So if Im fishing on Kayak and I catch a keeper I plan to eat, whats the best way to keep it till I head out?
Stringer? (could see crab/shark/gater liking that)
Cooler for the well? (kinda small but might work for smaller fish.
How do you get your catch home to eat?
Also, what do you find essential to take with you on a fishing kayak when you go out?
2007 Regal 2120 Destiny (270hp Volvo I/O)
http://www.regalboats.com/2007/SportBoats/Destiny/2120/Features
I have a sit in kayak that has a large rear hatch. If I plan on keeping fish I put 15lbs of ice in there but leave it in the bag so it doesn’t melt so fast. When the sun is out its very important to leave the hatch open because otherwise you will be steaming your fish before long. If I have no ice then I try to put water in the rear compartment and change it often because it will heat up. I also only to to keep fish towards the end of my trip so they don’t have time for the meat to get mushy. I don’t know too much about the characteristics of the meat from the different fish around here but I know some are more prone than others to get mushy if not cooled properly. I don’t have the balls to use a stringer because you are essentially shark/gator fishing and you are the poping cork.
14’ Pamlico 140 Angler w/ rudder
Switching to lead-free tackle.
I use freezer grocery bags. You can get them at Walmart. They are inexpensive and will hold ice for up to four hours. I have not had any problems with them, and there is still plenty of room on the yak.
Tarpon 140 Angler w/ rudder
Back in the '50s, behind Sullivan’s Island, I had a stringer of trout hanging off the bow and a shark grabbed it and darn near took the whole boat under. I think he would have if I hadn’t been sitting in the stearn. We didn’t have coolers back then. We used to carry a bucket with a 1/2 gal. milk carton that was filled with water and frozen. We wrapped the carton in several layers of old newspaper. That kept lunch fresh and the catch fresh on the way home. I’ve also known a guy who ran Henry’s Boat Sales on Coleman Blvd. who had sharks attack a stringer attached to his belt while surf fishing at Bull’s Island. He had it happen twice before he got scared enough to buy a cooler for his catch.
Eat mor trout.
I had a similar thing happen a couple of years ago while fishing off a dock. I left my stringer in the water while i went to eat dinner and when i came back i thought that the fish had some how rapped themselves around the one of the poles because they would come up. After a couple of sharp tugs the stringer took off. I got over my intial shock and pulled up a 3 1\2 foot nurse shark who had helped itself to my catch.
I have a softsided cooler in my yak. I’m thinking seriously about making a nice fishbag instead of using the cooler. I have a nice large piece of mylar coated foam and some bubble wrap.
You could easily make one from a sunshield, or whatever they call those things people put on the dashes to keep the sun out of the car.
A couple of folds, a little velcro, some minor sewing and fishbag for under $5
So much water, So little time
quote:
Originally posted by misslilyI’ve also known a guy who ran Henry’s Boat Sales on Coleman Blvd. who had sharks attack a stringer attached to his belt while surf fishing at Bull’s Island. He had it happen twice before he got scared enough to buy a cooler for his catch.
Eat mor trout.
Wow. In my earlier post I said it was dumb to use a stringer on a kayak because you risk bringing in sharks. The thought of tying a stringer of shark bait next to the family jewels is mind-numbing.
14’ Pamlico 140 Angler w/ rudder
Switching to lead-free tackle.