I too once believed different things.
Surf Fish- who posts every now and again. He said to try the Ziploc vacum sealing bags and the dumb pump thingie from the grocery store.
Well.....i did.
Not only does it work better than my pair of expensive vacum machines, the bags cost less. Also, the electric pump machines require that no fluids enter its pump- or else. That is why Jeffy pre-freezes. To avoid this unsavory aspect of vacum pump operations.
But....the four dollar do hikey thingy doesn't exactly care if some liquids enter. Probably enhances the pull.
Also.....no fancy bag handling required. Just zip it closed, place pump on bag's highlighted circle, and pump it some.
This is good.
You can clean fish Friday, zip them and refrigerate all day Saturday, and enjoy Sunday no problem. You can package fish Easter, freeze, and enjoy Labor Day.
I have two of the pumps that use electricity, and they are great for my red meats......but fish is Ziploc pumpers all the way.
I learned that fish prep is important to ones overall enjoyment of surf fishing. Come home with $1000 worth of equipment, thirty dollars shy on gas, and some fish. Well.....you better get something real good, or you are wasting money, and should instead go directly to the seafood counter and expect to be told to sell at least some of your stuff.
My girl said to me one day....and yes I still remember....she said," Honey.....what good is it to me if you can cast over 700 feet....if when you reel it back in there ain't no fish attached?"
Women are tough. Hard to know where to start with that one.
Years ago, I watched a renowned commercial fisherman - harvesting. He did his differently than I did mine. I started doing mine his way and noticed they were better.
Then of course came different cooking techniques and strange recipes. But that too is good. I provide my crew with variety and high quality.
Not a dumb question, should become the longest thread in site's history. Care of catch, preparation of catch, storage of catch. All would be good to hear from others what special things they do and why.
I shall share first. I have a Gator bucket. It is Gator orange cause they are the best team and we all know that. But also, it hides bloody water better than a white bucket does. People see blood in water and freak, people see same water in orange bucket, and notice not. I catch a fish and I bleed him in that bucket, filled with seawater. After he exanguinates, and is certifiably dead, I use shears to slice his belly, from anal foramen to gills. Then use my finger to scoop out his stuff in one straight forward motion. Rinse in bucket and lay in cooler. I like to add seawater to my ice so that it forms some liquid in the bottom. The liquid allows fish to go below the ice, and this starts the cooling process. It rapidly cools them. Then when done fishing, I simply pull the plug and lug the cooler off the beach. The ice will settle in nicely on top of the fish as it drains.
You can forgo immediate cleaning..... if the fish were prepared in thius manner. Yes you can nap when you get home, and even wait till the next morning if you have ice on top.
In case you feel as I once did, that it is barbaric- riddle me this. How is filleting any less invasive. Your taking his flesh.
My brother thinks it is an abhorrent practice. He is tilted that way naturally, I can asure you. He says lay the undamaged fish in the ice water slurry- first. Let him go, then use the shears to remove his entrails.
I'm an embalmer, perhaps this isn't going well here for everybody.
Point is, chill the fish quickly, rid it of entrails as soon as it perishes, If you do this, it will taste better. I like them bled.....but hey, who cares.
Learn how to PROPERLY fry fish. Lard works great and is cheap. Use a thermometer and be patient. Experiment with dipping crumbs and double dips and such. Learn to blacken fish. Learn to bake fish. Experiment some and figure out how your crew enjoys the different species done up.
I like to fry mullet and whiting
I like to blacken drum and pompanyo
I like to bake drum and pompanyo
I don't like frying drum and pompanyo
I like to smoke mullet and pompanyo and bluefish so we can enjoy the Stone Cold Steve Austin Bluefish Dip.
Your crew will have their favorites....and that my friend, makes everybody happy and almost no one questions the above expenses.
Amazing actually.
I don't recommend freezing fish in water now days, when this option is so close to same cost.
Try different variations. Some skip seawater additions to the ice and instead sprinkle with rock salt to melt it some and create cooling slurry. Chlorinated water makes commercial ice, and chlorinated water spoils the flesh of fish. Hard to get around that.
Prepare early, and enjoy later. Maximize your flavors, and demonstrate surf fishing is worthy. Feed them good, and they will let you come back. My crew is all about it.
Don't clean the fish on the beach.....no.
Instead just gut them like you would do if you shot a buck.
BTW- for the record, this is the second not dumb question you have asked.