Baggies for your fillets

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Originally Posted by Haywire

With sheepshead, you can forget it---those spines will go through stainless steel plate.

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Yeah, they are super tough and sharp.
I have holes in the lining of every cooler that I have used for sheepshead.

I always let the sheepies die before I put them in the cooler. If they go in alive, for sure they'll jump and poke holes in a bucket or cooler.

By the way Haywire, the ice bags are free!

I'm +1 for re-using the ice bags as 'kill bags' for most fish.
And I have way too many holes in my ice chests from sheepshead to blatantly drop them in there now.

The method I have to dispatch and chill (kill) fish quickly and quietly and protect the bottom of the cooler in the process is to place rectangular ice blocks (frozen water bottles of 64 ounce Juicy Juice) across the bottom.
These are VERY thick plastic and 4 of them laid side-by-side completely fill the bottom of a 48 quart cooler.
I put the fish on top of these, then place an 8 or 10 pound bag of ice on top of the fish and cover that with a wet towel.
This makes it dark on the fish, slows melting of the ice in the bag, and helps keep the fish skin from drying out.

i'm not into making a fish suffer for any extra reason but seeing as how we're killing them anyway, would it be a good idea to cut those sheepshead spines with a pair of snips or something? i apologize if this seems a silly idea, i just don't have a ton of experience with the species.

I'm just glad that SOMEBODY carries their own zip-seal bags for their catch. I get to the cleaning table, and just like clockwork I hear, "Say, Haywire, you got a spare Ziploc---or two?"

Bitch
Whine
Complain

Of course, that's good in a way. Means the fish were biting. I still don't hardly loan out knives unless I know you well or you let me use your best hunting dog for a couple of weeks.

Roll Tide. Bring another one home.

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Originally Posted by j. gravy

i'm not into making a fish suffer for any extra reason but seeing as how we're killing them anyway, would it be a good idea to cut those sheepshead spines with a pair of snips or something? i apologize if this seems a silly idea, i just don't have a ton of experience with the species.

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Y'know those lock-cutter thingees - That's what you'd need to cut a sheepshead's spine and then it would be nearly impossible to fillet. There's no good answer to your valid point.

Actually, Fishntime's suggestion about letting them die before putting them in the box has a lot of merit except for the fact that the doggoned things live longer than they have any right to. I think Todd just likes to show off how many fish he's caught by leaving them lying around the deck---then those pretty, northern tourist ladies will tell him how manly he is and squeeze his (ahem) biceps.

I think taking and extra five gallon bucket to use for a kill barrel is a good idea.

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Originally Posted by Haywire

Actually, Fishntime's suggestion about letting them die before putting them in the box has a lot of merit except for the fact that the doggoned things live longer than they have any right to. I think Todd just likes to show off how many fish he's caught by leaving them lying around the deck---then those pretty, northern tourist ladies will tell him how manly he is and squeeze his (ahem) biceps.

I think taking and extra five gallon bucket to use for a kill barrel is a good idea.

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Yea, I tried that once, had 3 medium/small Spots laid out on the deck...no response..

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Originally Posted by Haywire

I look for cheap (er) contractors bags and use them to put fish in. Those Spanish will go right through a regular garbage bag. With sheepshead, you can forget it---those spines will go through stainless steel plate.

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(Compactor) bags are even tougher than contractor bags . Of course Wal-Mart sells them in rolls for a reasonable price .

The fish must not be doing much, you guys are talking about cleaning the fish and not catching the fish. (lol)