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I have fished catch and release only since I began fishing in '97-98. This year I want to try bringing home a few to eat and was wondering what you guys recommend when keeping your catch and how to do it say when trout fishing, i.e., should I use a stringer and place them back in the water or put them in an ice chest(dead or alive? I probaly won't be cleaning them on the bank, would do at home), use a bucket with stream water to keep live or would a canvas creel be best? Or is it better to put in zip lock bags and put on ice live? Club 'em or cut off the head? I have read some methods but most don't give full descriptive details. Again I have never kept my catch so this is new to me and all your advice is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
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it is always best to gully your fish befor transporting them, but if your only a 3-4 hours from home, then there is no problem with putting them in a cooler with ice, cubed is great, remove the ice from the bag.
allow the fish to be in full contact of ice and water in the cooler, do not place them in plastic bags unless you have already cleaned them befor transporting.
remember to not place any gulling refuse back in the water, place them in trash cans. Be sure to not cut the heads off untill you get home unless your fish well exceeds the minimum size limit with out its head.
be sure not to skin them before transporting because some states have laws with drastic fines for tranporting game fish that are not Identifiable.
here is a special note for ice fishermen, packing your fish in bags or pails filled with snow you can go as much as a day later before cleaning them, """ when cleaning them after being snow packed for a day, only allow them to become half thawed before filletting. soak and flush fillets with ice cold water a couple times and you wont know the differance between the one cleaned emediatly.
hope this helps, it is faily a simple process for keeping and cleaning, the most important part is keeping them cool enough
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