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Any of you fishermen know much about fish shrinking after being on ice?

Last Friday, June 6, 2010, I caught a big trout while fishing at Horseshoe with my brother. We measured it on my cooler top which has a built in tape of 24 inches. It was longer that the 24 inches, plus the inch to the edge of the cooler and hung off about an inch. We called it at 26 inches.

When we came out the fish were placed under ice in a good cooler and taken home. The next day, about 20 hours from the catch time, the fish were taken out for cleaning.

I should have left well enough alone but found a wooden measuring stick and to my surprise the fish measured only 24.5 inches.

My questions:

1. Is this possible? Must have made a mistake measuring on the boat?

2. If we have that much shrinkage. One could get into a lot of trouble keeping 15 inch trout.

3. Does any one have good knowledge on fish shrinkage?

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Cooler tops are poor measuring devices.
Check your ruler against that of the cooler.
Buy a quality measuring stick with a 90 degree bend at one end.
No the fish will not shrink that much. A 1/4 inch at best.

I dont keep an trout less than 15.5 inch unless its a really slow day and we're ready to head in.

Thanks!

Both good advice!

Something thats works well for me to keep them from shrinking. Is to once we get out on the flats and start catching fish. I will take a bucket and add seawater to the cooler until it is 2 inches below the top of the ice. It creates a super cold slush like making icecream. You throw a fish in there and it swims into it and disappears, instead of throwing off the ice and laying on top. Their body drying out is what causes them to shrink. And when you get home they look just caught. But the water is so cold it hurts to dig them out.

JT knows a bunch about shrinkedge he squats to pee.

What a mess wrote:JT knows a bunch about shrinkedge he squats to pee.

You got a camcorder in my toilet?

Get a real measuring device like the ruler made by Skinny Water Products. Or see the folks at South Georgia Outdoors or Kevin's in Tally.
The ruler on the cooler is close but without a definite "0", such as the bend in a measuring stick, it's all relative. A fish won't shrink that much in that short of time frame.

Just a suggestion.

We use the livewell on the boat when it's cooler weather. Fish will shrink a little when they dry out.

Hit-n-Miss wrote:Something thats works well for me to keep them from shrinking. Is to once we get out on the flats and start catching fish. I will take a bucket and add seawater to the cooler until it is 2 inches below the top of the ice. It creates a super cold slush like making icecream. You throw a fish in there and it swims into it and disappears, instead of throwing off the ice and laying on top. Their body drying out is what causes them to shrink. And when you get home they look just caught. But the water is so cold it hurts to dig them out.

Works Like a Charm....

Don't know if I agree about adding water to the ice chest. I was raised by my grandfather who was a commercial fisherman all his life on the Aucilla River. He taught me to keep the water drained off the fish in the box. He said if the fish is dead and lays in the water in the ice chest, it causes the flesh to soften. I always open the drain on my ice chest to keep the water drained off.
They will shrink, but very little. I think they tend to curl some in the box, and when you straighten them out to remeasure them, it's difficult to get the same measurement as when they are fresh. Just my opinion.

I have to fold all of mine to put them in the ice chest....course, I use a sixpack cooler!

CSMarine wrote:Don't know if I agree about adding water to the ice chest. I was raised by my grandfather who was a commercial fisherman all his life on the Aucilla River. He taught me to keep the water drained off the fish in the box. He said if the fish is dead and lays in the water in the ice chest, it causes the flesh to soften. I always open the drain on my ice chest to keep the water drained off.

I agree if you are going to have them on Ice for more than the trip drain it.
But for the time on the water you can't beat the slush. They "swim" down into it and dont flop around on top of the ice.
They calm down fast and stay fresh till I hit the dock.

I really appreciate your opinions. Some good information I never thought of. Going to get me a good measuring board and throw back the 15 inch trout. So far we don't have to be much conserned with the over 20 inch ones

Thanks!

Another great thing about ice slush, if a fish is thrown in ice slush, her blood will be moved to her vital organs ( brain, heart and kidneys) and out of the flesh. Less blood in the muscle makes for a nice fillet. Better for hypothermia to kill them than hypoxia( lack of oxygen), also arguably more humaine to the fish. I don't usually leave them in there long, just while on the water.