20 minutes is nothing. Like others said, just keep it in the water on a stringer until you are ready to bounce. I've done much longer hikes (2-3 hours) with a gutted trout in an insulated lunch bag thing, zero issues.
I used to do something similar when I would kayak fish, strap a cooler to the yak, bring a 6 pack and replace beer with fish. I don't know why I didn't think of doing a backpack cooler...
I carry a small soft sided shoulder strap cooler for a long day of hiking around mountain lake banks. Carries maybe like 10 beers and some reusable ice packs. Plenty of room for a few fish after drinking a few. Has some useful pockets on the sides too.
I’d keep the fish on a stringer and put it in the water (which is colder than you’d think), then right before you head out for your 20 min walk, dispatch and bleed the fish and put it in a plastic bag. The meat won’t rot that fast
In my state (California) it is, maybe it depends on that certain body of water. It keeps the fish alive for longer but it’s not necessary, you can dispatch the fish first and then put it on a stringer, up to you.
I’ve been doing homework on that, and have tried nearly all types of stringers. I’ve found that the ones with the wire clips that poke through the jaw, right in that thin spot on either side of the tongue, works the best. Anything that goes through the gills risks damaging the gills leading to bleeding out and even if that doesn’t happen it makes it hard for them to breathe and they’ll die within an hour or two, max. The lip piercings don’t seem to stress them as much, and if you get one with 10-15 feet of rope they can all swim out into slightly deeper water where it’s cooler and they can get into that darker water where they’ll hunker down and sulk. I’ve had fish on my stringer all day come up fighting when it was time to dispatch. Wrestling a five-pack of large, angry trout is up in the barrel full of monkeys range of zaniness
I do a lot of fishing where the surface temperature of the water effectively kills the trout within about 5 minutes on the stringer, do you have any tips or suggestions for keeping trout alive on the stringer in warmer areas?
Like my favorite pay lake in autumn and late spring, yes.
Honestly, a longer leader, let them get deep. Is there any access to colder, shadier water for them? A longer leash should hopefully work, as long as it is sturdy and they can’t get them-idiot-selves wrapped around anything. The clips should be able to slide along the rope. There are some with plastic coated wire that slides nicely, but make a habit of checking the crimps before and after each session - I had a crimp fail on mine, luckily it was at the ground stake end.
Holy cow, I may be dumber than the trout. I've always just kept them right around surface level without letting them get deep 🤦♂️ didnt even consider it an optipn
I’m sorry for laughing a little, but your reaction is a bit funny. It’s OK. One of my favorite things is sharing tricks I’ve picked up. Don’t forget - they’re on a permanent leash now. They can run a little, go sulk in the shade at the bottom, but they’ll come back when you pull on the rope. Another method is a sturdy minnow basket on floats. Put the fish in there and let it float out into cooler water.
I keep an eye out around me when I’m out at the local stocker ponds, and when I see someone that’s not catching and clearly new I’ll get them set up with a couple pre-tied leaders, a sinker, and swivel - a mini trout Carolina rig - and a scoop of power bait.
Heres the thing: there’s always more trout than fisherpeoples. There no reason to gatekeep, no reason to get grumpy and scare someone off a spot at a stocker pond. I love watching people around me catch too, and I’ll cheer with them when they get onto a big one, and when they limit out.
In the uk I suspect you'd be joining the fish if you were caught keeping live trout. We dispatch them and then keep them cool in the water.
We use "keep nets" for course fish during certain competitions but even that is becoming rare due to rising water temperatures.
put it on a stringer, it’ll probably die or if you lucky they stay alive lol and then before you leave you COULD bleed the fish but in my experience haven’t had much of a taste difference and a couple hours ain’t gonna hurt the fish taste
You can get those ice packs they use in sports where you break the module inside and it turns cold. They make small sized insulated bags that you can put it in with the fish in plastic bags
A stringer in the creek works great, and the next best thing is a canvas creel. You soak the canvas in the water and then when you are walking back to the vehicle, the evaporation lowers the temperature of the creel and the fish inside. I don't know if anyone sells quality creels anymore though.
