Know a Cheaper Way to Ship Fresh Fish?

[reelmeister]

There must be someone out there who knows a cheaper way to ship fish fillets to friends less fortunate than us...After you buy the box, gel packs and pay the poundage, it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to ship. Does anyone have advice?
Thanks,
Al

[Ragnar]

Welp,
Dependent on where your less fourtunate friends live, you might be able to put up a post on ifish and see if anyone is traveling to or near the destination in question. It seems to me that those of us here on ifish are some pretty nice and generous folks and would be willing to help out. Of course you may want to "grease the wheels" so to speak for their efforts or at least offer. I'm not saying that it would work every time, but who knows?
Ideally, you could pack it in ice in a coller and have someone meet up with your friend in Nofishtown USA.
Or better yet put the fish in gallon sized zip-lock bags, pack with a layer of ice, sprinkle with rock salt, more fish, ice, then rock salt again. Make sure to get ice and salt between the bags for consistant cooling. Just like making ice cream. This will at the very least partially freeze whatever you have in there for a couple of days. There may of course be need to add more ice and salt periodically after the excess water is allowed to drain out daily.
If you should be flying to your friends house or they are coming this way.... You can send them home with a wet-lok box full of frozen fillets and check it through as luggage. Make sure it's good and frozen, then place inside a heavy duty plastic bag inside the waxed box. Just have your friend check minimal baggage to avoid additional baggage charges if possible. In my recent travels, I have noticed that more and more airlines are charging additional "overweight" baggage fees at the counter the cut off being max. of 50lbs./bag. My advice... Pay the dang fee (usually only $20.00). It's still cheaper than shipping it next day or overnight.
I have also noticed that Alaska Airlines is probably the most forgiving when it comes to shipping fish boxes, especially if you check in early.
This "send-em-home-with-fish" option should be carefully thought out ahead of time. Time of year (hot in the summer Vs. cooler in the winter) and duration of flight time should be taken into consideration. It could melt quite a bit. Granted things are pretty cold up at 30,000 ft. It's the waiting around time that will give you troubles.
In closing, let me say that these are only suggestions and recomemdations based on my personal experiences. Please don't hold me accountable if this doesn't work out as planned.
Thanks,
Ragnar

[reelmeister]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think my less fortunate friends will have to catch their own fish or take some home next time they fly out.
Al

[Thumper]

We send frozen (not fresh) fish to friends and clients every year. Use the new Coleman X-Treme "5-day" coolers (they work!) and just pack the frozen fish in. No dry ice necessary, even though you can add up to 5 pounds if you like. Those new coolers are unbelievable.

[ 08-01-2003, 06:47 AM: Message edited by: Thumper ]

[reeldick]

Frozen fish is easily shipped Fedex if you drop it off at Fedex late in the day and ask for early a.m. delivery. It may not be frozen hard when it arrives but it will still be frozen if you wrap it in layers if newspaper or pack it in styrafoam.
Another option I have used is to send frozen fish counter to counter with the airlines. Most flights, even across the country, are less than six hours.

[Born to be Wild]

Kind of funny Ragnar. It was just yesterday that I told an ifisher and a couple local friends that I was considering posting on ifish looking for someone from the Vancouver/Longview area coming down to Depoe Bay that could take some ling, salmon and seabass filets back with them to give to my family that would then be spread out amongst family and friends.

I also said that I would give them some rockfish filets for there efforts.

I sent some one time up there with love2fish I believe and everyone was happy.

Too tired to post that last night but will probably do it in a little while.

Dan