Keeping Trout

I almost always release trout that I catch. I only keep fish that are gut hooked or ones that I think will die. I hav never kept any though and ate them. My question is. Will fish keep all day on a stringer? What I mean is doe they have to be gutted right away or can you fish all day and just keep them on a stringer? Sorry if it seems like a dumb question but, I have very little experience keeping fish. I have always just released them. I know someone here told me to keep them as cut bait but, I wouldn't mind keeping a few to eat as long as they are ones that won't make it.

When I want to keep fish and stay out most of the day, I throw a bag of ice in my cooler and keep it in the car. When I catch something I want to keep, I try my best to put it on ice as quick as possible. Doesn't get any fresher than this.

Gill'um, gut'um and ice'um. Gives you optimum results. If you drag them around all day, they die and soak in the water you may as well use them for coon or pussum bait/or fertilizer.
Just my nickles worth!

I think if I keep them, I'll just use them as cut bait for cats. I have eaten trout before and it isn't my favorite fish. Walleye is probably the best freshwater fish that I have ever eaten. I never keep fish that I know will live. All six that I caught yesterday were lip hooked and I kept them in the water while unhooking them. They swam away fast. I just hate to see something go to waste. My brother caught one yesterday that was gut hooked. We brought it home but after toting it all day without gutting it or putting it on ice, I didn't want to eat it. Thanks for the tips. Next time I'll be sure to take a cooler with ice.

mr.crappie

Also be sure to dispose of the guts properly as it illegal to throw them in the water after cleaning them.  sam

What he said, don't be that guy, saw several people do that yesterday

I saw the unlawful actions of disposing the guts streamside also yesterday.  Don't get some people, especially if they know it's illegal.
 
I always get disgusted by the guys dragging around their dead, pale, almost moldy fish all day.  They seem like they've been out of the water longer than in the water.  And I get a kick out of the people who just put their fish in a plastic bag lol.  Eww.

I usually cut the gills and let the blood drain and clean them at home

you should be able to gut fish streamside aslong you throw guts out in water,they sink,feed bottom critters,that new law is a crock of dodo! i would not want to eat fish that had guts in them for more than a hour,what a waste of fish that will proulby get tossed in garbage.

The main arguments against throwing entrails into the water are that it can cause abnormal levels of bacteria as the innards decompose and that (especially during opening weekend when there are hundreds of thousands of people fishing) it is generally unsightly and will lead to things like odors, attract rodents and flies, etc.
 
I don't see how taking them home and dropping them in a plastic bag to take up space in a landfill or be burned is any better, but I don't make the rules. Agencies differ on this. In Idaho, Fish and Game says you show throw them into the deepest water available.
 
Probably the best bet when it's illegal to leave them in the water is to throw them on a compost pile or bury them. They're great fertilizer for a garden if you have one.

bcain
I couldn't see what throwing the guts in the water would hurt. You use cut bait for catfish. Just a stupid rule that I will follow since I don't need any trouble from the law.

B  If your using the trout for bait don't clean or bleed out get them on ice freeze them whole in bag of water ( or vac pak )  thaw and use works just fine.

 Trout are mushy for cut Cat bait. Better made into a batter like dough for bait. Catfish make better Cat bait that stays on the hook.
 
crappy

Most important thing I always tell people who ask about keeping fish is this: if you're planning on eating the thing, treat it like something you're going to eat.  
 
For fish, that means a fast, humane kill (cut or tear out one or both gills, then put it back in the water, and it'll bleed out in moments).  After that, it's food.  You should keep it as cold as possible, preferably by putting it on ice immediately (which is easy if you're camped out in one spot, but more difficult if you're roaming).  If you're miles from the cooler, after doing the gills, put it on a stringer or in a mesh bag, and keep it in cold, clean flowing water, still trying to minimize the time between catch and cooler.
 
