Hello!

we just got back from a great trip to Little Sag. We hopped over to Gabi and caught a lake trout, but between the paddle back, and portages, it died, so we obviously had to eat it earlier than planned. What are some tricks to keeping your fish alive out there? I had it on a stringer, and it was swimming next to us the whole time. My only thought is that on little sag we had a vicious head wind our whole paddle back to camp, maybe we effectively drowned it?

lake trout put up a great fight , but they are very fragile , and not many fish (except a smally) will survive on a stringer while traveling and over a portage.
but if i want to keep a fish alive from camp , i put only 1 laker on a very long piece of rope and it'll survive until supper time ;)

Yeah, that was my plan once we got back, give it a 50' line to play with, but it didn't survive.

Water temps most likely did it in. Plus if it’s mouth is open while paddling that causes major stresss as well. All fish are susceptible to dying like that, especially lakers. Also even if you can keep it alive the flesh deteriorates in warmer water. Unless it’s early spring with cold surface water temps I wouldn’t bother with a stringer. Best bet would be to fillet it, put it in a ziplock, and then a pack etc under the seat etc so the sun doesn’t hit it. Either throw it on a cooler when back in camp or straight to the frying pan.

Moonman.

I don't think there is any practical way to portage a lake trout and have it survive.

You could sink a dead fish in 50' of water and it would stay cool, possibly overnight.

Many a time have used a collapsible bucket as a live well in the canoe and for portaging fish. Change water before/after portaging. Worked for Lakers caught in Roland and transported back to Iron via Crooked on the Curtain Falls portage.

Once you’ve caught a trout during the summer it begins to die as soon as you put in on a stringer. If I’m fishing for trout, I bring my cook gear and plan on having a meal as soon as I catch it. I’ve had some great trout breakfasts, lunches and afternoon meals.

Thanks everyone. I suspected this was the case, but wanted to confirm.

after I cleaned it, I extended our time by putting the fillets in a ziploc, putting the ziploc in an ursak with a couple heavy rocks in it, and sunk it about 30' to keep it cool enough. Sounds like I will be planning for lunch fish next time though!

plander: "Many a time have used a collapsible bucket as a live well in the canoe and for portaging fish. Change water before/after portaging. Worked for Lakers caught in Roland and transported back to Iron via Crooked on the Curtain Falls portage.


"

I believe that is illegal in Minnesota. See the section on “regulations on transport of water” on this page.

I’m sure you’re not dumping the water from lake A into lake B when you complete the portage, but think you could still be ticketed if a CO saw you carrying trout in a bucket of lake water on the portage.

Double post

thegildedgopher: "

plander: "Many a time have used a collapsible bucket as a live well in the canoe and for portaging fish. Change water before/after portaging. Worked for Lakers caught in Roland and transported back to Iron via Crooked on the Curtain Falls portage.



"

I believe that is illegal in Minnesota. See the section on “regulations on transport of water” on this page.


I’m sure you’re not dumping the water from lake A into lake B when you complete the portage, but think you could still be ticketed if a CO saw you carrying trout in a bucket of lake water on the portage.
"

I think you’re correct. In addition I believe it is also illegal in Minnesota to transport a live fish from one body of water to another. I’m guessing this happens quite a bit in the BWCA. Here’s a link to a different forum on an old discussion on the matter (maybe the laws have since changed??) ... https://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/ftlgeneral_243004/

Once you put your filets in a zip lock place your zip lock in a cotton bag. Dip the bag in water every hour and keep out of the sun. The evaporation keeps the meat cool. I use a crown bag.

I also bleed all my fish for 5-10 minutes before I clean them.

I think you’re correct. In addition I believe it is also illegal in Minnesota to transport a live fish from one body of water to another. I’m guessing this happens quite a bit in the BWCA. Here’s a link to a different forum on an old discussion on the matter (maybe the laws have since changed??) ... https://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/ftlgeneral_243004/"

jeez. I didn't even think of that. I will check those regs out!

easye515: "

I think you’re correct. In addition I believe it is also illegal in Minnesota to transport a live fish from one body of water to another. I’m guessing this happens quite a bit in the BWCA. Here’s a link to a different forum on an old discussion on the matter (maybe the laws have since changed??) ... https://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/ftlgeneral_243004/"

jeez. I didn't even think of that. I will check those regs out!"

Looks like it. Page 34.

https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/regulations/fishing/fishing_regs.pdf

How did you have it on the stringer, because I’ve seen a lot of ways. Through the gill and out the mouth, through the top lip, through the bottom lip, through both lips?

I had the stringer through the bottom lip. through the gills would just mess them up even more!

doesn't matter how you string up a laker if your paddling , it's going to die. even in ice out conditions.

AmarilloJim: "Once you put your filets in a zip lock place your zip lock in a cotton bag. Dip the bag in water every hour and keep out of the sun. The evaporation keeps the meat cool. I use a crown bag. "

I have never caught a lake trout, but if we don't intend on eating fish soon we still fillet them right away, put the fillets in a ziploc bag, and then throw it in the Yeti cooler (soft sided). Now the fillets are good for a few days when you are ready to eat, and you don't need to keep the fish alive.

Yes, the best plan is catch a couple (whatever you want for your meal) find a spot on the lake away from a portage and fillet it and put it in a ziplock back. I ALWAYS put a few in my daypack, along with my knife, at the beginning of the trip so where ever I am, I do that then they go under my seat and I change the water from time to time, depending how hot it is. (run-on sentence!) LOL

They portage SO much better this way than carrying their whole body on a stringer. Also, they could last for a few days in a food pack, just change the water and keep them out of the sun. Depends on temps of course.

I started doing this a few years ago and it has been great and made my life so much easier. In June I caught 2 nice 21" trout on Knife near ottertrack, stopped and filleted them and ate them our last night on Sag.

If you use an evaporation bag you don't need to put water in the zip locks.

I haven't kept fish for decades. I hate dragging them behind the canoe. I do eat fish, but I eat a fish caught beside camp.

AmarilloJim: "If you use an evaporation bag you don't need to put water in the zip locks."

Do you use a creel or just wrap the filets in canvas or burlap bag? I’m curious what is commonly used.

I use a cotton "Crown" bag. Any bag that will absorb water. It is the evaporation that cools the bag(with the fish inside).

AmarilloJim: "I use a cotton "Crown" bag. Any bag that will absorb water. It is the evaporation that cools the bag(with the fish inside)."

+1. Cotton or canvas bag. Wet it, hang it in the shade (and keep it wet). The evaporation will keep the fillets cool.

+1 on a canvas bag to store fish filets. Just wet it down and hang. Keep the bag reasonably wet and evaporative cooling will keep the fish awhile.

Canvas bags seem to work a lot better than cotton.

Wally13: "+1 on a canvas bag to store fish filets. Just wet it down and hang. Keep the bag reasonably wet and evaporative cooling will keep the fish awhile.


Canvas bags seem to work a lot better than cotton. "

Thanks! I will give it a go.

Last year instead of a stringer I took a decoy bag. Caught some walleyes in the evening near camp and put them in the bag tied to a tree with about 25ft of rope. They where alive for breakfast to kill, bleed, and filet before rigor mortise set in.