What do you do with the keepers, live well or on ice

Last weekend as I was fileting my fish I noticed one of them was starting to smell foul. I thought it was probably an early in the day fish that was gill hooked and died fairly early in the morning. He went in the gut bucket and I felt guilty for not taking better care of him.

The next day we fished I put all gill hooked fish in the lunch cooler on ice and kept a good eye on the ones in the well. When it was cleaning time I felt like I did a better job with the knife on the cold ones. The flesh seemed setup better.

Is it just personal preferance or do you guys have a standard way of keeping the fish in the hot summer. Crappie seem pretty fragile by nature. I would like to hear what the best proceedure is. Thanks, ds

on ice only in the boat til it cools off a bunch. then bust up ice at the ramp and let them stay on ice the rest of the day with the spicket open and tilted so the water drains off... clean em that night...may not be best but that's how i do it now. used the new cleaning station at sardis today for the first time...pretty darn handy........brought the fillets home ready to freeze....

They go straight on ice and stay there til i'm ready to clean them.

Thanks windstone,
Where is new cleaning station ? We have been fishing out of Teckville then driving to Wyatt Crossing to the cleaning station in the woods they setup.

Put them on ice.

Livewell
I don't catch enough to matter:D

ice is best . they seem to filet better after they have been on ice .

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Originally Posted by downsouth

Thanks windstone,
Where is new cleaning station ? We have been fishing out of Teckville then driving to Wyatt Crossing to the cleaning station in the woods they setup.

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go the road below the dam and turn in where it says boat ramp to lower lake. go to stop sign and take a right. you will see it on the right.. hope people don't abuse it. it is pretty nice...

Ice it is ! Thanks again guys.

As for the lower lake fish cleaning station, Wyatts is much closer. The coe is building one at teckville. Right now all they have is a bare patch of ground. Maybe by next year.

keep'em in the livewell till I get the boat out of the water.....pump out the live well on the way back to the ramp....take the ice from my built in ice chest and put it in the live well and put the plastic bag (big) the ice came in over the top of the ice......about an hour after I get home they will be dead and nice and cold.....I do not like to clean live fish....too bloody....

On ice immediately. I use 1/2 gallon jugs and refreeze. One cooler for fish; another for food and drinks.

Since I don't have a livewell, ice.

There used to be one at Tachville in the camp ground.But i havent looked for it in years.

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Originally Posted by downsouth

Ice it is ! Thanks again guys.

As for the lower lake fish cleaning station, Wyatts is much closer. The coe is building one at teckville. Right now all they have is a bare patch of ground. Maybe by next year.

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don't mean to hi jack but what are the building on the north side of the rest rooms on e.p.???

Fish cleaning station. Like the one at the lower lake.

On ice as soon as I get em in the boat. I don't like to clean live fish either, and I believe the really cold ones fillet better.

Ice!!

I always put them on ice and keep the melted "water" in there because it's nice and cold and surrounds the fish well. On my way home I stop and buy another bag of ice, drain the water, and cover with the rest of the ice. I clean them that night or the next. They will be nice and firm and easy to fillet! Hope this helps:)

Ice, they'll turn mushy if they get to hot. Crappie are a delicate fish

Just like me . Delicate . Lol

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Originally Posted by DonDon

Ice, they'll turn mushy if they get to hot. Crappie are a delicate fish

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Yup!