# Bleeding Steelhead



## quack head (Oct 23, 2007)

I have never kept a steelhead (i have always C&R) but plan on keeping some to eat this year. What does bleeding the fish do? How is this done and is it needed to have a quality meal of steelhead?


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## gooseboy (Jul 11, 2008)

pull the gills or cut em, either way make sure you do it in the water. blood every where


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

Bleeding the fish gets most of the blood out of the system. I think it makes the fish taste less fishy and strong. Makes them less messy to clean. If it's a hen with eggs it also seems to take the blood out of the eggs if they are still in the skein.


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## Fishbone (Oct 10, 2008)

quack head said:


> What does bleeding the fish do?


It help keeps the blood out of the meat while filleting the fish. Less mess to clean up afterwards too. 

I never cut the gills till right before exiting the water. Slice the gills with scissors & let the fish 'bleed out' in the water for several minutes. Depending on weather conditions, throw the fish on ice in a cooler and the fish will be plenty good till you get home. 

Otherwise, if you bleed the fish way before exiting the water, the fish might start turning white after a few hours. All depends on the water temperature.



Trout King said:


> Bleeding the fish gets most of the blood out of the system. I think it makes the fish taste less fishy and strong. Makes them less messy to clean. *If it's a hen with eggs it also seems to take the blood out of the eggs if they are still in the skein.*


Consuming fish eggs is not highly recommended. To each his own. :lol:


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## Meridian17 (Jul 4, 2006)

Definitely don't bleed out until shortly before packing it in. Sting em up and let em live until ready to call it. Scissor the gills to let them bleed out on their own and you will have an easier time with cleaning and it does seem to make a difference in taste (at least psychologically)


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## diztortion (Sep 6, 2009)

I think its all in the head. I use to do it all the time. Once they bleed out and die, it starts the rotting process. I try to keep them alive as long as possible them clean the blood up at home. I fillet my fish differently so I don't get guts and blood all over.


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## Carpmaster (Apr 1, 2004)

Fishbone said:


> It help keeps the blood out of the meat while filleting the fish. Less mess to clean up afterwards too.
> 
> I never cut the gills till right before exiting the water. Slice the gills with scissors & let the fish 'bleed out' in the water for several minutes. Depending on weather conditions, throw the fish on ice in a cooler and the fish will be plenty good till you get home.
> 
> ...


Haha about the eggs...bleeding them does make them cleaner when cleaning and taking care of the "bait", I am another that feels that table quality improves with a bled out fish...


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## uptracker (Jul 27, 2004)

Isn't the whole premise to bleed them out while their heart is still pumping?


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## Carpmaster (Apr 1, 2004)

uptracker said:


> Isn't the whole premise to bleed them out while their heart is still pumping?


In my opinion, yes!


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## Fishbone (Oct 10, 2008)

> Isn't the whole premise to bleed them out while their heart is still pumping?


Sure is! Toss all caught fish into live well. Flip switch to circulate live well water when necessary. At the end of fishing day, relocate back to boat launch & park boat on shoreline. Reach into live well & cut fish gills with preferred method. Retrieve vehicle & trailer while fish is 'pumping all the blood out'. Back down boat trailer & launch fishing boat back onto trailer. Pull boat out of launch area & away from other fisherman's view. Flip switch back on and drain remaining 'blood water' out of live well, while applying safety harness straps on trailer. Reach back into the dry live well & toss fish into cooler under ice. 
*
Advertising could never be so cheap!
* 
:chillin:


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## GWTH09 (Mar 1, 2009)

from experience from walleye fishing, it makes a huge deal bleeding the fish out while still alive than dead. we fish from shore so we cut the fish when we get them and then let them bleed in the net in the water for at least 10 min. we just tie the net off on the rail and fish, couple of drifts and then we put the fish in the bucket, to prevent residual from bleeding on the concrete. just my 2 cnts


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## Fishslayer5789 (Mar 1, 2007)

GWTH09 said:


> from experience from walleye fishing, it makes a huge deal bleeding the fish out while still alive than dead. we fish from shore so we cut the fish when we get them and then let them bleed in the net in the water for at least 10 min. we just tie the net off on the rail and fish, couple of drifts and then we put the fish in the bucket, to prevent residual from bleeding on the concrete. just my 2 cnts


I never recognized walleyes to be bloody fish when I clean them. Does it make the meat taste better for them too?


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## fishmark (Jan 1, 2010)

I don't have a live well but do use a 5 gal bucket to bleed walleye. Then put them on ice in the cooler. Taste better IMO.


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## scubajay (Jun 9, 2003)

Just for consideration. 

From the 2009 Michigan fishing guide of Unlawful Activities:

"Deposit litter, fish offal, or any foreign matter, in any waters of the state or on any lands, private or public."



