Where do you clean your fish after a day on the water?

[bikerider]

The title pretty much sums it up. Where is your preferred spot to clean your catch when you get home from fishing? I have been using the kitchen sink and a cutting board and it's just not that great.

 

[MrGiggles]

The title pretty much sums it up. Where is your preferred spot to clean your catch when you get home from fishing? I have been using the kitchen sink and a cutting board and it's just not that great.

I keep a cutting board in the carport where the boat lives. Slice 'em up right on the back deck of the boat, or on the truck tailgate once I get home. Clean up is minimal, just hose off the cutting board and dump the guts in the compost pile. A few scales and a little blood in the boat doesn't bother me, it's a fishing boat, not a show piece.

I also have a cleaning station set up outside the garage, but the lighting is not good, so I don't really use it.

I've seen guys set up an ironing board to clean them right at the ramp. Seems to work well for them.

 

[FishingForSupper]

I carry a cutting board in the truck and clean them when I’m back at the ramp, throw the guts in the trash can there. If I have to do it home, I do it outside, guts go in the freezer until trash day (keeps the smell down).

 

[LDUBS]

Of the three lakes I frequent, two have pretty fancy fish cleaning stations with running water, etc. I just filet everything before I leave for the day.

The third has no cleaning facilities. At that place I used to gut them out whilst still on the boat. Tossed the guys over the side. Now I just hang onto them until I get home. Filet them at the kitchen sink. Put the nasty stuff in a paper bag and toss it over the fence to my neighbor's yard.

 

[turbotodd]

At the top of the ramp usually, but that's about 1/8 mile from the river. They have a station there specifically for fish parts and it's almost always overrun with alley cats looking for a handout. Cute little boogers but they are a nuisance. At night the coons show up and fight the cats, now that is good entertainment.

Some guys don't mind guts blood and scales in the boat and I respect that. I have done some limited fishing guiding over the last few years and what I find is that nobody wants a dirty boat. I have always kept it clean anyway just because I feel better about taking care of my stuff but when a client sees a dirty boat, they are already questioning their decision to hire you. Things are just a little different in that sense. We never know whose gonna show up and how they are. I've had guys show up and not care about the equipment (and it was obvious by looking at the vehicle they showed up in and the clothes they wear...and on a couple occasions by their lack of personal hygiene), but then I've had ladies show up and question even touching a nasty slimy old fish. The last time I had a full day, we caught a few right before lunch. I asked her if she wanted to eat at the dock or if she bought a sandwich (nope), so we pulled up to a sandbar, tied the boat to a tree hoping the water didn't rise much, and cooked our catch over an open pit in the sand using hickory sticks for heat. Now keep in mind, this lady was just that-a lady-she didn't touch the fish, and frankly didn't eat much fish. After I had it seasoned up and cooked, I let her try a piece and you'd have thought it was something new or something. It was pretty good but I've done a lot better before and since. She's gone with me a few times now. She wanted me to do a TV segment with the news station she works for on the river but I had to decline, I don't really' care for that kinda thing.

I used to bowfish some, well more than rod & reel, and we'd be shooting between the two of us between 200 and 500 fish a night if it was real good. A trash can won't hold that many so we just threw the rest in the bottom of the boat. Weigh in/count first thing in the morning, then throw the fish (usually rough fish like gar, carp, etc that have no use for anyone--or didn't that we knew of) in a dug hole in the yard. Cover it up and the next season's garden got a good start. But the boat, being that the tournament was during the night, right after working ALL day beforehand, we'd go get some rest. 'Course the boat would be sitting out there in the hot sun, baked the blood, guts, slime, and scales to the hull, and by that evening it stunk to high heaven. It was not a nice smell either, so we had to stay on top of power washing it out before parking it for the day. Made for a long weekend, usually 30 hours without sleep, then get a few hours, get up next morn and go back to work. No way I could do that now.

 

[UP BOATER]

Yeah it really depends on where I am fishing, on the big Boat out on big water I will usually clean them on board and just keep the filets, on smaller water if there is a cleaning station I will use that, but for sure some get cleaned in the kitchen sink.

 

[Vader809]

At home in the garage. It's illegal in Ohio to clean your catch on the water, last time I checked. And really don't know of a fish cleaning station on inland waters. I think it's rude to clean your fish at the ramp and leave it to rot. At a campground it's a bit different.

 

[LDUBS]

At home in the garage. It's illegal in Ohio to clean your catch on the water, last time I checked. And really don't know of a fish cleaning station on inland waters. I think it's rude to clean your fish at the ramp and leave it to rot. At a campground it's a bit different.

I agree about dumping fish guts in shallow water around ramps or banks. Can get pretty nasty. Out in the middle of the lake in a couple of hundred feet of water, no problem. However, under California reg's if you filet while on the water, you need to keep a fish head or something to prove the species.

There are some closed in bays/harbors in California that prohibit dumping of fish remains. I guess the concern is too many rotting carcasses adversely impact the oxygen balance.

 

[jeff925]

Of the three lakes I frequent, two have pretty fancy fish cleaning stations with running water, etc. I just filet everything before I leave for the day.

Ldubs,im in east bay too. del valle and San Pablo? I have a season pass at del valle, there most weekends.

 

[wmk0002]

Of the three lakes I frequent, two have pretty fancy fish cleaning stations with running water, etc. I just filet everything before I leave for the day.

The third has no cleaning facilities. At that place I used to gut them out whilst still on the boat. Tossed the guys over the side. Now I just hang onto them until I get home. Filet them at the kitchen sink. Put the nasty stuff in a paper bag and toss it over the fence to my neighbor's yard.

LOL

 

[LDUBS]

Of the three lakes I frequent, two have pretty fancy fish cleaning stations with running water, etc. I just filet everything before I leave for the day.

Ldubs,im in east bay too. del valle and San Pablo? I have a season pass at del valle, there most weekends.

Hi Jeff. My three go-to lakes are Camanche, Berryessa, and Pardee. I pretty much target trout. Most of the time I'm going to Camanche. I hit Berryessa usually when I'm meeting up with my son. He lives in Santa Rosa so Berryessa is a pretty good meeting point. Berryessa had a free ramp at Capell Cove. I heard they now charge $5 via a ticket machine. Still pretty cheap compared to other places.

I've been to both San Pablo Res and Del Valle but it has been a few years. Both have really nice facilities. I enjoyed being there during the week because it felt like I owned the lake. San Pablo is very picturesque, though it can get pretty windy as I recall.

 

[bikerider]

Put the nasty stuff in a paper bag and toss it over the fence to my neighbor's yard.

:lol:

 

[bikerider]

For those of you with cleaning stations at the lake, that sounds like it could be nice. I'm sensing a theme here. Most of you are cleaning them outside lol. This looks like a pretty decent setup.

 

[gsh341]

Most lakes around here have fish cleaning stations. These are open sidedr shelters with large stainless steel tables with an industrial grade disposal in the center. They have wash hoses and power for electric filet knives.

However, that portable table does look pretty nice.

If I don't clean the fish at the lake I clean them on the counter next to my kitchen sink and dump the guts and garbage in the slough just down the road. Lots of critters there that appreciate the free meal.

Sent from my SM-T387V using Tapatalk