Cooler bags for fishing

Does anyone happen to use a cooler bag for fish?  When I hike and plan on keeping fish, it ends up being a pain in the rear to tote along a cooler.  Last year I used an old beer 30 pack cooler.  It worked but ended up with melted ice leaking out and on me.
 
I saw the Calcutta Pack Fish cooler and some others on Amazon that looked promising.  I am not looking to use a $250 Yeti for putting my catch in either...  I'm sure it would be perfect for the task, but I don't want to be to the point where I am contemplating throwing away a $250 cooler, because I can't get the fish smell out.  It seems like the cheaper coolers have a very thin liner, that once tears is done.  Also seems that look like they'd get fish smell trapped.
 
I was thinking a dry bag might work, but would be lacking the cooler properties.  
 
Let me know if anyone has a good solution they wouldn't mind sharing.

I have quite a few 30 pack coolers that I love to use on our boat.
We freeze bottles of water and use them as our blocks of ice. 

• No leaks from the cooler as the water is contained
• You can drink them if they melt
• You can use a hammer or rock to crush the bottle of ice if you need loose ice.  The plastic bottle is easy to cut but contains the ice when smashing it.

 
I have also found that if you double up on the coolers (one inside the other) that even if the inside cooler leaks, it rarely leaks through the outside cooler.  It also provides better insulation at a very low weight.

Good ideas. 
 
I was thinking a contractor bag for liner, but way too big.  I want something thick since those dorsal fins go right through the standard kitchen garbage bag when I put carcasses in, so imagine flopping around would be even more so.  I was thinking 2 gallon freezer bags might keep the slime in and help with the dorsal fin poking?  I rarely catch many fish that won't fit in that.
 
I like the lid idea.  I usually have a small lunch box size hard cooler when cut bait fishing and use the lid for that.  In all honesty, most fish I catch fit in that thing and what I had used before when wanting to be mobile.  But have had times when I catch fish that won't fit and forced to either C&R or make a trip back to my truck or rental house.
 
 
The bottles sound like the way to go for ice.  I have 3 x 1/2 gallon apple juice containers in my basement freezer that are my "beer cooler" ice packs.  They don't keep the fish as cold as it would if in that mix of ice and melted ice water, but much better than a stringer or just sitting on the sand baking in the sun, which I see guys do.
 
I would mostly be using this for locally when crappie/perch wading, although usually it is cool enough when I wade for them to keep in a mesh bag then to my hard cooler in my truck.  Or when at the beach and hiking a good distance, either back side wading for specks, flounder, puppy drum there is usually a good hike from parking to the spot, usually over through terrain that my dolly struggles in.  Or walking the beach casting lures and covering as much water as possible until I find something that looks interesting.  I'll often go 100 yards and remember that my dolly/cooler is sitting back there and have to circle back and get.

Consider the cheap cooler bags used for groceries as something to use as an interior bag. They are cheap enough you dont care about replacing them a couple times a year and they are strong enough to help minimize spines poking through into your good bag and they can be easily rinsed out between trips. They have a bit of insulation to them to help reduce ice melt also.

Just dont take your wifes insulated 31 picnic bags... wouldn't go over well.

Yogurt slammers in the morning.... who knew???     Good luck fishing neighbor, let us know how the cooler works out, I'm definitely in the market for something light and efficient for a little winter fishing.
 
Something that would fit my new Christmas present, my kids don't know they're getting me.
 
 
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Pork the hitch is what caught my eye too. No way I put a cart, coated with sand, into a vehicle.

So if not the pictured beach cart then an all purpose hitch carrier is gonna be needed.

I agree with the balloon or bubble tires too. Guys I talked to while fishing the beach all recommend the bigger wider tires.

My problem, no matter the cart, my dumb asz will overload it and so I'll probably need to rent an Alpaca or Camel to pull the thing. 😁

I know you're itchin to get in the surf but til ya can make it, I hope this vid by the "bama beach bum" helps a bit.

https://youtu.be/7QNgBsSHYBc

Good times and tight lines.