Offal Definition - viscera and trimmings of an animal often considered inedible by humans including the organs, glands, tail, feet, snout, blood, and other parts.


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## Fishbone (Oct 10, 2008)

scubajay said:


> Just for consideration.
> 
> From the 2009 Michigan fishing guide of Unlawful Activities:
> 
> ...


Why would an offal definition of a *animal* be printed in the MDNR fishing regulation book? :lol:


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## scubajay (Jun 9, 2003)

Fishbone said:


> Why would an offal definition of a *animal* be printed in the MDNR fishing regulation book? :lol:


It is not. That is why the large gap between the text of the document and the definition of offal. I added it to the post for purposes of definition to show that blood is considered offal.

Since you highlighted "animal" are you suggesting that a fish is not an animal? Just wondering.


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## Fishbone (Oct 10, 2008)

scubajay said:


> Since you highlighted "animal" are you suggesting that a fish is not an animal?


Of course fish are animals. I didn't realize fish had feet, beaks, hoofs, horns, fur, etc. I'm sorry you provided a poor example of 'fish offal', as you were trying to fill in the large gap between the text of the document. 

:chillin:
*
 *


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## scubajay (Jun 9, 2003)

Fishbone said:


> Of course fish are animals. I didn't realize fish had feet, beaks, hoofs, horns, fur, etc. I'm sorry you provided a poor example of 'fish offal', as you were trying to fill in the large gap between the text of the document.
> 
> :chillin:
> *
> *


I did not provide and example of or define "fish offal" rather I provided a defintion of "offal". The defintion of offal which I cited, which comes right from Webster's, does not differntiate between aquatic and land animals, thusly, it contains information thay may or may not pertain to both types of animals. And BTW, I was not filling in a large gap, I left a large gap between the quoted text of the guided and the definition of offal to indicate that it was not part of the guide.


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## Fishbone (Oct 10, 2008)




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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

scubajay said:


> I did not provide and example of or define "fish offal" rather I provided a defintion of "offal". The defintion of offal which I cited, which comes right from Webster's, does not differntiate between aquatic and land animals, thusly, it contains information thay may or may not pertain to both types of animals. And BTW, I was not filling in a large gap, I left a large gap between the quoted text of the guided and the definition of offal to indicate that it was not part of the guide.


Facts tend to confuse some folks.....Fish are considered animals according to the (former) teacher in the next room BTW.
I quoted Websters on here once and somebody had no clue what that was, for the record it is a dictionary 

Never looked up offal, and am suprised to see that blood is considered as such, interesting.
I bleed fish, usually just the salmonoids but apparently it is against the letter of the rules.....


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## GWTH09 (Mar 1, 2009)

like posted earlier, i bleed fish into the river, so i am breaking the law? i do that so i don't leave my "footprint" or mark on the walkway, because that doesn't please joggers or walkers, which i can understand. what i do not understand is that fish is in the system, what is the big deal, it could scrape itself on a rock. i truly do not want to start a bickering match, just confused on the dnr handbook.


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## scubajay (Jun 9, 2003)

GWTH09 said:


> like posted earlier, i bleed fish into the river, so i am breaking the law? i do that so i don't leave my "footprint" or mark on the walkway, because that doesn't please joggers or walkers, which i can understand. what i do not understand is that fish is in the system, what is the big deal, it could scrape itself on a rock. i truly do not want to start a bickering match, just confused on the dnr handbook.


I just posted that for a point of thought. I never intended this much consternation. 

To the letter of the law it seems as though it may be illegal but it also says that you cant deposit any offal on land, public or private so I guess I am breaking the law when I bury the guts in my garden.

Although I can't say for sure, I would think that it is not a problem to bleed fish in the water.


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## Fishbone (Oct 10, 2008)

> Facts tend to confuse some folks.....Fish are considered animals according to the (former) teacher in the next room BTW.
> I quoted Websters on here once and somebody had no clue what that was, for the record it is a dictionary


The fact is, I was simply pursuing a definitive term of what is classified as 'fish offal', not the definitive term of 'offal' deposited from four legged animals. Wikipedia, Webster Online Dictionary, Dictionary.com or even Google itself clearly does not state a definitive term of what exactly 'fish offal' consists of, nor does the MDNR fishing regulation book. 




scubajay said:


> To the letter of the law it seems as though it may be illegal but it also says that you cant deposit any offal on land, public or private so I guess I am breaking the law when I bury the guts in my garden.


Another scenario could involve bow hunter & gun sportsman. Each bullet & broad head arrow that penetrates a four legged animal usually deposits or extracts some form of 'blood offal' onto the land. According to the letter of the law, would hunting four legged animals be classified as illegal?


If anything, maybe Mark Tonello or some other biologist could give us a further understanding of what exactly 'fish offal' consists of.


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