As far as the gutting on the water issue, I'm glad they don't permit it, honestly.  I know that as a kid, that would have creeped me right out to see people hacking into live fish all around me on opening day, not to mention that based on the trash the opening day crowds leave behind, the lake shores would probably look like a scene from Braveheart.  These days, I still don't particularly *like* to see it (it's better for you and the fish to cut the gill), but really opening day is for the kids.  For my part, I haven't kept a trout outside of Erie county in over a decade, but if I decided to keep one, if I was out in a remote area with noone around, I'd probably just gut it and be done with it...or if there were people around, maybe toss the guts in a plastic bag.

Cold, that's what I'm talking about. I know a lot of guys say the best way is to gut them then put them on ice stream side but I don't want to go freaking out some little kid. I don't want to keep a lot but I have actually had fish that were lip hooked act like they were gonna die after releasing them. I don't know if it is because maybe they were caught and not handled correctly before I caught them. I have only had that happen on opening day. I hate to just throw them back knowing they will die anyway. Just trying to find the most humane way without freaking out the women and kids. Invicta, I know what you mean. You will see fish that turn white. Doesn't look real appetizing.
 
 
 

I know a lot of guys say the best way is to gut them then put them on ice stream side but I don't want to go freaking out some little kid. I don't want to keep a lot but I have actually had fish that were lip hooked act like they were gonna die after releasing them. I don't know if it is because maybe they were caught and not handled correctly before I caught them. I have only had that happen on opening day. I hate to just throw them back knowing they will die anyway.

 
Those fish fresh out of the hactchery, still adjusting to life in a real stream and being bombarded, and repeatedly caught by a bunch of people are always pretty goofy.  Understandably, I guess, all things considered.  If we went out opening morning and there was some big rough gang of thugs that grabbed us and repeatedly held us underwater at random times all morning, I guess we'd be pretty goofy too.  I don't like releasing a fish that doesn't swim off healthy under its own power either, but if there's a day I'll release a 'marginal' fish, opening morning is the day.  Bums me out, but I usually don't even carry any means by which to keep fish.
 
If you're stationary, though, I'd say your best bet is to have a cooler of ice just for fish, and if you're going to keep one, once you bring it to hand and you have it in close, just hook a finger up into a gill and yank it out in the water as part of the "unhooking" process...easy to keep it out of sight of squeamish kids.  Hold it in the water a minute to bleed out, and then put it on ice immediately after, guts in.  Finish cleaning them once you get home.

Cold
This isn't really the most accurate thought process.  You don't want to keep them alive as long as possible, and in fact, that will make them taste considerably worse than a quick kill because the stressed fish will build up lactic acid in its muscle tissues.  
 

I use a mesh bag when wading for panfish and it doesn't seem to do anything on taste.  There isn't much more stressfull situation than being caught by a commercial net, pulled in and flopping around in a cooled storage container until they sufficate.  It doesn't seem to affect the taste too much.  It might be better to instantly kill and grill, but I'm not sold on it being very noticable.  Fish that have gone stiff and dragged around in the water all day, that's another story.
 
For me, as soon as they are ready to leave the water, which could be hours alive in a bag, they are gill raked and left to bloody up the water for a few minutes.  Tossed in a cooler filled with ice and will gut when I clean at home.  Half of the time for panfish, I don't even gill blast them.  For trout, I'll either fillet, skin and remove dark meat or dress it whole for smoking.  I haven't found a recipe besides smoking that will mask the gamey taste of the dark meat though.  Even the ones pulled right from a hook, wrapped in foil with bacon and lemon and on a grill.  Unless that grill is kicking off some good smoke, I can taste that dark meat working through the rest of the meat.  Same with many other species.  Take the dark meat off and completely different.  
 
If back packing, roaming, ect.  Take a gallon zip lock bag 1/2 full of ice.  Double bag to keep from leaking or use the ice packs (make your own with disposable water bottles filled 3/4 way without cap on & add cap after frozen).  Loose ice is better to cover the fish more.  Buy a soft insulated cooler bag.  Take an additional ziplock bag, gut and toss guts in other bag if worried about the guts rotting.  Have a cooler with ice ready at the vehicle.  I did this hiking to the Point at Cape Hatteras (about 1 mile hike), and worked well with morning temps in 70s and noon temp close to 90.