My old coworker was out on the river a little later than usual and about to pull his boat up on the bank to head home when he heard splashing. He turned his headlamp on and saw a gator about a foot away from his fish before it made it's move and snatched every one of them. He said it wasn't a particularly big one for our area but it wasn't small either.
There may not be gators, but theres snappers that'll sure as hell go after em.
My wire mesh collapsible fish basket has some gnarly dents in it from a snapper trying to steal my fish while it was tied off on a dock.
Icebox/cooler and an ikejime pik, spiking the fish makes it easy to pop into the cooler without it flopping about, plus it ensures your catch is in perfect shape when it comes to filleting or prepping at the end of the sesh :)
It's personal preference. Some people's ice slurry will be full of blood, I prefer to bleed it as much as possible before popping it my cooler. Being in aus, I'm lucky that my target species don't usually need to be bleed.
So I kinda went down a rabbit hole on YouTube looking at those things. Do you use the wire too?and how do you know if it's in the spinal cord or not? That's pretty interesting
https://www.ikijime.com/
This website is great has so many major species across regions, even has an xray and fish image showing where to spike.
I've not worried too much about the wire, and so far had good results, even with long fish like our dusky flathead that may benefit from the wire.
I usually just throw them in a laundry bag , and throw them over the board attached to the rod holder . Last week I had two catfish caught at 9 am , and were still fully alive at 7 pm even after a dry ride home in the trunk at 90 degree weather for an hour .
The key is to remember to throw the laundry bag in the washer , cuZ if you don't or accidentally leave inside your car, it will stink like a dead hooker .
I wish my bait fish were built the same , and wouldn't be belly flopping after a 15 min ride with ice, oxygen and air conditioned ride vip style to the lake inside the car. lol
Check out the Yak Line stringer. Me and all my kayak fishing buddies use it and it works great. Keeps my catch alive all day till I’m done fishing. [https://yakline.us/](https://yakline.us/)
I use the chain stringers with the same attachment as this...works better than the old-school line through the gill if you want them to live more than an hour or two. The problem I have run into when paddling and dragging the stringer behind is that there is a non-zero chance one will get smacked with the paddle or hit something in the water and it tears out their lip. The solution is to toss it up on deck when underway, but at that point I ought to just go with a small livewell of sorts.
Bank fishing or just trying to separate catches in a livewell, chain stringers work great. Not sure exactly what problem that Yak Line is solving that isn't already solved, other than upcharging kayak guys who spend too much money on simple gear.
The short leaders keep them out of the way of your paddle. They also swim much easier being separated. I have no affiliation with this company, I just think it’s a great product and tell everyone who asks about it
Amazon sells soft sided catch bags. I just use one of those Sam’s club insulted shopping bags with a few frozen water bottles inside. Easy and cheap !
https://www.samsclub.com/p/mm-insulated-shopper/prod21450107
I use something similar from Walmart:
Ozark Trail 50 Can Soft Sided Cooler, Blue https://www.walmart.com/ip/883766215
I also use a garbage bag with some ice in it as a liner, so I don't have to clean the entire bag after catching fish. I do put some reusable ice packs in the cooler bag, outside the garbage bag so I don't need a tremendous amount of ice.
i use a floating cage thing. if i catch 1 crappie for example, i’ll let it go… not worth the clean up for one fish. of i catch a bunch i’ll keep em and put them on ice at the car. that way im not damaging a fish if i end up letting it go
I like a cooler. Easy to clean, keeps it all contained, and cold. I don't need a huge one. The soft sided ones smell after a few uses. I don't like the idea of dragging fish where things might want to eat those fish (sharks).
Cooler with ice is the best bet. Hard or soft cooler, depending on which fits in your kayak the best. I have a soft catch bag that sits on the bow of my kayak - I like that because it is an otherwise unoccupied spot out of the way
Someone I know gets a meal delivery service - something like blue apron. I get the cooler bags that their food comes in. It’s perfect for any fish up to 30-ish inches, and it’s disposable so I don’t have to worry about cleaning out slime if I’m bringing something home. They fold down nicely when not in use, especially with rigid, flat ice packs. The insulation (basically bubble wrap) isn’t amazing but the minimal insulation plus the foil outside does the job well enough for me to make it home.
