Bleedin' Cod

[Salar]

Not swearing - Alan, you mentioned bleeding cod destined for the table in your End of an Era thread - Why is presumably to whiten the flesh, but How and Where? I have also heard that farmed salmon are bled by either a gill cut or a tail cut (only unfortunately they are not banged on the head first) Any tips from the ex-commercial chaps for an amateur like me?

[spasor]

Salar.

Certain skippers reccomend slitting the gill flaps of pollack to whiten the flesh?

[Alan Taylor]

Salar:

Not swearing - Alan, you mentioned bleeding cod destined for the table in your End of an Era thread -  

Hi mate,

I don't have any scientific answers, just advice that I had from skippers and buyers. The best way to hold a round fish (if right handed) is to put your left tumb in its eye and your left index finger under its jaw, that gives you a dam good hold. With round fish, knock them on the head and bleed them by cutting there throats/gills very high up AND remove the heart which is in the throat. If you can, gut them strait away but keep the guts in a bucket unless you are steaming or the gulls will dive into your lines and possibly attack your baits as they are hanging over the side. I tell the clients that if they gut fish and dump the guts over the side and a bird gets hooked they KILL it and not me, that soon stops them.

 

Cutting across the base of the tail also bleeds the fish but does not stop the gut acids working.

 

I just found out last weekend that Pout/Bib are brilliant smoked just gotta try that

 

Nite

 

Alan

[John S]

If it's any help, I understand that any damage to the gills that causes bleeding will result in the death of the fish because they do not have coagulants that would cause the blood to clot, therefore they just bleed to death.

 

I have only heard this once however, and would love to have that denied or confirmed by someone in the know....

 

Tight lines

[Davy Holt]

Hiya,

 

I don't think that's quite true John, I accidentally (was one of my first doubles) damaged the gill raker's on a low doubles Pike many years ago. Three of the raker's were detached at one end and the fish was bleeding very badly. I still returned it, as it had more chance of survival in the water than lying on the bank next to me. Anyway I caught that fish many times again after that until she disappeared 2 years later, the last capture she was just under the 20lb mark. So at least for her my inflicted injury didn't seem to bother her too much.

 

[ 06. May 2004, 07:53 AM: Message edited by: Davy Holt ]

[paulthefish]

Davy's absolutely right John. Whilst their blood chemistry is different to ours they definately do have coagulants, otherwise they would have to be armour-plated to stand any chance of livung past their first birthday, given the number of sharp objects they come across ( mostly teeth)

[John S]

Thanks for that Davy and Paul, you've put my mind at rest over a couple of incidents in the past

 

Tight lines

[Salar]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alan Taylor:

I just found out last weekend that Pout/Bib are brilliant smoked just gotta try that

 

Nite

 

Alan [/QB]

---

This week we dined off home smoked mackeral (pate) and smoked pollack (kedgeree). Fab....I used the pout for bait! Another time maybe.

[gonefishing]

Tetty off "peace and plenty" told us to cut just underneath behind the gill cage where it goes as it joins the organ cavity.

 

I asked why this was done, and was told that it keeps the meat white, he added that on a commercial boat they would be gutted on catch so bleeding them went some way in the same direction.

 

Meat was as white as a feather at the end of the day

[Alan Taylor]

Chris knows what he is talking about ;)mention Jim Taylor next time you meet up with any of the Weymouth skippers.

 

I will try and get some pics this weekend as I have had a lot of people asking how and why to gut and bleed round fish.

 

Cheers

 

Alan