Thread: How long before a ungutted fish goes bad?

I am like most and cathc them, cut them, and eat them or freeze them. I was told by a guide years ago that 24 hours is about it. I fished all day and caught a bunch. Drove half the night to get home. Got home and went to sleep. Woke up and cleaned the fish. The gills were red but they had changed from their natural color. Don't know what it meant and I did eat them but I don't do that anymore. I cut em pretty quick just incase. Throwing up or crapping all over my boat is not a fun day on the water so I practice safe fish eatting.

I always ice my fish down to kill them and clean them the next day. I've never fussed over draining the water off the ice, I figure they're fish, and they just came out of the water, were perfectly created to live in the water, pretty much water proof, so what's the harm? From there it's either the freezer or fryer.

I keep mine in a bucket of water in a designated fish refrigerator. The frig is a pretty good cooler. I figure if it freezes my beer, then it prob freezes the fishes butt too. Water bucket usually freezes over. I watch the gills. Chilled fish are easier to fillet and by far a lot less bloody mess. 2 days max. You can catch live fish with cloudy eyes, especially a previously caught fish.

THIS COMES FROM A PROFESSIONAL COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN IN LOUISIANA

He told me that fish can be kept for 2 days on ice legally, and 5 days with a brine mixture. This is the standard at which the health department says its safe to keep fish chilled before cleaning. Although laws vary depending on what type of fish your catching. On professional fishing vessels, they are out at sea sometimes days or a week at a time without stopping to clean fish.
Rule of thumb is that crushed ice actually keeps fish colder than cubed ice. If keeping fish longer than 24 hours, it is recommended to sprinkle the ice with lots of salt. The salt actually drops the temperature even more, as we all know from making home-made ice cream.
Also, its the bacteria that grow on the fish after it dies that can make you sick. The feces and undigested food in the body cavity begin to breakdown even though it is on ice. The ice itself just slows the process, and obviously the colder it is the slower the bacteria will grow.
A good way to tell if fish is spoiling is if the gills have lost their red color, then the fluids in the fish's body have begun to breakdown. When the gills turn mostly white or brownish yellow, it is not recommended to eat them at that point.

I like to fillet the fish I keep as soon as possible. I would never put them 'on ice' and fillet the next day. (live on the lake, so keep them in a live box)
Went out today, trolled for 'dinner' catching about 20 small white bass and keeping 3 that were a little over 12 inches. Put them in the live box, went and worked in the yard for a couple of hours, had lunch, then went down to the dock, filleted them, getting all of the red meat out and placed the fillets in salty ice water, which will firm them up, and into the fridge.
Was fishing on Lake Wabesa in Madison, Wisconsin, a few years ago and was talking at the campgrounds to this older couple. They had caught a big mess of crappie. The guy told me the way he kept his fish was to freeze them whole--about 5 in a bag. When they want to eat some fish, he takes a bag out of the freezer, cleans them , and fries them up! Now I do not think I could do that!

Originally Posted by big "E"

I ahev heard that if the eyes are clerar still they are good.Once they go cloudy then dont consume.Never heard about the gills , I'll remember that.

that is the way i have always done it cloudy eyes bad fish.i like em flip floping around when the blade runs down there back bone.

Originally Posted by crappie tracker

that is the way i have always done it cloudy eyes bad fish.i like em flip floping around when the blade runs down there back bone.

Yep. That's what I like!

How long will they keep? I left some, by mistake, 4 days...