If you freeze them in a zip lock freezer bag and water, then pack them in a cooler of ice, they will be just fine.
My Father will be visiting next week and if all goes well we will fish for four days and should have some real nice fillets to show for it. He's a lifelong crappie fisherman but has been unable to get out on the lake and I'm sure he would like to take some fillets back with him as his freezer is empty. It's around 460 miles from my house to his, I usually make it in just under 8 hours, may take a bit longer with him and my mother in the car. (I'm driving him and my mother 2/3 of the way and my sister is taking the last 1/3 of the trip) I was thinking of packing some frozen fillets in a cooler with lots of ice, do you suppose they would make the trip? Any ideas on the best way to get them there still somewhat frozen?
2010 NWR Bash Crappie Division Champion
If you freeze them in a zip lock freezer bag and water, then pack them in a cooler of ice, they will be just fine.
Crazy Angler Pro Staff
Crappie Logic Pro Staff
What i have found in the past when we go from north Kansas to east Texas we would just wrap the crappie in several layers of news papers in side of a cooler & if you want you could use dry ice i am sure they will be just fine. Good luck. Jim C.
I traveled earlier this year from Nashville, Tn to upstate NY...a little over 1000 miles. Fillets were frozen in water (in a ziplock) and covered in a 5 day cooler with ice. When i arrived in ny the whole thing was one solid block of ice. A regular cooler should be just fine , just make sure to cool the cooler down first with ice and then add yer fish with the final topping of ice , that will keep the ice longer than starting it out at room temp.
yeah, i think you will be fine...
I've heard that newspapers do help - but if you have them frozen in ziplocks and in a good cooler with ice - they should stay frozen...
I catch my fish at a lake, filet them, right before going home, and put them in ziplock without water, and just put them in a cooler with ice to keep them cold. Then when I get home, i put water in the bags and freeze them until ready to eat...
Don't know if that is good either - but it works!
DRY ICE!!! fish will be rock hard and you won't have to worry about thawing out while traveling. We bring fish back from Minnesota all the way to North Carolina with no problems of thawing at all!!
I've transported iced down fillets (frozen and not frozen), for the 4hr trip home from TN ... and the 6hr trip from Ala. No problems.
IF you use "dry ice" ... don't let it come in direct contact with the bags of fish ... put a layer of cardboard or several sheets of newspaper between the dry ice & bags. They'll stay cold enough for the trip, and won't suffer any possible damage.
... cp
I use to buy shrimp [frozen] in Gulfport, Ms and haul to Tn. and sell. I used dry ice, and it worked great.
I'm sure the others ways work to, but I just liked using dry ice. some wal-marts and k- marts carry it.
srm
CP is right. All you need is ice. My son takes fresh fillets back to Fla with him from Bugg's Island every spring. We put them in baggies and ice them down. That's all that is needed.
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Bill H. PTC USN Ret
Chesapeake, Va
I have used the ziplock freezer bags when I have taken stuff back down to east Texas. I freeze them in that wrap them up in aluminum foil and then wrap that in a paper sack and just put it in the ice chest. It has lasted and it is an 8 hour trip from here in north Texas to down there to East Texas where my folks are
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