Trout on a stringer ...

[blankman]

I have a dumb question. When my kids and I trout fish (i.e. Northfork from the bank) we put the trout on a stringer and toss them back in the water until we leave (and I then gut them all at once). I read recently that this is bad for the meat (having them on the stringer alive). Is it better to kill them and bleed them immediately?

thanks for the advice.
- jeff

[scrod]

Bonk and ice for the best flavor. Letting them die slowly and sit in warm water is not the best for the meat.

[Deleted User]

blankman,
It's great to hear that you are getting those kids out to fish. I'll bet you're a great dad. Scrod is right, you don't want to keep them in the water dead or alive. A good way to do it is to find some moss on a tree, take a little of that moss and get it wet in the stream, then wrap your fish in it and put them in a creel wraped up in that wet moss; then set the creel in the shade somewhere. You can do this with the fish already cleaned or not; but I think it's best to clean them on the stream though. . My grandpa showed me that trick 25 years ago on the salmon river on Mt. hood. Thats where he showed me how to fish , love and take care of a small stream.

FF

[Phish_on]

Yes

[Keta]

Bonk them, rip their gills out, let them bleed out for a few minutes, gut them and then ice them down. :smile: