Bleeding Fish

[Eyes N Leapers]

I am a avid walleye fisherman on Erie we are trailering the boat to Ludington from Port Clinton, OH. this wekend. My question is do you bleed the salmon & trout out before icing them down in the boat. We cut every walleye we catch (snip the gills) let them bleed on a stringer or in a bucket then throw them in the cooler. It cuts way down on the slime, no blood when U filet them, & the filets are white as snow. Does anybody do this?

Thanks

Gary

[nomojo]

Yep, we do. Might make a mess in the cooler, but sure makes cleaning them a whole lot less messy.

[fishsniffer]

i do it with salmon all the time..much better product at the cleaning station and the table

[its an addiction]

I just started doing it this season, and will continue to. The meat is cleaner, and what I really love is I don't end up filleting Salmon in a pile of blood.

[kingfish123]

The quicker u can get them blead out the better.

[JWheeler]

i do it with salmon all the time..much better product at the cleaning station and the table

I was witness to this, and plan on doing it from here on out. Definitely a nice end product at the cleaning table

[KingMe]

What is the best way to 'bleed out' your salmon?

[fishsniffer]

i just reach under the gill plate grab a gill or two and twist..some guys cut them..

[its an addiction]

I've been putting mine on a stringer. Once on the stringer and tied off to the boat I've just been slicing both gills with a pocket knife. I plan to get a pair of scissors on board and see how that works. Scissors sound/seem much safer.

[Just Hook'n]

This is all new to me. Don, I was not aware you did this. Interesting.

I'll have to give it a try.

[fishsniffer]

This is all new to me. Don' date=' I was not aware you did this. Interesting.

I'll have to give it a try.[/quote']

The wife hates cleaning the cooler afterwards but it's a lot less blood in the meat. Think of how many times you've made that cut behind the gills and blood pours out. Or all the blood along the spine that covers the fillet. Just pull the gill after you throw it in the cooler next time and you'll see the difference in the fillet:thumb:

[Eyes N Leapers]

We use a pair of rapala shears they are curved and sharp as a razor. Use to use a knife til I almost took my finger off when my son got launched into me with a big wave. I never did a salmon, is it safe to leave them on stringer over the side we use a stainless stringer for walleyes. I think I am going to take the rope stringer that I had at the ocean just to be safe!!

[Casey II]

We bleed both salmonids and walleye. We just pull a gill or two and let them bleed out in the cooler. Their gills break quite readily if you just pull them by hand as Don described. Final result is easier cleaning and better fillets.

[CAC]

Like Jason, I started bleeding my salmon this year. What a difference! I keep a short fillet knife by the cooler and do one slice across each gill.

[Phishy]

i pull a gill raker or two, then throw them in the live well for a few minutes for a good rinse, then onto the ice for a quick cool down...both salmon and walleyes....best fish ever

they do this salt water fishing for a reason, warm water = fast decomposition...its the hot blood in the meat that starts to decompose, fast heart beat creates heat, which is then transferred to the blood, get the blood out of the meat and it will be fresher longer

[Killin' It]

Cooler full of blood... every trip....

[Fine Line]

we always cut them a quick snip with the scissors once they are in the cooler equals a much cleaner end product

[KJ pluggin]

I have been bleeding my salmon for a few years and it is completely worth it when its time to cut fish. I used to just rip the gills but now I just cut them since gills hanging out in pictures don't look very nice.

[ThumbsUP]

We did an experiment one time and cut every other fish right behind the gills with a sharp fillet knife. This ruled out other factors like the amount of time in the cooler, etc. The fish that were cut had firmer, better colored flesh, and did not make a mess when cleaning them. They also seemed to taste better. I think the best way to do it, if you have the room, is to cut them and then put them face down in a five gallon bucket. Let them bleed while you are resetting the line. When the line is back in, throw them in the cooler and rinse the bucket over the side of the boat. No messing with stringers, no gallons of blood in the cooler.

Edited August 9, 2012 by ThumbsUP
misspelling

[KJ pluggin]

I think the best way to do it, if you have the room, is to cut them and then put them face down in a five gallon bucket. Let them bleed while you are resetting the line.

I do the same thing, if you spray them off just before you take them out of the bucket it cleans them up really well.

[slimits]

Who has time to do this in the pre dawn craziness????? We have a bat on board and whack em on the head as soon as they hit the boat floor, makes most of the blood go into the head, works for us, plus you aren't wasting your time bleeding fish when you should be sending lines back in!

[picman]

Unless you're leaving them on the floor, taking out a gill is no slower than giving a head whack.

My ride is not big enough to leave fish on the floor.

[Sly Selea]

Just last week I replaced my small swim platform with a full length one on the back of the boat so I could leave the cooler on it and let the blood drain while fishing.

Sweet teak platform, but it seems to have cursed me. The bite has gone to heck since then.

[cliftp]

Here is a link to a video done by Lance Valentine with his fish bleeding technique. Its the one I use and it works great on salmon too.

Paul C.

Mattawan, MI