Historically, I have always been a catch and release trout fisherman. However, I finally caved in and promised to bring a few fish home tomorrow for some friends and family, as a vegetarian I definately will not be partaking in the feast!

As I do not own a bass bag I was wondering how best to preserve the fish on the bank and on the car journay home? The last thing i want is to have taken fish and find they are not thoroughly enjoyed. Was also going to query on how best to gut the fish but youtube answered that query.

Thanks Neil.

Nice thread Neil.....if you have seen pacific salmon and how their rotting corpses feed the river for future generations and also seen in Alaska that you gut the fish at river and toss the guts into the river then we should see some interesting facts on this....get the guts out as soon as is always the first step for better smelling fish.

Sorry what i ment was stays fresher longer when guts removed.

Cheers g bigtrout, will have to enquire of the lakes owner how he would feel about me throwing the guts back into the lake. Doubt he will have any issue though. It is one thing to have to knck them on the head but wish I was not also charged with the gutting. It must be a good 15 years or more since I last took a fish, think I will have to look away as the priest does its work.

put the fish on a stringer(dead) and leave them in the water

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WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

Just my thoughts Neil....but i am interested to hear what others think as im sure a dead fish feeds those insects it feeds on itself.

Apart from the question of gutting the fish, you will need to keep them as cool as possible. As you don't have a bass bag, the nearest thing would be some sort of absorbant material bag (hessian perhaps). Keep this wet, but not in the water, and it will stay cool by evaporation. The best plan, of course is a cool box with some ice or ice blocks.

Unfortunately, by promising to bring home fish, you have sentenced yourself to a blank day - that's the way it works for me!!! So, you won't need to keep them in good condition anyway!

Hope I'm wrong.

Regards

Jeff

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Location - Just outside of Nottingham - Robin Hood country!

Ha ha, I hope not Jeff. Have not spent the week in front of the vice for that to happen. Why do you say not to keep them in the water? I had presumed that would be the best for them to stop them drying out.

Bruce1, I dont have a stringer either. I always returned my fish and never required a stringer nor a bass bag. Next time in tackle shop I will have to invest in a bass bag.

When i was a coarse fisherman I did have a cool box for transporting bloodworm and joker abroad but it is long since gone. Even if i did have retain it, it is too bulky to bring along the bank with me.

Any alternative suggestions gentlemen?

What if I were to wrap in tinfoil and place in the fridge at the lodge?

Get a cotton recycle shopping bag from the co-op, they cost about a quid. Put your dead trout in, put bag in water. Keeps rigourmortice at bay!

Not a good habit to get into.

Although the temperature is generally low at the moment, even a couple of hours of sunshine can make the water in the margins surprisingly warm. Putting the fish into warm water will accelerate bacterial action and start the rotting process - in the summer the fish will actually start to cook if left in the hot water of the margins.
Far better to use a 'bass bag' and, as j-the-trout advised, keep this moist (but not immersed in the water), preferably in the shade and where there is some air movement.

As others have said, gut the fish as soon as you can (and remember to scrape out the kidney - the dark strip along the spine).


Dave.

Only way to stop rigourmortice setting in at first is remove guts, the bag in water slows it down aswell but only when guts out im afraid.