How Long Can You Keep A Fish In A Cooler/fridge Before You Clean It? 2024

jmed999 reply :

Guys, there are times when I want to keep and clean a fish (Bass, Bream, Catfish, etc) but I dont have time at the moment to clean it. If I put it/them in a cooler with ice or a refrigerator, how long can they stay there until I have to clean them?

Thanks!

MaineBassFishin reply :

You should clean fish as soon as possible

BASSclary reply :

I wouldn't keep it in a cooler for more than 8 hours and no longer than 2 days in the fridge/freezer.

JEC reply :

i cant say how long they will last i try to clean them asap but have left them overnight several times with no problems as long as they still have ice on them

SirSnookalot reply :

Do some research to see how long fish at a market have been out of water and are still good to eat ( gutted and iced), you would be surprised at the length of time. Think that commercially caught lake Superior Whitefish or Lake Erie Pickeral ( walleye) from Canada, or Salmon and many other varieties of ocean fish like flounder were caught yesterday, Then packed on ice, offloaded, trucked to the airport, flown to your city, offloaded, trucked to a wholesaler, then shipped to your local market, then into the display case, all done in a matter of hours...............ain't so. My dad was in the biz for 35 years.

Lund Explorer reply :

Here is an interesting article on the subject:

http://fishcooking.about.com/od/howtochoosefreshfish/a/storingfish.htm

Just remember that once the fish has died, the faster it needs to get packed in ice!

tyrius. reply :

I would never NOT at least gut the fish first. Commercial fishermen gut the fish on the deck, then put it on ice and stay out fishing for a LONG time so they'll last that way, but I wouldn't want to freeze the whole fish and then clean it later.

ww2farmer reply :

Most of the fish I keep are panfish I catch through the ice. I usually clean them right when I get home. But if it's late or I am being lazy, I have packed them in snow, left them out side where it's cold and cleaned them the next day.

SirSnookalot reply :

Many species of fish that came into our market were not gutted at sea before being boxed & iced. We wholesaled out fish plus had a retail counter as well. Once we cleaned the fish for them, as they do in markets today, the fish was wrapped in butcher block type paper, fish held up fine until customers got home to refrigerate. Personally fish I catch are cleaned at a fillet station at the marina, then I pack them in a cooler with ice for the drive home, probably be fine if I just wrapped them and got them home with 45 minutes or so.

jmed999 reply :

So if I catch a few fish in the pond in my back yard and immediately put them in the refrigerator in my garage I could clean them the next day in the afternoon then put the meat back in the refrigerator? Does everyone agree that would be fine?

Thanks for all the help guys!

jeb2 reply :

On 9/25/2011 at 10:48 PM, tyrius. said:

I would never NOT at least gut the fish first. Commercial fishermen gut the fish on the deck, then put it on ice and stay out fishing for a LONG time so they'll last that way, but I wouldn't want to freeze the whole fish and then clean it later.

Totally agree. I would not eat or keep a fish that was not at least gutted almost immediately after dying. I've always read and heard that as soon as a fish dies, the little parasites and nasties in its digestive system get to work. And since the fish is not alive anymore, its system is no longer fighting them back and they grow/expand rapidly. If I keep a fish, it dies on the filet table with a couple of blows to the head just before I clean it. I bring 'em home live in the livewell.

jmed999 reply :

I though the nasties really slow down in a cooler full of ice or the refrigerator making it such that you can wait to clean them the next day. I could be wrong though.

slonezp reply :

On 9/26/2011 at 6:07 AM, jmed999 said:

I though the nasties really slow down in a cooler full of ice or the refrigerator making it such that you can wait to clean them the next day. I could be wrong though.

So where are you going with this?

Either clean the fish or don't. If you are not going to clean the fish throw them back in.

Bassn Blvd reply :

I fish the Tortugas and keep fish for 2 days before cleaning them. I take the fish off the hook and toss it in the coller of ice while he's still floppin. We spend 2 nights on the water and head back to captivity to clean our fish, grouper, snapper, cobia, kings, dolphin, and whatever else we catch. Never have been sick after eating any of our catch.