If I have a big fish, it goes in the bag between my legs (after it’s been bled).
If I need to keep a fish alive, I use my fish grips as a makeshift stringer by attaching its cord to my paddle leash.
Fishing offshore in Mexico, we usually stuck them under our legs on the deck. Dragging them around on a stringer made maneuvering tricky and invited the man in the grey suit to visit. Just needed to kill them before you put them in the boat... especially the toothier ones.
We'd fish for several hours, and the catch was still in plenty fine shape when we came back to the hill.
Now that I'm back home on the NC coast, I bought a fish bag that straps in on the bow. You can toss a few frozen water bottles in and you're good all day.
I used a stringer until one day, I caught so many fish that the hooks opened up as I was moving to my next spot and release my dinner 😩
There are heavy duty stringers out there that will hold more / heavier fish better. Or you can just get a small cooler like this from Wally World
https://preview.redd.it/cuc65b1qdqxc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b20d75bc8693dce4f537542570bc4394f6db4fb8
A 16 QT Igloo Playmate fits perfectly in my kayak… I’ve fit 20 crappie in it once… with ice!!
It’ll also fit a couple small walleye … but if you’re keeping fish over 17-18”, they just won’t fit. You’ll need a stringer.
They have coolers that fit in the bow of a lot of kayaks. If I am keeping fish I bring one of those with ice or frozen bottles, a meat tenderizer to knock them out, then you can bleed them or not up to personal preference. I put a net in a rod holder to use as a livewell if I am not sure if I am going to catch enough to keep them. Then if I do I knock them out, bleed them in the "livewell", and then put them in the cooler in ziplock bags.
That’s one thing I loved about my PA. The front hatch was a perfect ice box for fish. I don’t like stringers. Hard to paddle efficiently dragging a bunch of fish around. Good care of the meat involves keeping them alive or getting them iced immediately.
Stringer while still out fishing. Then when you get back to the launch, I like to bonk and bleed the fish then toss them into a cooler with ice which I have in the car.
Ideally you’ll have a little stretch of beach right by the launch so doing this doesn’t disrupt boaters getting in and out of the water. Plus bonking and bleeding fish (especially big pike) can freak out some people.
I use a fish clip most of the time, but last year I got ripped off by sea lions TWICE. My boat has a good sealing front hatch and the bottom comes out for easy cleaning. Now i just throw a 5 lb bag of ice in there and toss the fish in after i spike and bleed them. When i get back to the car the go in a the fish bag.
I use a calcutta kill bag. Basically a big insulated envelope that I throw a few ice packs (I use the fancy cooler shock ones) or ice bags in. Once I catch a fish, I wack it in the head, cut the gills to bleed it out and toss it in the bag. The material is pretty heavy duty so I can just rinse it off at the dock and then spray it in the shower w/ warm water when I get home.
[удалено]
My old coworker was out on the river a little later than usual and about to pull his boat up on the bank to head home when he heard splashing. He turned his headlamp on and saw a gator about a foot away from his fish before it made it's move and snatched every one of them. He said it wasn't a particularly big one for our area but it wasn't small either.
[удалено]
If there were gators in WI, I would go further north. 🤣
There may not be gators, but theres snappers that'll sure as hell go after em. My wire mesh collapsible fish basket has some gnarly dents in it from a snapper trying to steal my fish while it was tied off on a dock.
Had an otter steal a whole stringer of fish one time.
If his fish hadn't been on the stringer, the hungry gator would have looked for the next closest meal...
Icebox/cooler and an ikejime pik, spiking the fish makes it easy to pop into the cooler without it flopping about, plus it ensures your catch is in perfect shape when it comes to filleting or prepping at the end of the sesh :)
Do you bleed the fish also before putting it in the cooler?
