When you’ve made the effort to catch your own fish, it only makes sense to care for the bounty in the best way possible to ensure maximum eating pleasure for your family and friends! 

Releasing fish

If you catch an undersized fish or a fish you wish to release back into the water, there are a few simple rules to follow. A good quality landing net helps reduce unnecessary damage to fish. Ensuring you have wet hands or a damp towel when handling fish helps maintain the protective mucus on their skin. A lip grip tool combined with a set of pliers is great for minimising handling damage (to both parties!). Ensure you move as quickly as possible to minimise stress for the fish and try not to place them on unforgiving surfaces like jagged rocks or hot boat decks. If fish are deeply hooked, a hook remover tool is handy, but for gut-hooked fish cutting the line as close to the hook as possible is sometimes the best option. 

When fish have been caught from deeper water (20 metres or more), barotrauma can affect their swim bladder and internal organs, particularly for bottom-dwelling species such as snapper. Barotrauma symptoms to look for include organs protruding from the mouth, bulging eyes, or gas bubbles popping out of scales. Barotrauma is regularly a death sentence for fish, so if fishing in deep water for bottom-dwelling species the answer is simple: keep the legal fish you catch, and when you have enough for your needs, stop fishing or head into shallower water.

Dispatching and bleeding fish

When you decide to keep a fish, a knife or spike into the brain is the most humane and effective way to dispatch it instantly. This ceases all physical and nervous activity within its body and prevents the fish from flapping, which bruises the flesh. This technique has its origins in Japan, where it is called iki jime. 

For round-bodied fish such as kahawai and gurnard, the spike should penetrate between the eyes at an angle of 45 degrees facing backward. Flat-bodied fish such as trevally and snapper should be spiked from the side behind and above the eye. For snapper, a short-bladed bait knife is a perfect tool for the job. It pays to twist the knife or spike a bit until the fish arches its body and convulses for a short period before the muscles relax. This reaction indicates success. 

The flesh of most species will be superior if the fish is bled after capture, particularly for fast-swimming species like kahawai and kingfish that have a large network of blood vessels. This is done by slicing the membrane which curves around the inside of the gill arches, cutting the throat, or, in the case of tuna, inserting a knife point on the lateral line just behind the pectoral fin. 

Keeping the catch in prime condition

The journey from hooking a fish to enjoying it on your plate involves crucial steps, and one that often gets overlooked is the necessity of keeping your catch cold. Immediate cooling of kept fish is paramount to preserve quality, taste, and nutritional value. Fish, like any other perishable food item, is susceptible to bacterial growth and decomposition. The moment a fish is caught, its internal temperature begins to rise, accelerating the growth of bacteria that can lead to spoilage. By keeping your catch cold, you slow down this process, ensuring that it remains fresh until it reaches your kitchen.

Cold temperatures not only maintain the taste and food safety qualities of fish but also help preserve their nutritional value. Omega-3 fatty acids, essential for heart health and brain function, are prone to degradation in warm conditions. By keeping your catch cold, you ensure that these valuable nutrients remain intact, providing maximum health benefits when you include fish in your diet.

Follow these simple steps to keep your catch cold:

•    Use a chilly bin, chilly bag, or portable fridge/freezer with sufficient insulation to keep the internal temperature consistently low.

•    Pack chilly bins or bags with plenty of salt ice (rather than fresh ice) to maintain a cold environment. The salt lowers the freezing point, causing ice to melt slower and keeping your catch and drinks colder for longer. Salt ice can be found at tackle stores, many grocery stores and gas stations. 

•    A makeshift alternative is to freeze milk bottles filled with water and use them to cool seawater in a chilly bin.

•    Keep the cooler in a shaded area (if possible) to prevent exposure to direct sunlight.

Filleting and utilising other parts of fish

Filleting is an art best learned through practice, although there are some key considerations for beginners to keep in mind. When making any cut on any fish, it’s important to keep it steady by pressing firmly down on the head of the fish. A filleting board with a clamp will provide a firm, level surface and further help hold your fish in place, particularly for the younger generation. Keep your workspace clear of fish slime, to prevent your fish from sliding around. The first incision should be behind the gill plates and head of a fish. 

When making your second incision along the top of the fish, down the back fin, run your knife right the way up behind the fish’s brain (the iki jime location). There is extra flesh right up behind the head that some people regularly miss when filleting.

Rather than trying to cut over the ribcage, cut as close as you can to the top of it, then continue filleting the remainder of the fish, around the ribcage. There is usually so little flesh on the lower section of the ribcage that you can gently rip it off, once the rest of the fillet is free from the frame.

Skinning a fish is a two-way action. Once you’ve made an initial cut to separate the flesh from the skin at the tail end, using equal pressure, gently angle your knife down, and work it down the fillet, whilst pulling the tag end of the skin towards you. The trick is to get a firm hold on the skin by the tail. A filleting board with a clamp once again comes in handy here. 

The pin bones that splay out along the forward section of fish's spines will be found in different locations depending on the species. Once the fillet has been skinned, you can feel for these bones and then cut out a narrow finger of flesh that holds these bones. 

When looking for an all-round knife for filleting, boning, and skinning fish, choose one that has some flexibility, but still has enough rigidity to give you proper control over your blade. A knife that is too flexible can be dangerous, as too much flex can mean you are unable to tell exactly where the tip of your blade is when filleting a bigger fish.

When using a steel to maintain the knife’s edge, keep your knife-wielding wrist rigid to maintain the same angle as you move the full length of the blade down the steel – this ensures you keep the same angle down the whole knife. Work each side an equal number of times to keep the angle of your blade even. While steels can help maintain a knife’s edge, stones are required for proper sharpening. Never clean your filleting knives in a dishwasher as over time this can damage the blade.

Of course, there is plenty of meat still left on fish after removing the fillets, and these ‘other’ parts like the wings, throats, and frames are commonly smoked, baked, or boiled. Thicker knife blades are best for removing other parts of the fish such as the wings or preparing split whole fish for smoking or grilling. Whole fish are usually cooked or smoked with the skin on, but make sure you scale them first with a scaler. Scaling fish underwater ensures there is far less mess! 

While it is hard to beat fresh fish fillets pan-fried in butter, there is a wealth of recipes available here that utilise all the other delicious parts of fish, so check them out for inspiration to make the most of your prized catch! 

For all your fishing tackle and boating equipment, visit jarviswalker.co.nz

- NZ Fishing News