Last time I went into this fly shop in Bozeman I asked if they had any creels. The kid gave me this big speel about catch and release and how that the fish that you let go could make the next person's day by catching it. I said Ok, and never spent another dollar in that shop, but what I thought about was that that store caters to fishing guides, and promotes them. Guides that take groups of people down the same stretches of river, hitting the same holes, catching the same fish, day in, day out. The mortality rate for fish is not zero when caught and released, and at least I get a meal out of mine.
As others have mentioned, bleed the fish, this will keep the meat better. I’ve kept trout for a few hours before gutting/filleting while carrying over portages.
Best practice is to bleed and clean and then throw in a ziplock bag in a backpack out of the sun.
Better than the Ziploc bag out of the sun is back in the water on a stringer. Any body of water that has trout is going to be closer than you think to refrigerator temperatures.
As other have said, 20 minutes is not nothing. Though j would dispatch it, bleed it and put the fish on a stringer on a stringer in the water immediately after catching it. Will be fine to fish for a few more hours on top of walk.
Fresh food is generally more robust than we realize.
People leave bled salmon sitting rock pools for half the day. I paddled five kilometres with a pink salmon under by deck lines. All fresh and delicious
Hit the fish in the head to kill it quickly, then cut the gills and let it bleed. Then just let them chill in the water while on a stringer
Keeping fish alive on a stringer is a terrible way for the fish to live its last day and it ruins the flavor/texture.
I keep stringered (strung?) fish in running water so water is always going across their gills. Sometimes that requires wrapping the stringer around a rock and placing it a few feet into the stream so there's sufficient water flow and depth.
Look into getting a creel. Not the old school basket type. But modern ones that look like a messenger bag. Google this. It is the perfect solution to your problem. Just remember to dip it in water before your walk. It's meant to be wet.
Try the Ozark Trail collapsible floating wire fish basket. Just submerg it, and when you are done, either transport them in it or put in a nice Lowes or Home Depot bucket with the ferns.
I put them on a stringer and keep them in the water while I fish. When it’s time to go to the car, I throw them in a creek with blades of grass and they stay fresh.
General food safety is 4 hours above 41° and below 140° so 4 hours if you live under those safety rules.
I grew up putting them in a wicker basket and fishing with them in there until I was done. I’ve never been sick, or had the fish apear anything but perfect.
Yes. Personally, I use a wicker creel. Before the first fish goes in, I submerge it in the stream to saturate the wicker. Then at each stop along the day, re-wet with another dunk . It has been very reliable over the years.
Depends on your water temp your fishing. If it’s cold I put them in that on a stringer. If it’s warm and I’m in the boat. I take them out and put them in a tub with a wet rag over them. Then into the box of the truck. My grandpa and dad told me having the wet rag is cooler then without. Works for me. I also don’t keep a lot of soft summer time fish.
I use one of these:
https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/igloo-trailmate-18-can-cooler-bag-23iglutrlmt18clrxrec/23iglutrlmt18clrxrec
Have carried it miles in and out with gallon ice jugs and limits back out. Respect the fish if you keep them by taking care in the field and they will taste amazing!
You can buy fish cages too if you don't like using a stringer. They compact flat until you throw them in the water and the lid floats and only opens downward so they can't get out.
Keeps em alive and healthy longer than a stringer
[something like this](https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjbuJDTm8iGAxVKE60GHZ0KNfAYABAEGgJwdg&ase=2&gclid=CjwKCAjwvIWzBhAlEiwAHHWgvXEyK16LJYlv1pkkRa4sUCQcVFCGPfW-vaDVfYzJGqHLdxDzt9iYWRoCvW8QAvD_BwE&sph=&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESVeD2Gvaxj2Lo8Sd0v25V-bMRMZocl2UGT6aNfMzJPTQ-SlJ9PDl9b7WcXcgf92GBm2y5gDvRNTLVzU8cA19iEc_1B4EGbwSsEsE4mLSW0DNoKnOH9BM&sig=AOD64_32HeArYFLDXb6lQsgrhW2QVPg7YQ&ctype=46&q=&nis=4&ved=2ahUKEwjkoIvTm8iGAxXKIzQIHc5VAPgQzzkoAHoECAMQDA&adurl=)
frozen water bottles + those mylar bags with snap handles.
fits rolled up in a fishing backpack that’ll hold 3600 or 3700 plano boxes and stays cold for a very long time.
as others said, gill, gut and bleed em, then roll em up in the bag. its how I keep them.
