Avoid Fishy Taste

The best way to avoid fishy taste is to properly care for, handle, store and clean your fish from catch to the table for eating.  Caution means keeping the fish cool and fresh, and rinsing/cleaning and then storing your fillets properly.  Here are 4 specific topics that will dive deeper into these topics:

Live Well, Fish Stringer or Boat Coolers

Anglers Limit Anglers Limit In A Boat Cooler
Keeping a supply of ice with you is a good idea. Some anglers will use a cooler with ice to store their caught fish until cleaning. Other anglers will use their live well or fish stringer to keep their caught fish in lake or river water. This allows the fish to stay alive and fresh until time for cleaning. This angler appears to have their limit on ice in their boat cooler. Click on the two links above to read more about live wells and boat coolers. In addition, you will want ice and a cooler available to transport your cleaned fillets home in a cold environment to keep them fresh till freezing - and the fresher the fish you avoid fishy taste.

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Remove Dark Meat - Avoid Fishy Taste

Many fish have portions of their fillet that is muscle but consists of a more oily stronger taste than the rest of the meat.  In the case of white bass and wipers they have red meat.  When removed, these fillets taste much like other white fish - like crappie, walleye, bass.  The nice thing is this red meat is usually close to the surface, or in a small "V" shape down the center of the fillet and is easily removed.  Even the dreaded Asian Carp, the fish that jumps out of many of our river systems when a boat passes by, is good tasting when its read meat is removed. 

fishy taste fishy taste

Fresh Water Rinse - Potable Water

Fresh water rinse is covered well on the link in the title of this paragraph. We can't over emphasize the importance of rinsing your fillets in fresh water, and in addition rinsing your knife and fillet board with fresh water as well. Bring you own fresh water in gallons, or double check to make sure the water at the cleaning station you plan to use is marked Potable, safe for human use. When properly cleaned, trimmed, rinsed - getting rid of oil from the skin, entrails, you are now ready for storing for eating, or freezing for future use. Unless you plan to eat your fillets in the next couple of days we strongly recommend you vacuum seal your fillets - which will make those fillets stay fresh for 6 months or more.

Avoid Freezer Burn

To properly freeze your fillets you want to be sure they are frozen in a way that no portion of the fillet is open to air. Freezing the fillet with water covering its surface works well, but has the downside of taking up more room in your freezer and taking longer to thaw.

Our preferred method of freezing is to use a vacuum sealer. Click on the vacuum sealer pages and read about common at home sealers. This technique prevents the fillet from being exposed to air and also allows for a minimum of water if any to be frozen with the fillet. In addition, the thaw time is dramatically reduced. By following these steps to the freezer and preventing freezer burn ensures that your fillets will be as fresh tasting when you thaw them as when they went into the freezer.