I've kept Snook out of the water and ice for 2-3 hours before cleaning them, but it was cool weather and at night.

I suggest gutting your fish first, toss it in the fridge for a day or two and you'll be perfectly fine.

Jaheff reply :

The answer is day's, at the right temp. Havn't you ever seen pictures of tuna boats come in with their decks full of whole fish? They just put them in a holding tank (fridge).

Hope you guy's who want them gutted in hours don't eat sushi.

jmed999 reply :

Thanks for all the help guys!

Chris pfeiffer reply :

If I catch catfish and freeze them without cleaning them is it still safe to eat?

Pickle_Power reply :

I've caught, frozen, and later thawed and cleaned dozens of bluegills and crappies. This is almost always through the ice, so the fish were really never exposed to above freezing temps.

I have kept whole walleye in the fridge overnight and cleaned the next day.

The obvious key is to not give bacteria much time to proliferate. When it's this time of year, I could see that happening really fast if the fish is dead for some time before getting it into cold temperatures.

N Florida Mike reply :

On 9/26/2011 at 1:01 AM, jmed999 said:

So if I catch a few fish in the pond in my back yard and immediately put them in the refrigerator in my garage I could clean them the next day in the afternoon then put the meat back in the refrigerator? Does everyone agree that would be fine?

Thanks for all the help guys!

I would at least put them in ice . I’ve done that overnight and cleaned them the next day and never had a problem, and I’m in Florida.

WRB reply :

You don't want to refrigerate whole dead fish over night with gills and guts, clean them 1st.

Tom

slonezp reply :

I imagine the fish in the OP's post are long since gone seeing as this thread is 8 years old

WRB reply :

Didn't look for the original post date ^_^

BassWhole! reply :

It depends on the type of fish, and how it was kept. If it's put on ice right away, and its not exposed to a rise in temp, it will be ok for 3 days or so. This assumes the fish is in ice the whole time and not just sitting on it. Most fish benefit in quality and taste if kept cold for 12-24 hours. In these same conditions, it will be fine to eat for 3-5 days, but the quality will decline. Bass aren't particularly fragile, they hold up well. Spoilage starts in the belly, so if you are not going to clean them for a while, you might consider just gutting them.

Glaucus reply :

Zombie Thread!

Do it right and have a catch and cook right away. Take a good knife, butter, salt, a small cast iron skillet, and a reliable fire starter.

NYWayfarer reply :

On 6/17/2019 at 5:51 AM, WRB said:

You don't want to refrigerate whole dead fish over night with gills and guts, clean them 1st.

Tom

I agree. Don’t be lazy, clean the fish, then the boat, then your gear. That’s my motto.

I get back in time to do all of the above. The trip isn’t over until all the above is done.

RAMBLER reply :

It all depends on how you want the fish to taste.

BassWhole! reply :

On 6/17/2019 at 5:51 AM, WRB said:

You don't want to refrigerate whole dead fish over night with gills and guts, clean them 1st.

Tom

Most refrigerators are not set low enough to properly keep fish, plus every time you open the door you are letting heat in. Ice is your friend.

Richard Young reply :

My wife and I just caught 2 perch and a bass right before the bottom fell out of the sky....now its dark and still raining.....Im guessing I can ice them down and clean them in the morning......I've never eaten a perch and really want to cook and eat one.

MN Fisher reply :

At least gut and gill them before putting them in the fridge/freezer. Don't want anything from the intestines/liver leaking into the flesh.

TnRiver46 reply :

On 6/17/2019 at 9:04 AM, Richard Young said:

My wife and I just caught 2 perch and a bass right before the bottom fell out of the sky....now its dark and still raining.....Im guessing I can ice them down and clean them in the morning......I've never eaten a perch and really want to cook and eat one.

That's a bass and 2 drum.

I throw whole fish in my fridge overnight all the time and clean them the next day. It coagulates the blood and makes for much easier cleaning process.

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How Long Can You Keep A Fish In A Cooler/fridge Before You Clean It? 2024

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