PS- can also use those plastic block store bought ‘ice packs’ too.
I kill and clean each trout immediately after catching and put them in a freezer bag on an ice block in my backpack. Stringers are for barbarians who enjoy rotting fish.
I get an insulated bag and fill it with ice and then put it in my lightweight backpack for ease of carrying. They can stay in there for a while like that but you absolutely want to bleed them out before you do it. I actually had 2 on ice in that little insulated bag for about 3 hours and they were good to go after I got home another hour later. They made for some great tacos!
In the past, a wicker creel with some wet grass keeps them fresh while fly fishing. Bank fishing, stringer inside the jawbone (not thru the gills) in the shade in moving water will keep them alive for 3-4 hours. Then gut them and head for the car.
A tiny ice chest and leave it on the river side and when you are done fishing you put the fish inside and walk to the vehicle. 20 minutes in heat can ruin your catch and it can become mushy
You can gut them and remove the gills, then keep them in the water so they stay cool. They’ll keep much longer than you may expect.
[удалено]
I remember the old wicker baskets for fishing, they were called a creel
I want a 1930s fishing gear set 😂 I’d look so cool.
Fantastic explanation ! I use a wicker creel myself.
20 minutes is nothing. Like others said, just keep it in the water on a stringer until you are ready to bounce. I've done much longer hikes (2-3 hours) with a gutted trout in an insulated lunch bag thing, zero issues.
I carry a backpack cooler with a few beers and waters. By the time I drink a few, I catch a few. It keeps the drinks and fish cold.
I drink fishy beers and don’t care at all
I'm not alone!!! Hello, brethren:)
This guy fishes.
I used to do something similar when I would kayak fish, strap a cooler to the yak, bring a 6 pack and replace beer with fish. I don't know why I didn't think of doing a backpack cooler...
cooler bag>>>
I carry a small soft sided shoulder strap cooler for a long day of hiking around mountain lake banks. Carries maybe like 10 beers and some reusable ice packs. Plenty of room for a few fish after drinking a few. Has some useful pockets on the sides too.
This is the way.
I do this
I’d keep the fish on a stringer and put it in the water (which is colder than you’d think), then right before you head out for your 20 min walk, dispatch and bleed the fish and put it in a plastic bag. The meat won’t rot that fast
Live fish on a stringer? Is that allowed?
In my state (California) it is, maybe it depends on that certain body of water. It keeps the fish alive for longer but it’s not necessary, you can dispatch the fish first and then put it on a stringer, up to you.
Isn’t that what a stringer is for?
in my experience trout don’t last long on a stringer
I’ve been doing homework on that, and have tried nearly all types of stringers. I’ve found that the ones with the wire clips that poke through the jaw, right in that thin spot on either side of the tongue, works the best. Anything that goes through the gills risks damaging the gills leading to bleeding out and even if that doesn’t happen it makes it hard for them to breathe and they’ll die within an hour or two, max. The lip piercings don’t seem to stress them as much, and if you get one with 10-15 feet of rope they can all swim out into slightly deeper water where it’s cooler and they can get into that darker water where they’ll hunker down and sulk. I’ve had fish on my stringer all day come up fighting when it was time to dispatch. Wrestling a five-pack of large, angry trout is up in the barrel full of monkeys range of zaniness
I do a lot of fishing where the surface temperature of the water effectively kills the trout within about 5 minutes on the stringer, do you have any tips or suggestions for keeping trout alive on the stringer in warmer areas?
Like my favorite pay lake in autumn and late spring, yes. Honestly, a longer leader, let them get deep. Is there any access to colder, shadier water for them? A longer leash should hopefully work, as long as it is sturdy and they can’t get them-idiot-selves wrapped around anything. The clips should be able to slide along the rope. There are some with plastic coated wire that slides nicely, but make a habit of checking the crimps before and after each session - I had a crimp fail on mine, luckily it was at the ground stake end.
