Looks like the NZACA nationals were a success and hosts Gisborne Surfcasters did themselves proud. There were by the looks of it some very nice fish caught & weighed.
Since my mate & I had our services volunteered to fillet fish for those that wanted it done, I want to comment on the state in which some of the fish were presented to us for processing. A lot of what I handled was shocking and I think many need to go away and find out how to keep fish better. Much of the fish were hard to fillet as the flesh practically fell apart as the knife was put through it, especially the snapper which I know can be difficult at the best of times.
Although much of the fish was kept on ice from what I saw, there is however a little bit more to it that just putting fish on ice in a bin. I can appreciate that keeping fish even in a chilly bin while surfcasting is a little more challenging on a boat there should have been no excuse. I only saw fish caught from one boat that I considered to have looked after their catch and I put that down to the skipper knowing how to keep the catch in a good state, while some of the other skippers whom I know I would have thought better of them.
Whether you’re on land or in a boat, rather than simple put fish on ice I suggest adding some saltwater to form slurry is best. Depending on how much ice or frozen ice bottles one has will depend on how much water to add. All that is needed is enough so that when fish is placed in the bin they are partially submerged, the combined effect of ice & saltwater will lower the temp lower than that of ice itself. You can in fact freeze fish with the right ratio of ice to water. The water can them be drained of later once the fish has cooled sufficiently and you can them add more ice to cover the fish, not just leave them uniced. If you don’t have a chilly bin next best thing is the old hemp style sack kept wet and out of the sun they work well.
Credit to the Auckland ladies who I spoke to about how to keep their fish fresh, they not only listened to my comments but asked questions as well. My comments are not intended to offend people but rather educate fishers into getting the best from their hard earned catch.
Re: Keeping fish fresh
Posted by Naki-Fisher on 17/3/2013, 2:43 pm, in reply to "Keeping fish fresh"
Nice write up mate cheers, i always thought to drain the water best.
on 17/3/2013, 1:37 pm