Hello, just curious as to your thoughts on bleeding a fish in slow moving water where you had just caught?
Fish jumping all around and you are anchored up and begin to catch and hook multiple coho in a puget sound river?
Do you bleed the fish in the water or do you attempt to keep the fish out of the water ie: bleed it in a bag or cooler?
me and pal had an argument over this? you probably know where I am going with this but just curious as to an experienced and knowledgable fisherman would think?
Thanks in advance for any responses.

In my boat out in the Strait, I used to bonk, place in a plastic bag in the cooler (on ice), and tear/cut a gill to bleed out. The bag kept the cooler from getting too bloody. Now, I bonk and place the fish head down in a 5 gal bucket filled about 1/3 with water. After bleeding the fish goes into a bag, on ice, in the cooler. I try to clean the fish in a timely manner and leave them on ice in a new, clean plastic bag.

Not sure about a river situation, but I'd lean towards bleeding the fish in a bag in the cooler on ice.

I always carry a 5 gallon bucket in the boat for a variety of uses. Put enough water in the bucket to cover the fish's head to prevent coagulation. Cutting the fish's gills inside the bucket also keeps the mess out of your boat.

When in the drifter in the river I bleed right in the net hanging off the oar lock and go back to fishing while its bleeding out.While in my sled I bleed in self bailing fish box.I have hooked plenty while the fish are bleeding out.Hope this helps.Good luck,

SZ

+1

I have always bled them out right away wherever I am fishing at and never noticed an issue. Still manage many hookups afterwards.

+1

I bleed instantly after the bonk.

I bleed into a bucket and dump the bucket into the water. The blood has no effect on the fish in the immediate area.

+3

My all time favorite bucket shot....

In salt water or in a big river like the Columbia, I just put a short rope through the mouth and out the gills, cut the gills and hang it in the water over the transom for a few minutes.

Been doing that for, oh, 50 years or so. Thats the way I learned it fishing the Columbia in the 50's and 60's.

Not sure why you need the bucket deal.

The one time I do this a seal is going to come up and rip it off the rope.

Seals would be my worry also. Depending on the body of water.

Seal, never happened yet, been doing that for many, many years, I'm 69. Been fishing since the early 50's, raised in Portland, 4 miles from the Columbia, fishing Puget Sound since 1980.

Messing around with a bucket sounds like extra work for nothing.

I go with the bucket. Sticking a fish in a bucket takes less work than tying a fish up with a rope.

Plus...last time I did that we were fishing off of Bush Pt., drifting along and casting in 15 feet of water...and some damned dogfish came up and ate the bellies right out of three salmon I had on the rope!

Fish on...

Todd

Cut gills,

toss in box






or cooler



repeat as needed.

As for fish caring about blood in the water, the thought never really occurred to me, and I definitely haven't noticed a correlation to a drop off in the bite.


By the way Doc, I gave the Stam shotgun method a try a few times on sockeye this year and man does that do a good job of bleeding them out quickly. However, you have to be a little more delicate with the tail when filleting, as the strength is greatly reduced. I tore a few off before I learned my lesson

I was tying them off over the side, (took off with one hanging over the side last week )but now I just get them in the blue hanging gut thing and get 'em cleaned and in the ice. Only takes a minute. and it seems to entice a strike when you hands are good and bloody

Coley;
What about Ice? Aren't you concerned that the quality of the fish will deteriorate when handled in such an "Alaskan" way?

Not only is a bucket faster than tying the fish up, it keeps the body upwards so the blood can drain faster towards the gills. I also have a small water jug that I shove in the middle of the bucket to help keep the fish upright. Also the bucket has other potential uses - like bailing if things ever go really wrong.

Another vote for the bucket. I usually fill mine with a couple bags of ice to start the day and it usually keeps that water very cold til we're done. I bleed em in the bucket and then put em in my katch kooler with ice til I'm off the water and cut em up.

Thanks for the responses gentlemen.