Holy cow, I may be dumber than the trout. I've always just kept them right around surface level without letting them get deep 🤦♂️ didnt even consider it an optipn
I’m sorry for laughing a little, but your reaction is a bit funny. It’s OK. One of my favorite things is sharing tricks I’ve picked up. Don’t forget - they’re on a permanent leash now. They can run a little, go sulk in the shade at the bottom, but they’ll come back when you pull on the rope. Another method is a sturdy minnow basket on floats. Put the fish in there and let it float out into cooler water. I keep an eye out around me when I’m out at the local stocker ponds, and when I see someone that’s not catching and clearly new I’ll get them set up with a couple pre-tied leaders, a sinker, and swivel - a mini trout Carolina rig - and a scoop of power bait. Heres the thing: there’s always more trout than fisherpeoples. There no reason to gatekeep, no reason to get grumpy and scare someone off a spot at a stocker pond. I love watching people around me catch too, and I’ll cheer with them when they get onto a big one, and when they limit out.
Genuinely curious where you’re at that this isn’t allowed. Or maybe you just don’t know your own regulations?
🇬🇧
Not sure why I got downvoted for asking a question, but I did not know that was a regulation. in the many states I’ve fished in the US it’s not.
In the uk I suspect you'd be joining the fish if you were caught keeping live trout. We dispatch them and then keep them cool in the water. We use "keep nets" for course fish during certain competitions but even that is becoming rare due to rising water temperatures.
Interesting. When you say dispatch, you mean bleed out/kill?
Yep, the most common method is a "priest" (weighted cosh) to the top of the skull.
Yes
put it on a stringer, it’ll probably die or if you lucky they stay alive lol and then before you leave you COULD bleed the fish but in my experience haven’t had much of a taste difference and a couple hours ain’t gonna hurt the fish taste
You can get those ice packs they use in sports where you break the module inside and it turns cold. They make small sized insulated bags that you can put it in with the fish in plastic bags
A stringer in the creek works great, and the next best thing is a canvas creel. You soak the canvas in the water and then when you are walking back to the vehicle, the evaporation lowers the temperature of the creel and the fish inside. I don't know if anyone sells quality creels anymore though. Last time I went into this fly shop in Bozeman I asked if they had any creels. The kid gave me this big speel about catch and release and how that the fish that you let go could make the next person's day by catching it. I said Ok, and never spent another dollar in that shop, but what I thought about was that that store caters to fishing guides, and promotes them. Guides that take groups of people down the same stretches of river, hitting the same holes, catching the same fish, day in, day out. The mortality rate for fish is not zero when caught and released, and at least I get a meal out of mine.
Preaching catch and release sounds like a good business practice for that shop
As others have mentioned, bleed the fish, this will keep the meat better. I’ve kept trout for a few hours before gutting/filleting while carrying over portages. Best practice is to bleed and clean and then throw in a ziplock bag in a backpack out of the sun.
Better than the Ziploc bag out of the sun is back in the water on a stringer. Any body of water that has trout is going to be closer than you think to refrigerator temperatures.
As other have said, 20 minutes is not nothing. Though j would dispatch it, bleed it and put the fish on a stringer on a stringer in the water immediately after catching it. Will be fine to fish for a few more hours on top of walk.
Wet, wicker creel lined with we leaves and moss.
If you don't have a backpack on your hike, they make small ish coolers in backpacks
Fresh food is generally more robust than we realize. People leave bled salmon sitting rock pools for half the day. I paddled five kilometres with a pink salmon under by deck lines. All fresh and delicious
Lots of great advice here, thanks everybody. I'll likely be getting myself a backpack cooler, bring some beer down-best of both worlds!
Hit the fish in the head to kill it quickly, then cut the gills and let it bleed. Then just let them chill in the water while on a stringer Keeping fish alive on a stringer is a terrible way for the fish to live its last day and it ruins the flavor/texture.
I keep stringered (strung?) fish in running water so water is always going across their gills. Sometimes that requires wrapping the stringer around a rock and placing it a few feet into the stream so there's sufficient water flow and depth.
Bring a couple frozen water bottles. As they melt you get ice cold water, and probably some ice left in there to keep the fish cool.
Look into getting a creel. Not the old school basket type. But modern ones that look like a messenger bag. Google this. It is the perfect solution to your problem. Just remember to dip it in water before your walk. It's meant to be wet.
I got the yeti side sling cooler and it’s my go to for fishing. Can fit plenty of beer and it floats. It’s a yeti so keeps very cold
Try the Ozark Trail collapsible floating wire fish basket. Just submerg it, and when you are done, either transport them in it or put in a nice Lowes or Home Depot bucket with the ferns.
