Northwest Fishing Reports

Do any of you guys bleed your trout after catching? I mean I do it with salmon and steelhead, but what about bows from a lake?

Slit their gills, let em bleed out alive then bonk em over the head. Throw em on ice immediately after. I do it with all my fish.

Leaving trout on a stringer alive in the lake struggling and building up lactic acid isn't the best way to keep your meat fresh.

Like A9 said, I think it's a good way to make them taste the best, but I don't seem to notice the off flavor with smaller trout as much as I do with larger trout (16"+) and salmon if you don't bleed them immediately. Therefore, I don't always clean my trout right after they're caught. Opinions?

First off, I don't use a stringer, except for Steelhead when I am shore bound. I then bleed them immediately upon deciding to keep them, period, enough said. A9 hit it on the head.

If I am fishing from the boat, in cold to cool water, I drop them in the live well. The fish has already got a load of lactic acid from the fight, and a couple of hours swimming in a cold and very well oxygenated and circulated live well is just the trick. Before I leave, I bleed them before they hit the cooler.

If I am fishing from the boat in warm water, I release all trout, period, enough said. I do often drop them in the live well to perk them up first, but I also drop a block of ice in it to cool the water.

I know people that claim they hate fish, but their idea of fish is one that has sit on a stringer, for hours, in 60 to 80 degree water (your refrigerator at home is colder then 50 degrees), dead or dying, and wonder why the fish taste "fishy". bleeding that kind of fish will help, but not enough.

I do use a stringer, but only in the very short term in cool weather. I clean my fish at the lake shortly after the catch and put them on ice. If the sun is shining or the weather is warm; I clean my fish right away and get them on ice ASAP.

I see too many fish wasted by people leaving them to turn white on a stringer and put in a plastic bag with no ice (uncleaned) for the long ride home.

i have always used a stringer and keep the fish in the water, but it is just how i have been raised for fishing. i do clean them where i caught them though, so they don't have the guts inside for the ride home.

i guess i should try some of these other methods soon and see if the fish comes out tasting better. i just haven't been that picky on it.

Land fish, bonk on head, get line back in the water, cut and clean....repeat 4 more times...

Immediately into the ice chest if available--and why would you fish without one?

If at the end of the day your fish have smelled "fishy" you need to listen and follow through using the good advise above.