How to store your catch on a kayak

A wet burlap bag will do a decent job of evaperative cooling if you keep in the tank well and dunk it every so often.  It's a cheap method that I believe was the original fish bag when kayak fishing was getting rev'd up in the early 2000's.

That's what I use. Whatever you choose...please don't put your fresh caught food in a toxic garbage bag, they are for garbage, not food stuff's.

Ha, ha, ha...  Oh wait!  You were serious?   

I like the burlap bag idea. Do you wash it after each fishing or how do you clean it of fish smell, blood, etc.?

I like the burlap bag idea. Do you wash it after each fishing or how do you clean it of fish smell, blood, etc.?

Tillamook Sporting Hoods usually has a barrel full of them for a few $ (3 I believe).
Here’s my burlap method—— put your big game clip through the center of the bottom (closed end), clip a line to your boat, once you got said fish put it on the clip and dip it all in the water, put it on the back or front deck with the bag over the fish, if your crabbing put the crabs in the bag and fold the open end in half twice then stitch it closed with the clip full of fish, if not crabbing and surf landing I’ll turn the bag inside out over the clip and fish then wrap the line to close so my catch don’t end up filling up with sand in the spin cycle. Does that make sense? I rarely do!

Edit: to answer that I just rinse it out with the rest of my gear then hang dry, dry is the key to no stinky burlap!

I just gut them and put them on a stringer tied to a handle.

Uh-oh. Cue the pitchforks and torches... 

I just gut them and put them on a stringer tied to a handle.

Uh-oh. Cue the pitchforks and torches... 

Yeah, well, that's my reaction too. But I've been reprimanded on several occasions for dragging fish and "putting the safety of all kayakers at risk" or something like that.

I have a Silver Horde Catch bag that works well in the salt. I just bungie it to the bow of the yak.  For small things like trout/perch, I just drag a stringer behind me. If its really hot out, I will use the catch cooler regardless of fish size so I can put them on ice.

I've been using a med IceMule Catch Cooler for the last 3 years with no complaints. Holds a fair amount of fish and fits on the front hatch or behind the seat of my Outback. I do hang my fish from the side of the kayak to bleed them out then stow in cooler.

I've been using a med IceMule Catch Cooler for the last 3 years with no complaints. Holds a fair amount of fish and fits on the front hatch or behind the seat of my Outback. I do hang my fish from the side of the kayak to bleed them out then stow in cooler.

That IceMule cooler that was donated for AOTY looked sweet! I might go that direction eventually. I just can't see myself getting to the front hatch area of the Revo safely in sporty conditions.

Yeah, well, that's my reaction too. But I've been reprimanded on several occasions for dragging fish and "putting the safety of all kayakers at risk" or something like that.

That's hilarious. Internet fishermen have some real dumb beliefs.

Yeah, well, that's my reaction too. But I've been reprimanded on several occasions for dragging fish and "putting the safety of all kayakers at risk" or something like that.

That's hilarious. Internet fishermen have some real dumb beliefs.

I know from personal experience that dragging bloody fish in the water is a good way to attract sea lions. I still do it sometimes, but keep my eye out for bandits. I haven't had any problems with sharks.

Heliumhead was attracting a thresher shark with his dangling stringer at pc... it swam under my boat giving me a beautiful view  right before we decided to fish another spot!

To each their own. I've been doing it for ten years with hundreds if not thousands of hours on the water without issue.

Were any of the hours on the Willamette river during springer season?  If not try it and report back.

I keep my fish in a catch bag behind the seat. Some times I will let a few pile up at my feet before transferring them back if it’s not to hot out and there are no sea lions in site. Having sea lion food dangling from the kayak or even out spooks me.  I have never had a shark encounter from the kayak yet, but have seen plenty from my old boat. It’s likely  that they are just easier to spot wile standing on the boat and that there have been some near by that were just not seen from the kayak. I’m a firm believer that people should do what they want, I always do, but I don’t think it’s wise to dangle shark bait.

Just so I don't get a bad... err... worse reputation: I mostly keep fish that I harvest in my kayak. Anyone who's tried to paddle with a stringer of rockfish acting as a drift anchor knows that doesn't last long. When my fish are soaking (to bleed out or cool off on a drift or whatever) they're always one motion away from being at my feet or on my lap. I've had plenty of run-ins with sea lions but never when soaking fish, because I don't soak fish when sea lions are around. People might want to consider that letting a fish bleed out on deck puts the blood in exactly the same place as letting the fish bleed out in the water.

I'm only advocating for common sense. The situation should dictate the strategy. Hanging a salmon off your kayak in the Willamette during springer season is dumb. Letting a rockfish bleed out on your game clip for 10 minutes on a drift in the ocean where you haven't seen any sea lions all day is not dumb, or at least it's not more dumb than a long fight with a fish that's bleeding from the hook somewhere below your kayak, sending off all kinds of distress signals and attracting attention.

At the end of the day, I agree with Casey - you're the captain of your boat. Don't be dumb and make kayakers look bad and otherwise do your thing. But I don't appreciate the characterization (not talking about you Casey) that I'm "putting all kayakers at risk" like I'm hand-feeding great whites or something. Anybody who has fished with me knows I take safety seriously and I strive for a high degree of ethical integrity.