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killing/bleeding fish

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billandalisha

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May 31, 2008
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Hello im 27 year old man who is just starting to get back in the fishing world. I was always just the type of catch and releasing fish. But now me and my wife are in it for game and their meat. When I watch my wife family they just put the fish on the stringer and the fish dies on its own in the water. ( which I do not like) anyways..

I know you can club them with a priest:duh, bleed, or put them in a freezer and they will die. I wish to learn how to do 2 things how to kill fish humanly and how to bleed the fish so the meat stays nice and white.

I read that you can cut them by the heart (photo 1) or cut their gills (2). How deep do you have to make the cut to the heart or other arterys? When they say to cut the rake of the gills ..which part are they talking about? I see a few layers of gills and do you cut vertical or horizontal to the fish? Are they talking about the gills that is in the fish or the gill that sticks out of the fish?

Oh and we are talking bluegills,trout and bass and now and then a pike

Thanks
 

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use your stringer or spear to kill your fish quickly . slip it in the gill and up into the brain between the fishs eyes , its the quickest way i know and probably the most humane as the fish doesnt have
to suffer longer then it should
 
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The first picture is very inaccurate. Assuming you've cleaned fish before, have you ever seen a fish who's guts go that high up and that far back?

A quick way to dispatch of a fish is to sever its spine. I've only just learned about that particular method, so I haven't had the chance to try it out. But it seems like a good idea. The only iffy part arises when you have to string the fish... What if the head rips off?

Why don't you like it when your family leaves the fish on the stringer? If you are afraid for the stringer you should consider making one out of steel cable. They work pretty well.
 
Because they keep the fish on the stringer for the whole fishing trip..which can be 2 or 6 hours, at the end of the trip the fish is dead on the stringer. Me I would rather learn how to kill a fish right away and not watching it die for 2 or 6 hours
 
you might try your target fishes anatomy, its biology,where it is at certain times of the year, it may just be at the beginning or end of its breeding cycle,is it pelagic ,i think most fish be it salt/freshwater need to be dispatched quickly and with no blood or fuss, i find if you hit your target down its lateral line it ceases to function like you or i would, if you miss your intended aim point but have its body in your hands press its chin on your leg in open water & wrench the body upwards to about 80%, try not too be to violent with this action as it can cause much vibration & blood loss,maybe attention you really don't need ,i guess that would also depend where you were on the planet as well, i can only try to help but my ? to you is are you hook& line or spearing or both? are you on about lake michigan or the ocean, try scottwilson,in torbay uk, hes a trusty old non grockle
 
I have found that the easiest and quickest way to dispatch a fish is what we call "braining." I assume that the anatomy of a freshwater fish cant be all that different from a saltwater fish. That being said, insert your dive knife into the head just above and behind the eyes (~45degree angle) of the fish. Insert the knife close to an inch deep and pivot the knife back and forth. When you hit the brain you will feel the fish give a sudden shudder. I have found that the technique varies from fish to fish but once you figure out the best way w/ each target species it is the most effective and least damaging to your catch.
 
scottwilson said:
use your stringer or spear to kill your fish quickly . slip it in the gill and up into the brain between the fishs eyes , its the quickest way i know and probably the most humane as the fish doesnt have
to suffer longer then it should
Click to expand...

Sorry missed this post. Essencially the same thing. with certain fish going through the gills to the brain is the easiest.
 
Braining is the way to go...he's brained when you feel the "death tremble"...I take it a step further and gut them on the surface immediately after shooting (it also gives me a decent breath-up time)...as for bleeding ripping the gills does quite a bit of bleeding but I find it unnecessary most of the time, as an inter-note if I'm in a school of fish, I'll shoot one rip his gills out as I go up leave him and go back down and shoot another...I've done this where I have 3 fish in the water dead and unstrung...after the action cools I string them up:martial
 
Braining is the best way, but heres some more good news. Some studies show that fish cant feel pain. At least in the same way humans do. I still dispatch all my fish immediately, but it makes me feel a little bit better about the "death shudder" and all. If you are shooting a fish that needs to bleed out, simply cut the bottom of the operculum, and then knife out the gill rakers.
 
i find the a way thats easy is i carry a knife with me. you can use it to go into the gills or stab it in the top of the head in the right spot and that usually kills them
 
some fish will have two holes, almost like nostrils, on top of their mouth. what i do, depending on size and species, is stick my stringer up their nose till i brain them. works pretty well on medium to small fish
 
This might be more for rod and reel fishing, but pouring alchohol on/in their gills kills them very fast and efficiently.
 
TOOmas said:
This might be more for rod and reel fishing, but pouring alchohol on/in their gills kills them very fast and efficiently.
Click to expand...

Yeah...that might be tough being underwater and all:blackeye
 
guys, AFAIK all spearos brain their fish either with an Ike Spike (search here) or knife to the brain (project back the same width as the eyes, there it is) or the spear upwards through the gills towards the brain. The fishes mouth with drop open and the fish will go limp when you hit the spot. It takes 0.5 seconds with practice. Bigger fish are tough sometimes. All other methods are redundant once you have learned this one, I guess.
 
cutting the fish in half with a four foot chain saw is a very effective way to kill/bleed in my opinion
 
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