Storing Fish After You Catch Them?

[Steve Stinson]

How are you guys storing your fish after you catch them. I lost 1/2 of a nice trout Saturday evening off of Bottoms Rd., when a shark decided he wanted the other half.

The trout was on a stringer, tied near the cockpit of my kayak. This is not the first meal I've lost to the sharks.

I have a rather narrow, Necky sit inside kayak. There really isn't room to strap a decent sized cooler in front or behind the cockpit.

I am thinking a fish bag or collapseable cooler may be the only way to go?

Thanks -
Steve Stinson

[CrippleDog]

Steve: Always catch 2 fish, and tie the small one on the far end of the stringer and rig with big hook.

Fishbag or collapsable cooler sounds like it might work for you if you have enough room either inside the cockpit, or on the deck to "bungie-down".

[chugbug]

Could you pull a cooler stuffed in an inner tube behind you? Worked for beer when we floated the river.

[Steve Stinson]

Thanks for the replies. I am fairly new to the kayak game, and still experimenting.

I will try the collapsable cooler if I can find one long and thin enough to get a few trout in.

CD - I hadn't thought about rigging my stringer to catch whatever is eating it. I am not real sure I want a mad shark attached to my kayak with 3' of small rope.

Chug - I could pull a cooler behind me, but it would severly limit the range of my travels. I have already learned that even something as small as a bait bucket creates a sizeable drag on the kayak.

- Steve Stinson

[Littoral]

A stringer could be a serious problem with a gator. Here's a good conversation we had about this sometime back:
http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpbb/vie ... php?t=5872

[MudDucker]

Could you pull a cooler stuffed in an inner tube behind you? Worked for beer when we floated the river.

Somebody has floated the Ichetucknee River back in the old days

[Bakertize]

hey Steve

I use a collapsable cooler with plenty of room for some trout and a red.
picked it up at Sams for 30 bucks oops !! $7.58



I'm sure you can find a way to strap this to kayak.
23" x 15" x 5"

[Steve Stinson]

Thanks gentlemen - that's exactly what I was looking for. Hopefuly, my shark feeding days are over.

- Steve Stinson

[Browning Slayer]

Don't stop feeding those Sharks!
I like'm big!

The collapsable cooler is the way to go! I don't do a lot of salt water fishing from the kayak but my trout (freshwater) take a beating in shallow water on the small rivers up here on a stringer. Not to mention I've lost a stringer or two in high water (bad knots and my fault in the heat of the moment). It's still fun to get where most people won't go!

[BlueDrifter]

Many years ago I learned that if you are going to stringer fish over the side make sure you tie a slip not that can be released quickly. I learned that after a near capsize when a very small shark engulfed a stringer full and took off with my fish, my yak and me. Luckily a sharp knife always kept open and at hand allowed me to cut free. Yaks dont do well being pulled sideways.

[BlueDrifter]

You could if they can still be found buy a boat shaped pool blow up with a bottom shaped like a boat and tow your chest with that. Less resistance than innertube....or a small flat bottom boat could be made with door skins using the stitch and glue method. OR make a pontoon catarmatan out of foam lobster bouys and pvc

[Apalach]

bakertize said:

I use a collapsable cooler with plenty of room for some trout and a red. picked it up at Sams for 30 bucks

Wow Rob--how come you got such a deal? The rest of us paid $7.58 each for these bags (see Litt's post above)! I've heard tell about this inflation thing that's goin roun, but that's plum reediculous!.

[Bakertize]

yea Apalach sorry
I got it wrong the cooler bag is $7.58 after checking into it I stand corrected. what a deal