my bleeding eyes............

So, I have reading a lot about bleeding your eyes out before you put them in the box. It sounds like there is good and bad to this process.


BENEFITS:

Whiter meat
Better tasting
Cleaner filet processing

DOWN FALLS:

Smacking you eye between the eyes (lol)
Blood bath
Box photos not so pretty


This weekend we fished from walnut to lorain then to geneva, boy what a trip I'm beat still! Anyway I hate filleting on the road it makes a mess on the tailgait. So I figured I would give bleeding them out a shot. It worked out really well. I was very impressed, the meat tasted even better and it was really white.

I think we have perfected the process with some blooding trail and error.
1. Catch you eye
2. Boat em
3. Put em on a stringer
4. Give em a nice CRACK between the eyes (I use my 2' scrub brush handle works rather well.)
5. Slit them behind the gills and get a couple of them as well. (Outside of the boat.)
6. Let em hang out for five or so (don't forgot they are still over the side when your picking up, oops I did once)
7. Box em on ice

It was worth it, I highly recommend it.


P.S. there hasn't been many forums posts lately. I think I know why, cause everyone is finally box'n the eyes!

Ya boy!!!!!!!!!

Ya I was on the fence about the bonking part. The only reason why I decided to smack them was to put them out of there misery quickly. I hate to see them bleed to death and die slowly.

There just stoopid fish 

The ones that get away or dont get caught arent......

Bonk em if ya want.  Bleed em if ya want. Either way you are killing them for your soon to be consumption. ITS FOOD and I prefer mine dead,battered and cooked. But how you choose to kill them is up to you.

Bleeding them out makes for much better meat IMO.

Only way to go. We do the same with the stringer over the side and knife or shears to cut gills. I think it better to not bonk as you need blood pumping to bleed out. Actually makes for a much cleaner box picture at the end of the day.

If you guys had any ethics at all you would practice C&R with them!



Doh! I am going to get it for that.

I don't stringer them. I just put a death-grip under the gill plate, slide a fillet knife below the gills and slice through the gill bridge just anterior to the heart. After the cut, I put the knife away and grab the tail and pump the tail side to side and up and down until the heart is pumped dry, usually about 20-30 seconds, rinse in water, then ice them.

ORIGINAL: topdog99

ORIGINAL: heyiknowyou

rope 'em and chop all the gills over the side of the boat and drag them for a while works great.

bonking on the head is only for the farm animals that make it to the boat

why kill the sheephead? its not like you're putting a dent in the population...

throw them back, they belong there more so then even you....

i dont kill them, the seagulls do while they are floating on the surface.

Sounds like there gonna be more blood shed other than my eyes.

Jez.......