One fish won't feed my family...

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CodyPomeroy

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I was just curious what you guys do if you go out fishing and only bring home a few fish, or worse only one? I love to eat fish, but a couple of small fish isn't going to be much more than a snack. Do you throw them back or freeze them? If you freeze them can you offer some tips on how to package them?
 
I don't do anything fancy, Clean them, place in a ziplock freezer bag and fill with water. Shove them in the freezer.
 
Dragonman said:
I don't do anything fancy, Clean them, place in a ziplock freezer bag and fill with water. Shove them in the freezer.
Fill with water? What advantage does that have over just freezing them as is in a ziplock?
 
If i have vacuum bags ill use those but if not i do like dragon said.. not sure of advantage.. but it seems all the guys on a catfish site im on do the same. After soaking in saltwater
 
Driftingrz said:
If i have vacuum bags ill use those but if not i do like dragon said.. not sure of advantage.. but it seems all the guys on a catfish site im on do the same. After soaking in saltwater
Yes over night in salt water, Not sure the advantage of freezing in water, thats the way I was taught bu my Dad. I think it has to do with preventing freezer burn but that is just a guess :-k ..
 
Dragonman said:
Driftingrz said:
If i have vacuum bags ill use those but if not i do like dragon said.. not sure of advantage.. but it seems all the guys on a catfish site im on do the same. After soaking in saltwater
Yes over night in salt water, Not sure the advantage of freezing in water, thats the way I was taught bu my Dad. I think it has to do with preventing freezer burn but that is just a guess :-k ..


Way back when, when there were no bag limits on Perch in Lake Erie, it wasn't unheard of for three guys to haul in 300 perch for a day. They all got cleaned and frozen in water filled, milk cartons. (Same principle as the bag and water.) It kept the freezer burn of the fish, stacked nicely, when you lost power there was enough "ice" in the freezer to keep everything frozen. This is the way we did it up here. Everyone was ethnic and ate fish on Friday's. It was understood that going to the market to buy fish was a proposterous idea. Any extra minnows were put in a freezer bag with rock salt. This froze the minnows and kept them separated from each other. In some cases, frozen salty minnows worked better than fresh ones or the worms.

The salt water soak comes from hunting. The brine pulls blood out of the meat and kills off some of the microbes.
 
Depending on how much fish you fry at one time.

If planning a fish fry type gathering, you can use a gallon or half gallon milk jug, washed very well.

Put your fillets in the jug and cover with some water, its ok if some of the fillets are uncovered, freeze.

After frozen add water to fully cover, re-freeze.

You can add fillets to the jug using the same process until you fill the jug.

If planning for you and 3-4 people, use zip-locks filled with water and all air removed or vacuum pack.

Water prevents freezer burn.
 

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