After the catch

[Bill "Musky" Modica]

Usually on Bluegill outings, my partners and I will selectively harvest a few 7-8" gills..and for several years now, I normally just fillet and skin them for the pan....As of late, member Jeremy Mayo has taunted my taste buds with his field dressed style and method of preparation.....so I'm about to give it a go!

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

No, you're pretty much right; decay begins immediately after the bodily functions cease. And fish decay faster than other creatures. Knowing that, we attempt to delay or better yet, to control the rate of decay. The best way to do so is with cold.

Get the fish you intend to eat gutted, first, whenever possible. Do that at the waters edge, if practical. There are icky things in the guts of fish that are best removed ASAP, or they can spoil the flesh.

Then get the fish on ice right away, in plastic bags or on a thin mat of straw or dry grass. This keeps them from getting water logged in the ice melt-off.

If you are not going to eat them immediately, keep them as cold as possible like Bill does until you do consume them. If you are not going to eat them within a few days,  freeze them.

Interestingly, while you dont want fresh fish gettin' waterlogged, it is best to fast freeze fish in lightly salted water. Place the cleaned fish in zip-lok bags with just enough lightly salted water to cover them. This prevents freezer burn and drying out in the freezer.

[chris naff]

Some offshore aficionados use a spray bottle with cheap tequila to hit the gills of rowdy keepers.This sends em to lala land quickly.It would work with the two-time fighters from the pond as well.BTW,If BGs live long in the cooler,how bout those crappies? they really keep going after a long day in the box---BUT,THE King of the Cleaning Table (for me) is perch(yellow).They are as tough as blackfin tuna(which can break your knife),and as tenacious of life as the Terminator.

[Vic Tankersley]

I have a buddy who wants the gills scaled and gutted, he says the skin is where the flavor is. I say I will eat them any way you want to fix them, scaled or filleted. HAHA, but the girls wants them filleted and fried in Louisiana Fish Fry with the trimmings and they run the house, and no, "I am the man of the house", she says I can be, but when there are two against your wishes, you will conform and fillet the Bluegills..LMAO
PS: they do look delicious