepare it properly when you get it home. If considering a “Party Boat” to do your fishing, you have a little more work to do. For the purposes of this post I will focus on Party Boat procedures.

Some of the following may seem like common sense and it is. Bring ice on even the coldest day. Don’t keep more than you can handle and have fun.

Preparation is key before the trip

Questions I ask myself are…..

Do I have enough packaging materials, vacuum seal bags and paper towels when I get home?
Do I have time to deal with the catch when I get back or the next day?
Do I have room in the refrigerator or freezer?
Do I have an area to prepare the catch?
Are my knives sharpened?

If you answered yes to the above questions you are off to a good start.

Bring appropriate sized cooler. (For the boat and the fish) An example may be, if you are intending on keeping ten large Bluefish, bring a cooler large enough to handle them. Ask the captain ahead of time to eliminate any problems. I have had situations where certain boats frown on bringing large coolers on board. Bring enough ice to last the whole day and bring a knife to bleed your fish. I am an advocate of bleeding most fish.
In my opinion the quality of the meat will be much better. I always bleed Bluefish, Striped Bass, Cod, Pollock and Blackfish.

You can bleed a fish by cutting it under the throat or by a few stabs under the gill plates on both sides. Bleeding works best when the fish is still alive.

Once the fish is bled, put it on the ice in the cooler. I like to add a little water as I go so I don’t melt all the ice in warm weather. At the end of the trip the fish should be rock hard in the slurry. Some guys put some kosher salt in the ice slurry as well. (Keeps the water colder).

Tip the mates well. (I say at least 20% of the fare)They will help you if you treat them right and they will bleed the fish in most cases for you if you ask. Obviously if the mate is busy gaffing one bluefish after the other you will have to take care of this yourself. I have the mates fillet my fish as well if they are good at it and most are.

Once you get the fish home put it right in the refrigerator until you are ready to pack it.
I sometimes will wait until the next day if necessary.

Vacuum seal your fish.

I use a Food Saver type of vacuum sealer. Buy the rolls in bulk and make your own sizes.

1) Trim your fish. Chances are there will be a small amount of bones or fins still attached to the fillets you have. I check over each one and remove any remaining bones and fins with a sharp knife. Remove all dark meat from Bluefish with sharp knife.
2) Rinse your fillets off in colds water with kosher salt to remove any blood or scales. (4 quarts of water and ½ cup kosher salt.) I don’t rinse tuna***
3) Dry your fillets well. I dry them on paper towels and go through quite a bit, but it is worth it. Dry the fish well and you won’t ruin you vacuum sealer.
4) Cut fillets into individual portions and place the fillets flat in bag.
5) Don’t overload the vacuum bags.

If you don’t have a vacuum sealer or cannot get one, wrap the fish tightly in clear plastic wrap and then foil. There are also some manual vacuum type sealer bags available at most food stores.

I hope you found this post useful. If the fish you catch are prepared properly, you will enjoy them much more. Good luck!

Leif