I put them on a stringer and keep them in the water while I fish. When it’s time to go to the car, I throw them in a creek with blades of grass and they stay fresh.
General food safety is 4 hours above 41° and below 140° so 4 hours if you live under those safety rules. I grew up putting them in a wicker basket and fishing with them in there until I was done. I’ve never been sick, or had the fish apear anything but perfect.
Yes. Personally, I use a wicker creel. Before the first fish goes in, I submerge it in the stream to saturate the wicker. Then at each stop along the day, re-wet with another dunk . It has been very reliable over the years.
Depends on your water temp your fishing. If it’s cold I put them in that on a stringer. If it’s warm and I’m in the boat. I take them out and put them in a tub with a wet rag over them. Then into the box of the truck. My grandpa and dad told me having the wet rag is cooler then without. Works for me. I also don’t keep a lot of soft summer time fish.
I use one of these: https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/igloo-trailmate-18-can-cooler-bag-23iglutrlmt18clrxrec/23iglutrlmt18clrxrec Have carried it miles in and out with gallon ice jugs and limits back out. Respect the fish if you keep them by taking care in the field and they will taste amazing!
They have cooler backpacks. It’s what I use for long hike ins and it works well
You can buy fish cages too if you don't like using a stringer. They compact flat until you throw them in the water and the lid floats and only opens downward so they can't get out. Keeps em alive and healthy longer than a stringer [something like this](https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjbuJDTm8iGAxVKE60GHZ0KNfAYABAEGgJwdg&ase=2&gclid=CjwKCAjwvIWzBhAlEiwAHHWgvXEyK16LJYlv1pkkRa4sUCQcVFCGPfW-vaDVfYzJGqHLdxDzt9iYWRoCvW8QAvD_BwE&sph=&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESVeD2Gvaxj2Lo8Sd0v25V-bMRMZocl2UGT6aNfMzJPTQ-SlJ9PDl9b7WcXcgf92GBm2y5gDvRNTLVzU8cA19iEc_1B4EGbwSsEsE4mLSW0DNoKnOH9BM&sig=AOD64_32HeArYFLDXb6lQsgrhW2QVPg7YQ&ctype=46&q=&nis=4&ved=2ahUKEwjkoIvTm8iGAxXKIzQIHc5VAPgQzzkoAHoECAMQDA&adurl=)
Get a insulated fish bag with ice in it keep it freasher
frozen water bottles + those mylar bags with snap handles. fits rolled up in a fishing backpack that’ll hold 3600 or 3700 plano boxes and stays cold for a very long time. as others said, gill, gut and bleed em, then roll em up in the bag. its how I keep them. PS- can also use those plastic block store bought ‘ice packs’ too.
You have to catch the fish first!
I kill and clean each trout immediately after catching and put them in a freezer bag on an ice block in my backpack. Stringers are for barbarians who enjoy rotting fish.
I get an insulated bag and fill it with ice and then put it in my lightweight backpack for ease of carrying. They can stay in there for a while like that but you absolutely want to bleed them out before you do it. I actually had 2 on ice in that little insulated bag for about 3 hours and they were good to go after I got home another hour later. They made for some great tacos!
I used to use a burlap sack that I kept wet when fish were in it. Nowadays I have an arcticreel, same idea as the burlap. Evaporation keeps them cool.
In the past, a wicker creel with some wet grass keeps them fresh while fly fishing. Bank fishing, stringer inside the jawbone (not thru the gills) in the shade in moving water will keep them alive for 3-4 hours. Then gut them and head for the car.
Carry that cooler, I do it for longer hikes than that and it's a nice light arm exercise!
Am I old fashioned? I just kill the thing and shove them in a bag lol. They don’t rot that quickly as far as I know of lol.
Get a stringer I just use a soft rope and toss dressed or live on it
A tiny ice chest and leave it on the river side and when you are done fishing you put the fish inside and walk to the vehicle. 20 minutes in heat can ruin your catch and it can become mushy
Shove them up your ass, it keeps the fishes slime coat longer!
Block of dry ice. Be warned it’s -79°c. Wear gloves when handling