Keeping Fish Color.

[lakertaker97]

Is there a way to keep the color in fish once you kill them? Would it help if you bleed them? Thanks.

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[Chas0218]

Freeze them. Are you talking about once you catch them and put them in a cooler? The worst thing you can do is let a dead fish sit in water. We freeze milk jugs and put them in a cooler with the fish and no water and they keep their color.

[ReelPower]

Do you mean color of the meat and fillets? If so, bleeding immediately and then heavy ice, fillet without getting meat wet (if possible), pat down with paper towel and store with no water in the vacuum tight packaging. After cleaning thousands of salmon in ak this is the way to go for me, many opinions on this.

If you mean exterior color of the fish Ice ice baby.

[lakertaker97]

I mean the color of skin for pictures at the end of the trip.

[lineman49]

wrap them in a wet towel & keep cool.

[lakertaker97]

Will bleeding them make a difference? Also will that keep them real close to the original color or does that just even out all of the color change.

[skipper19]

I have used green grass in my trout creel. Bedded brookies in it with a sprinkle of water and don't let the fish touch together. Worked ok, not sure about heavy fish in a cooler, but lots of crushed ice and bed them in it out of the melt should work.

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[ReelPower]

Take a picture right after you catch 'em, problem solved.

[711skwerlz]

Keep them cold an dry. We caught a 33.9lb king on a trip to Mexico. Wrapped in a towel and garbage bags packed on ice it looked fresh 3 days later at my taxidermist.

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[Chas0218]

The idea is to keep it dry or alive which ever is easier for you. My father and I have used rope through their mouths and drop them over the edge of the boat tied to a cleat. This will ensure the fish stays a live for the trip and add a few extra lbs. of water to its belly.