Ome of the problems a fisherman has to deal with if he decides to keep some of his catch for a future fish fry is what to do with the rascals. Fishing stringers are a royal pain. First, they are usually all tangled and you have to undo the hooks, then you have to put the hook through the jaws of the fish, then you have to lug the stringer around and keep it in the water. Or you can toss the fish in a cooler of ice. But coolers are bulky and really awkward to deal with. No wonder so many fishermen are going to catch and release.
But this is the time of year to catch fish to eat – like crappies and bluegills and I have found an easy way to handle the catch. Put them in one of those insulated grocery bag containers. Put a bag or small block of ice in the bag, zip it up and when you catch a fish, toss it in the bag. The bags take up little space, they’re easy to access, they keep your fish cold until it’s scaling time, and you simply rinse out the bag when you’re done. If the bag gets punctured with a fin, toss it. They cost like three bucks.
Set aside a couple of the grocery bags and when you’re ready to catch some fish, they are ready to keep them cold for you.
