I have a vacuum sealer that hasn't been used in a couple of years. I prefer the fish frozen in ice. The sealer tends to suck the moisture out of the fillet during the process. I never have mushy crappie but then, in the summertime, they always go straight to the ice chest instead of livewell. Also, I freeze no more than 10 fillets in a bag and I never use hot water for thawing. I'll put cold water in the sink and then the bag (s) of fillets. It takes an hour or so to thaw but I can usually plan ahead that far.