Does Basic Meat Care Work for Fish?

dihardhunter

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T-minus 2 weeks until my trip to Kodiak Island. Finally settled on my final destination choice for a Sitka blacktail hunt and will be within a 2.5 mile slog of a substantial coho run. That sure has me thinking about timing a hike down to capitalize on the run...which leads me to wondering about whether or not a guy could keep salmon fresh for 3 or 4 days using the techniques one uses to take care of game meat. Gut the fish quickly, lop the head off, hang it long enough to get the moisture in check, then seal in 2-gallon Ziploc inside contractor bag underwater in the shade. Thoughts? Anyone try this before with success?
 

desertcj

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You trying to attract a grizzly? Lol. I would say no, but you may be able to sun dry it/smoke it in some cheese cloth. I would maybe try to catch some fresh, but not worry about fish if I'm hunting.

Edit: I didn't get all the way to the bottom where you want to keep in in water. Depends how cold the water is I'd say. I still wouldn't worry about fish while hunting. That's just me.
 
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dihardhunter

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Thanks for the input. Certainly the priority will be on finding some mature Sitkas, but I'm thinking if we get a low ceiling, fog-out day, what better way to kill a day then trudge down and whack a pile of salmon. I'm curious to hear what others have to say regarding this topic. Smoking the fish is a no-go as that's probably a surefire way to shake hands with Mr. Long Claws.
 

hodgeman

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No, you cannot preserve fish the same way you preserve red meat...whole different set of things going on in fish vs mammals.

To preserve fish you'll need something like a cooler and ice. You can always catch a few and let em go or bonk a couple for dinner.
 

Daniel_M

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No. Fish need to be filleted and sealed and then on ice as soon as possible though I wouldn't combine the 2 and enjoy the separation from the bears which will be on the river.
 
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dihardhunter

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Thanks guys. I suspected as much. We will hopefully keep 1 for the campfire and turn the rest loose to do their thing.
 

Okbow87

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Hope you are ready to shake hands with several bears if you are intentionally hiking down into a river bottom with a significant coho run.
 

Trial153

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Go down, lift a couple ... fillet the fish..cook them far from camp and call it a day.
 
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You guys have obviously never been to Jamaica.....Fish hanging in the sun for days, flies all over... and they sell them like hot cakes....Yum. ;-)
 
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dihardhunter

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Hope you are ready to shake hands with several bears if you are intentionally hiking down into a river bottom with a significant coho run.

I am ready. Will be respectful of their space, but there is a high side entrance that should minimize the amount of Adler thrashing alongside the stream. Bears are part of the Kodiak experience, that's for sure.
 
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