Next time gill & gut your Tuna!

[Bobber Down]

Next time you go out Tuna fishing right after you bring your fish aboard try gill & gutting. First thing (before you put your jig back into the water) slide your index finger under the tunas gill bottom side (right in front of the heart). Run your finger thru to come out the other side then go back & forth about two/three inches to make a slice so it can bleed (it will rip easy). Blood will squirt a couple of good ones. Now throw your jig back into the water. Next grab the gills and give them a twist, pulling gills and guts together. Alot of the time the guts stay in when you pull on the gills. Just go back in and grab again until all the guts are out. Don't forget the gallbladder, it's the last to come out as it's in the back. The heart is low foward of the guts you have to curl your finger tips to find it (it's low). Ice your fish now (in the belly as well). When you fillet your fish later, note how much less blood is under the skin ect. Then when you get ready to BBQ or can, smell the fillets and you be the judge. This is top quality care!
Oh, by the way when you throw the guts overboard (this is a big hint here) it doesn't scare the tuna away, if anything it attracts more. You let me know later after you try this how you like it. I will admit it's a little more work, but it's worth it................Bobber Down

[bait boy]

When I took my first trip on the threemuch we cut gills though the bottom of the chin. when cleaning our fish I found virtually NO blood and fine eating fish. sounds like your making more work for yourself.

[Threemuch]

The key is in the slurry. Don't just ice your fish, put them in the icewater bath. If you cut that piece of meat connecting the belly to the head and the gill arches he will pump every drop of blood onto the deck.

Brain spike makes em easier to handle, and probably saves some ice, but I don't bother with it.

KB

[fish assassin]

The key to a bloodless fish is to keep it's head down
after you cut the gills. What I've found works well
for us is a big garbage can. I CUT the gills with a
*sharp* knife (makes 'em bleed better than ripping
the gills with your finger) and then place them head
down in the garbage can. You can put 5 or 6 tuna in
the garbage can at a time. Wait for them to stop
wiggling ('cause they are still pumping blood until
they are *dead*) and then put them on an ice slurry in
the box. Whitest tuna you'll ever see!! (IMHO)

-assAssin-

[Ryan Boat]

We made our bleeder tube out of a 12" PVC pipe and put a bucket in the bottom to catch the blood. When the Tuna boggie is over we put them in the box. we pull the bucket and empty the blood. 2 - 4 Tuna will fit at a time, of course depending on size.
Dick