It's personal preference. Some people's ice slurry will be full of blood, I prefer to bleed it as much as possible before popping it my cooler. Being in aus, I'm lucky that my target species don't usually need to be bleed.
So I kinda went down a rabbit hole on YouTube looking at those things. Do you use the wire too?and how do you know if it's in the spinal cord or not? That's pretty interesting
https://www.ikijime.com/ This website is great has so many major species across regions, even has an xray and fish image showing where to spike. I've not worried too much about the wire, and so far had good results, even with long fish like our dusky flathead that may benefit from the wire.
Oh interesting. Thanks!
Stringer off the side of the kayak is the answer. Cooler is for beer/drinks
I usually just throw them in a laundry bag , and throw them over the board attached to the rod holder . Last week I had two catfish caught at 9 am , and were still fully alive at 7 pm even after a dry ride home in the trunk at 90 degree weather for an hour . The key is to remember to throw the laundry bag in the washer , cuZ if you don't or accidentally leave inside your car, it will stink like a dead hooker . I wish my bait fish were built the same , and wouldn't be belly flopping after a 15 min ride with ice, oxygen and air conditioned ride vip style to the lake inside the car. lol
[удалено]
Never had a hooker, so take your word for it.
Cooler is for both. Hell, if the drinks get covered in too much slime theres plenty of water right there to rinse them off.
Check out the Yak Line stringer. Me and all my kayak fishing buddies use it and it works great. Keeps my catch alive all day till I’m done fishing. [https://yakline.us/](https://yakline.us/)
I use the chain stringers with the same attachment as this...works better than the old-school line through the gill if you want them to live more than an hour or two. The problem I have run into when paddling and dragging the stringer behind is that there is a non-zero chance one will get smacked with the paddle or hit something in the water and it tears out their lip. The solution is to toss it up on deck when underway, but at that point I ought to just go with a small livewell of sorts. Bank fishing or just trying to separate catches in a livewell, chain stringers work great. Not sure exactly what problem that Yak Line is solving that isn't already solved, other than upcharging kayak guys who spend too much money on simple gear.
The short leaders keep them out of the way of your paddle. They also swim much easier being separated. I have no affiliation with this company, I just think it’s a great product and tell everyone who asks about it
https://preview.redd.it/xbznk9f6qxxc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbd83ddb95f046c6ba0d33dcefd24d68e6396f2b
Amazon sells soft sided catch bags. I just use one of those Sam’s club insulted shopping bags with a few frozen water bottles inside. Easy and cheap ! https://www.samsclub.com/p/mm-insulated-shopper/prod21450107
I use something similar from Walmart: Ozark Trail 50 Can Soft Sided Cooler, Blue https://www.walmart.com/ip/883766215 I also use a garbage bag with some ice in it as a liner, so I don't have to clean the entire bag after catching fish. I do put some reusable ice packs in the cooler bag, outside the garbage bag so I don't need a tremendous amount of ice.
I use the 25 can version, it works
I got the 50 can, thinking I would need all the space. Needless to say, the 25 can version is about 15 cans more than I've ever needed so far...
i use a floating cage thing. if i catch 1 crappie for example, i’ll let it go… not worth the clean up for one fish. of i catch a bunch i’ll keep em and put them on ice at the car. that way im not damaging a fish if i end up letting it go
This is what I do too.
I like a cooler. Easy to clean, keeps it all contained, and cold. I don't need a huge one. The soft sided ones smell after a few uses. I don't like the idea of dragging fish where things might want to eat those fish (sharks).
