freezing makeral

hey lads iv just caught a couple of mack nd wondering does any body hav tips on freezin them.such as wat u freeze them in nd do u do any thing 2 them like rubbin salt onto them before freezin

Wrap them well and put them in a freezer bag and just put them into the freezer. No need for salt or anything else.

sounds gd tnx

I'm told its best to keep them whole, dont gut them, or remove heads, fins etc.

Hope this helps

oh oh, I've was alwyas told to gut them! Even as the fish freeze the guts are still going off and continue to seep into the flesh and make it rancid. I always gut the fish as soon as I catch them for this reason? Can someone clarify?

Liam

Hi,

I've was always told to gut them! Even as the fish freeze the guts are still going off and continue to seep into the flesh and make it rancid. I always gut the fish as soon as I catch them for this reason? Can someone clarify?

Liam

ive always just wrapped them in cling film :shock:

Take the guts out, a lot of the micro flora is located in the gut and if the fish have been feeding heavily then the levels will be higher again. Those tiny chaps will continue to degrade the stomach contents, the stomach and at times the surrounding flesh if they are left long enough after the fish is dead. Thats the reason the commercial boats gut there fish immediately upon capture.

Nice to see some many different opinions :wink:

A number of my local fishmongers sell their mack's, whole and un-gutted :!:

If gutting before you get to your fishing mark, keep the guts/heads etc, they make excellent ground bait.

Mix the guts and chopped up heads etc with some bread crumbs, (add cod liver oil capsules or pilchard oil aswell for extra effect) make them into fist sized balls and freeze.

When you get to your fishing mark, throw a few in where you anticipate putting your baited hooks. I would repeat this every 30 mins or so.

(I mixed the ground bait with a few pebbles off my patio before freezing, this allows the mixture to sink quickly when I throw it in.)

It will then soon hit the bottom, and defrost quickly, providing a great scent trail in and around your fishing area.

Give it a go, and if you have any success I would be interested to hear back from you.

Its a shame to waste any part of the fish after all :wink:

at least all of the fish goes back into the sea and something will feed on it - as opposed to being added to domestic waste/landfill

i used to gut them and freeze them - but dont anymore - always wrap individually and freeze whole - apparently the fish oils preserve the fish better and when gutted and filleted they are lost - and therefore more prone to degrading and freezer burn

Most of the oil Corbyeire is in the flesh as opposed to the guts, thats where the mackerel store them to help them through the long winter/spawning ordeal. I'd still gut them but definetly wouldn't fillet as you'd be loosing alot of the oily flesh around the bones. The darker meat on the mackerel(brown strip when you fry em up) has the highest oil content. Best macs for oil content and consequently scent I guess are the ones around November/December, they are prespawning at this point and after a long feeding season are incredibly oily. Compare the taste of mackerel at this time to those around April/May when the oil content is at its lowest, no comparison.

if keeping some to keep for the pan, i would gut them before freezing, for bait i freeze them whole, hi shamoo; i have tryed that trick freezing them in a ball shape and throwing them in, it keeps a good sent about and works well!!!

fishermannum1, did you find the frozen ground bait sank ok?

I have only tried it a few times, but always put something in to help it sink, I dont want to reduce my patio to a bare patch if its not necessary :roll:

no need to add stones or anything to it, it sinks well enough on its on. last year while fishing off pigeon rock at greencastle i droped a few in at the end that i was fishing, there were three other guys on up the rock from me, they got an odd one every so often, i got one on nearly every cast. when fishing slowed up a bit i drooped in another couple, and was soon catching again. 8) BTW the other guys weren't to happy :lol: :lol: :lol:

I have only tried it a few times, but always put something in to help it sink, I dont want to reduce my patio to a bare patch if its not necessary

The patio can stay intact then 8) 8) 8)

Like you say, I'm sure it makes a difference, and your example proves the point................I suppose you could even add left over lug (and any other scenty type bait).........

The moral to this story.........Dont waste a thing :wink: :wink:

is there any regulation of ground baiting your peg at a comp?