I was looking at the backpack style soft coolers at Walmart and like the idea of using a dry bag as a liner.  I have aways used frozen water bottles instead of ice to avoid leaking but also liked the large freezer packs I saw at Walmart this week (I think they measured 16"x10").  Just one sandwiched between the inside of the cooler and outside of the dry bag should do fine.  As for spines poking through, most people I know who use fish bags carry a small pair of kitchen shears to cut the tips of the spines off before they go into the bag.

I seem to be at Lowes/Home Depot about 2-3 times per week as of late, so adding to my list!  Definite addition to my arsenal.  I wonder if a bunch of 3/4" ones would act like a bunch of ice cubes and distribute that cold a bit more evenly on fish?
 
Those are the bags that came to mind when I read Fisherlady's post.  I am pretty sure that I have one in our pantry that will be making it's way into my fishing gear...
 
Excellent tip on the clipping those dorsal spikes Yakr.  I love the Harbor Freight scissors that I have.  They make easy work of bleeding fish, good with braid and just good all around cutting scissors.  One of my favorite HF purchases.  I will be grabbing another pair for this as I hate taking mine off of my boat and them not there when I am looking for them...
 
https://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-multipurpose-stainless-steel-scissors-97042.html
 
I made the Amazon purchase of this bad boy...  Cheap and decent reviews.  I really wanted something that I can wear and keep fishing.  Keep moving until I find some sort of structure that keeps my interest and not have to circle back 100 yards to go pick my stuff up.  Which I seem to always do when I am beach fishing.  I am not a fan of wearing things while fishing, but with Spanish mackerel in particular, they are almost always in schools.  Catch one, look to the beach and seem my cooler is 50 yards down the coast.  By the time I get the fish to the cooler, that school is gone.  Throw it on the beach that is 80 degrees and humid at 8AM, and it is mush by the time you fillet it.
 
Extra compartments for some small tackle boxes (which is how I do my salt water stuff and my freshwater wading stuff - boat is all in a big box, but compartments too).  I have it sectioned off for beach metals NC/south, beach flea rigs, beach Skinner rigs, beach hi-lo, beach fish finder, beach NJ/North lures (bigger box), pier lures, pier Carolina rigs, inlet lures, inlet rock/piling rigs, inlet long lining flies, sound lures, sound bait rigs, etc.  Many sort of interchange, but usually able to grab 3-4 boxes that will be 99% of what I plan on doing and able to stay mobile, which is the key for this bag.  If I plan on bait and wait, I'll take the hard cooler.  With this bag, I'll still have the hard cooler waiting for it. 
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RZL3MSM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
I'm planning to modify it a little. Going to figure out an easy on and off rod spike attachment that will be out of the way and not smacking against me when I walk.  Those are nice regardless if bait and wait or rod in hand.  When changing lures or messing with a fish that isn't cooperating with the pliers, it is nice to keep the reel out of the sand or drink.
 

So, I made some of the PVC ice tubes (2" pipe).  I did them 9" long each (seemed to be a good length for all of my coolers).  Used 2 cups of salt to 1 gallon of water ratio (2 tablespoons per cup).  6 tubes ended up using 1/2 gallon.  Other half gallon went into an old juice bottle that I was already using as an ice pack with regular water.  Each tube was filled about 80%.  Wow, did PVC end caps go up in price???  Over $2 per.  I had to go to both Lowes and Home Depot to make sure one wasn't just mispriced...  6 tubes, including the cement and tube which I have a bunch left over and some white spray paint to make them look a little nicer, was over $45.
 
I did some tests and have to say that I am extremely disappointed.  Hoping the results were just a flawed initial test.
 
When I have used the juice bottle in my cooler (using regular tap water), it will stay mostly ice for a day.  2 days it is about 1/2 ice and after 3 days, it is usually melted.  In a Yeti soft cooler, so the cooler is pretty insulated.
 
I put all 6 of these PVC packs in my cooler.  The next day, my temp gun was reading 65 degrees in my cooler.  Each pack was about that same temp as well.  This was sitting in my basement that stays about 72 degrees...  Maybe 12 hours.  One thing to note, the ice packs were 18 degrees when I put them in the cooler, so they start off initially colder than ice.  They were kind of semi slushy/solid.  Had been in my freezer for 2 days.
 