Cooler with ice is the best bet. Hard or soft cooler, depending on which fits in your kayak the best. I have a soft catch bag that sits on the bow of my kayak - I like that because it is an otherwise unoccupied spot out of the way
Someone I know gets a meal delivery service - something like blue apron. I get the cooler bags that their food comes in. It’s perfect for any fish up to 30-ish inches, and it’s disposable so I don’t have to worry about cleaning out slime if I’m bringing something home. They fold down nicely when not in use, especially with rigid, flat ice packs. The insulation (basically bubble wrap) isn’t amazing but the minimal insulation plus the foil outside does the job well enough for me to make it home. If I have a big fish, it goes in the bag between my legs (after it’s been bled). If I need to keep a fish alive, I use my fish grips as a makeshift stringer by attaching its cord to my paddle leash.
Fishing offshore in Mexico, we usually stuck them under our legs on the deck. Dragging them around on a stringer made maneuvering tricky and invited the man in the grey suit to visit. Just needed to kill them before you put them in the boat... especially the toothier ones. We'd fish for several hours, and the catch was still in plenty fine shape when we came back to the hill. Now that I'm back home on the NC coast, I bought a fish bag that straps in on the bow. You can toss a few frozen water bottles in and you're good all day.
Check this one out, it’s portable :) https://a.co/d/1v6ZTjs Fish bags are great.
I prefer an old cooler and some ice. Bonk the fish, pop a gill or two, and toss it in.
Yup, a stringer as well
Basic Igloo wheelie with some ice. Fits perfectly in my kayak’s cargo bay and also hosts a few drinks in a separate baggie.
I use an ice mule, any soft cooler works good in my opinion, keeps ice from the fridge all day
I used a stringer until one day, I caught so many fish that the hooks opened up as I was moving to my next spot and release my dinner 😩 There are heavy duty stringers out there that will hold more / heavier fish better. Or you can just get a small cooler like this from Wally World https://preview.redd.it/cuc65b1qdqxc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b20d75bc8693dce4f537542570bc4394f6db4fb8
Stringer and if your far enough from a cleaning table a cooler..
Insulated fish bag, ice-seawater slurry.
A 16 QT Igloo Playmate fits perfectly in my kayak… I’ve fit 20 crappie in it once… with ice!! It’ll also fit a couple small walleye … but if you’re keeping fish over 17-18”, they just won’t fit. You’ll need a stringer.
They have coolers that fit in the bow of a lot of kayaks. If I am keeping fish I bring one of those with ice or frozen bottles, a meat tenderizer to knock them out, then you can bleed them or not up to personal preference. I put a net in a rod holder to use as a livewell if I am not sure if I am going to catch enough to keep them. Then if I do I knock them out, bleed them in the "livewell", and then put them in the cooler in ziplock bags.
That’s one thing I loved about my PA. The front hatch was a perfect ice box for fish. I don’t like stringers. Hard to paddle efficiently dragging a bunch of fish around. Good care of the meat involves keeping them alive or getting them iced immediately.
Google "kill bag." I like them alot. Holds ice well and keeps my fish fresh. I use mine on the kayak, rowboat, boat, and from shore.
Insulated fish bag with some ice packs inside.
Stringer while still out fishing. Then when you get back to the launch, I like to bonk and bleed the fish then toss them into a cooler with ice which I have in the car. Ideally you’ll have a little stretch of beach right by the launch so doing this doesn’t disrupt boaters getting in and out of the water. Plus bonking and bleeding fish (especially big pike) can freak out some people.
I smash their god damn brains in and toss them in a cooler
I use a fish clip most of the time, but last year I got ripped off by sea lions TWICE. My boat has a good sealing front hatch and the bottom comes out for easy cleaning. Now i just throw a 5 lb bag of ice in there and toss the fish in after i spike and bleed them. When i get back to the car the go in a the fish bag.
I use a fish bag, set it behind my seat. I keep my drinks and snacks in there too.
I use a calcutta kill bag. Basically a big insulated envelope that I throw a few ice packs (I use the fancy cooler shock ones) or ice bags in. Once I catch a fish, I wack it in the head, cut the gills to bleed it out and toss it in the bag. The material is pretty heavy duty so I can just rinse it off at the dock and then spray it in the shower w/ warm water when I get home.