This may belong in meal planning but I love the input from all you fishing junkies so I'm putting up stakes with this post here...

Here's my end game followed by my dilemma and theoretical question...

END GAME: Smoke lake trout over an open fire of alder and eat for dinner.

DILEMMA: Timing. Fish should soak in brine for a minimum of 2 hrs (much more ideally). Fish should be smoked for 2 to 4 hours (I'm planning on doing a hot smoke in a mylar teepee).

Perfect scenario would be hooking into a laker early morning and spend the rest of the prepping/smoking the fish, but nothing is ever perfect and I'm not an expert laker fisherman (not to mention it'll be August) so I'm thinking in 'plan B terms' as I may not hook in until later in the day.

It'll be tough to keep the trout alive on a stringer so I'm thinking more in terms of cleaning and brining in a leak-proof container (ziploc) and hanging in the bear bag overnight...to be clear, this is just a theoretical plan.

QUESTION: If I catch a lake trout in the evening and want to keep it to smoke for dinner the following day, what method have you successfully used to avoid spoilage overnight?

I'd prefer input from those who have experience storing a dead fish overnight. I'm sure some folks might think the endeavor futile or not worth its while and recommend frying, baking, stewing, etc. While I love all of those cooking methods, this is more of a challenge, in addition to being a delicious way to enjoy trout.

In addition to avoiding overnight spoilage, I think the biggest challenge will be doing all of this without chopping down living trees for smoking chips. The only way I can think to avoid that is chop down the wood the day before and soak it overnight. For good order's sake, it's worth mentioning that if I can't find the proper smoking wood already downed, this ship won't leave shore.

Let me know what you think. Thanks.

-DD

Never tried it before, but I suppose I'd gut/gill it, double freezer ziplock it, put it in a mesh bag with a rock and then sink it into ~40 ft of water with a buoy attached. The water should be in the 40-45 degree range at that depth. Soaking chips overnight will work just fine for smoking.

I agree, I think it needs to be sunk, the deeper the better. There is zero chance of keeping a laker alive on a stringer.

I fillet my walleye or LT as usual and put in a freezer zip lock bag. Drain as much water as possible. Then put the freezer bag into a large Crown bag. This gets dunked in the water every hour or 2 during the day and just before bed at night. Hang the bag from a branch or rest it on a rock in the shade. A breeze is even better. I have kept fish like this for 24-36 hrs but usually only 12-20 hrs. I have fed dozens of people with fish stored like this and no one has gotten sick. This technique will keep your fish very cool, I'm guessing in the 50's. I'll have to put a thermometer on them some day to find out.

To properly do this job, I recommend the Alaska method. It requires cut green alder. Cutting anything green is illegal on both sides of the border. Don't do it.

I agree with the wet bag approach. We bring a denim bag. It is just a jean leg with one end sewed shut. We put all perishable things in it. We get it soaking wet and hang it in the shade. The BW humidity is usually very low so the bag stays much cooler than ambient.

I also agree with the fillet and ziploc idea.

I am going to speak some sacrilegious...

If you really need green wood... I don't see the harm in walking 200 yards in from a random shoreline and cutting a 1" tree. Cut the tree near the ground and well away from anywhere folks may ever see. No one will ever know. More importantly, you will not detract from anyone else's BW experience.

I know this is against the rules. I also know that this would be a disaster if everyone did it. But...


Flame away... fire suit is on...

Good input all around guys. I appreciate it all!

I also like the wet denim 'cooler' method for storing perishables, but I'm leaning toward the deep anchor cooler for the butterflied lake trout fillets. I've actually never been on a trip in August so I don't know what the night temperature is like. As far as the wood goes, I think I'll achieve my goal by soaking already dead wood overnight or using some punky birch. I will be reporting back on my success/failure after the trip.

quote doubledown: "Good input all around guys. I appreciate it all!


I also like the wet denim 'cooler' method for storing perishables, but I'm leaning toward the deep anchor cooler for the butterflied lake trout fillets. I've actually never been on a trip in August so I don't know what the night temperature is like. As far as the wood goes, I think I'll achieve my goal by soaking already dead wood overnight or using some punky birch. I will be reporting back on my success/failure after the trip. "

https://weatherspark.com/m/12231/8/Average-Weather-in-August-in-Grand-Marais-Minnesota-United-States

quote dew042: "

quote doubledown: "Good input all around guys. I appreciate it all!



I also like the wet denim 'cooler' method for storing perishables, but I'm leaning toward the deep anchor cooler for the butterflied lake trout fillets. I've actually never been on a trip in August so I don't know what the night temperature is like. As far as the wood goes, I think I'll achieve my goal by soaking already dead wood overnight or using some punky birch. I will be reporting back on my success/failure after the trip. "

https://weatherspark.com/m/12231/8/Average-Weather-in-August-in-Grand-Marais-Minnesota-United-States "

Thanks!