Bluegill frozen fillets

[Shawn Allison]

A very close friend of mine showed me years ago how to freeze crappie fillets in a zip log bag. I have done this with bluegill fillets now for a long time.  What I don't know is how long they will last because I have never let them stay around for long before the peanut oil and fryer starts calling them.  Do any of you guys know how long they will last frozen?

[Jason Preslar]

I've kept gills/redears/crappie in a zip-loc bag filled with water for well over a year...maybe 2. Thawed them and threw them on the oven. Deliciouso!

[Craig Allen]

I helped a friend havest hybrid striped bass for a commercial fish processing company.  The processor brought a 220 gal tote full of ice and  water and a some salt added to the water.  When we harvested the fish from the pens they were immediatly put into the ice cold water and the shock of the water basically killed the fish.  I ask the Fisheries Biologist who was there the reason for this and he said that this was the best way to preserve the fish for the long haul to the processing plant.  He said that as long as the gills on the fish were red they could process them because they were still fresh, it not  they had to discard them.  From that day on I have a cooler in my boat with ice, some salt and water and as soon as I catch one that I'm going to keep that is where he goes.  If its good enough for a commercial fish processor its good enough for me.  I use the zip lock bag and water method and it works good for me.  But like some other people said it starts at the with how you handle the fish after the catch.

[Andy is OptiMystic]

That's some good info; thanks! I wonder how that effects the "bleed or not" debate. I see that come up more for saltwater fish; some of them seem to taste better if you cut them and let them bleed out immediately.