Thread: Best way to dispatch crappie & when?

Mine go staright from the live well to the cleaning table. I like them alive.

I'm another one that filets them alive. Although, the way you described your crappie after that long without water.... I'm thinking yours are WAY heartier than ours! Our crappie die pretty fast outside of water. You sure your crappie didn't have whiskers??

I prefer them iced down if I'm fileting them. On the other hand, it is much easier to scale them if they are fresh and alive.

Someone just showed this to me and I like this. Take a knife and stick it inside the gill plate and right behind the gills. Go all the way through. This will bleed the fish out. I do this in the live well and the water will be red, but the blood drains right out. When you fillet them the meat will be very white and will be free from blood spots.

i put a bag of ice in a cooler, put some lake water in the cooler to make a slush and toss my fish in em as i catch em.

If you want the whitest filets, fully cover the fish in crushed ice and allow them to die a slow death. The blood will move from the muscle back into the vital organs as the fish fades, leaving the filets firm and white. Less mess when you filet them out as well. Just be sure that the fish are completely covered in ice. I've left them iced up to 12 hours. The eyes should remain clear and the body color should have changed very little if you iced them properly. Good luck!

I have an ice chest in my truck. When I load the boat I drain the wells. Then I just grab them and throw them in the ice chest and clean them when I get home.