My initial response right now is that these these are a huge waste of time and money and shocked of how poorly they worked...  I hope my initial testing was flawed somehow though, maybe need to be in the freezer for longer?  I know the regular ice pack as noted, is a full half gallon in itself, so slower to melt a larger block rather than smaller blocks.  Usually when I put that ice pack in, I have some already cold beers keeping temps lower too.  
 
My next test will be using my new cheaper fishing cooler back pack.  I really only need them to last for 3-4 hours.  It would be nice for longer, but usually is all that I am out for while at the beach.  Then hit the house/condo and back at it in the evening for another 3-4 hours.
 
 

It is my side by side beer fridge.  I will mess with my freezer adjustments to see if I can get it colder.  I also moved from the top shelf to the bottom shelf.  Usually a good 5-10 degrees colder there.  When it does the defrost cycle, it blows warm air at the top shelf.
 
The juice bottle that I used is mostly ice, but not completely frozen, about half way down.  That one is usually solid with regular water.  I have a feeling that I used too much salt for the strength of my freezer.  
 
Will report back tomorrow, hopefully with rock hard ice packs!
 

Porktown
I guess if too much salt, I can saw in half, less salty water and use couplings to reconnect.
 

Drill with a 5/16ths or 3/8ths bit, drain, refill using a syringe or tubing (like oxygen tube on fish tank aerator) and funnel. Plug hole with a short bolt and JB weld. 

The funny thing is, people seem to think there are thousands of scientists working on vaccines that somehow aren’t putting this much time into it. Building these things are like a water break for them. Us internet scientist need to stick to freezing saltwater...

Porktown
So, I made some of the PVC ice tubes (2" pipe).  I did them 9" long each (seemed to be a good length for all of my coolers).  Used 2 cups of salt to 1 gallon of water ratio (2 tablespoons per cup).  6 tubes ended up using 1/2 gallon.  Other half gallon went into an old juice bottle that I was already using as an ice pack with regular water.  Each tube was filled about 80%.  Wow, did PVC end caps go up in price???  Over $2 per.  I had to go to both Lowes and Home Depot to make sure one wasn't just mispriced...  6 tubes, including the cement and tube which I have a bunch left over and some white spray paint to make them look a little nicer, was over $45.
 
I did some tests and have to say that I am extremely disappointed.  Hoping the results were just a flawed initial test.
 
When I have used the juice bottle in my cooler (using regular tap water), it will stay mostly ice for a day.  2 days it is about 1/2 ice and after 3 days, it is usually melted.  In a Yeti soft cooler, so the cooler is pretty insulated.
 
I put all 6 of these PVC packs in my cooler.  The next day, my temp gun was reading 65 degrees in my cooler.  Each pack was about that same temp as well.  This was sitting in my basement that stays about 72 degrees...  Maybe 12 hours.  One thing to note, the ice packs were 18 degrees when I put them in the cooler, so they start off initially colder than ice.  They were kind of semi slushy/solid.  Had been in my freezer for 2 days.
 
My initial response right now is that these these are a huge waste of time and money and shocked of how poorly they worked...  I hope my initial testing was flawed somehow though, maybe need to be in the freezer for longer?  I know the regular ice pack as noted, is a full half gallon in itself, so slower to melt a larger block rather than smaller blocks.  Usually when I put that ice pack in, I have some already cold beers keeping temps lower too.  
 
My next test will be using my new cheaper fishing cooler back pack.  I really only need them to last for 3-4 hours.  It would be nice for longer, but usually is all that I am out for while at the beach.  Then hit the house/condo and back at it in the evening for another 3-4 hours.
 
 

 
I generally don't read your posts, because  they're usually much too long, and wordy. But look up the definition of latent heat, it's a Trump thing.

I got 4 hours of pretty consistent readings in my bag between 50-55.  Bag is in my office where it is 76 degrees and not in the sun.  Pack is currently liquid, but condensation ice on bottom side of pack, so still cold.  I would imagine if outside, it would be warm by now.  I think two packs would have me where I want to be.