How long can you keep frozen fish. I have some from last Fall that I found in the freezer. I covered it with water before freezing. I know it’s under 6 months. How much longer will it still taste good after thawing?
Well..you did a good thing by putting it in water. That will help keep freezer burn from occuring. I use the food saver and the works well, but i guess i’ve never kept fish that long period, so i can’t really answer it w/any previous knowledge…I would imagine it will be fine though.
bass will never lose that oooooooh so delightfull taste of goodness 
Steve,
If they were frozen fresh and were covered with water…never thawed. They can be eaten safely after years….as for the taste…well, that’s up the the individual person. If you can tell the differance between fresh and frozen fish, you will notice a differance…but not enough to make you say…I should have tossed these…
Just remember if you held them in the fridge for 4 -5 days then froze them…you may have problems.
PS…skin on will shorten the life of tasting good.
Years ago my uncle told me to freeze them in Milk Cartons, add a bit of salt and completely surround the fish with ice. It seems to work well and have kept them for up to one year.
I caught the bass, err sauger yeah sauger on 11/14/03.
Jake,
I really like to keep the BIG bass. 5 lbs or better before I gut them out and fillet them. Especially if they are full of spawn. Those are the best fish to keep. 
Pickle them big bass……….it helps firm up the meat!!!!
Years ago we kept pan fish in milk cartons covered with water. I found some in my freezer that was 3 years old and they was as good as when frozen. I got a new food saver for Christmas. I am anxious to see how that keeps them.
I’ve never had any problem with fish that are frozen in water. Just got one of those vacuum seal machines and will be trying that as well. I hear that they work well to keep fish frozen for a long time.
Good Fishing,
Mike
Jake and SteveO, I’m a little surpised that you would gut out a 5 lbs bass.
I generally just through them up on the rocks…
Food savers look like a lot of trouble to me, so I just take freezer-grade ziplocks and put the filets in the bottom, then put some tapwater in and squeeze all the air out the top. I zip about 3/4 of the way across, then roll from the bottom up and when water starts squiriting out I zip it shut.
Afterward I work the filets out flat and stack the bags in the freezer. I’ve kept fish this way for as long as 6 months and never had a problem.
G, that’s the best way in my book! I’ve kept them longer than 6 months.
I’ve never had a vacuum sealer, but it seems to me that the water (in the zip lock/milk carton) protects the fish from freezer burn, accidental thaw/refreeze and just plain old frost build up from the freezer. It would be interesting to hear how they work from someone that has used them.
One good thing about the vacume sealer is it is a lot easier to thaw fish when you want to use it.
Also it is good for when you need to show your fish to the athorities.
It takes up much less room in my motorhome freezer.
IMPO the Food Saver is the only way to go. They’ll actually taste like they are fresh. Not just taste OK. Fish packed in water soak up too water.
For that matter one shouldn’t soak their fillets in water while cleaning them but rather quickly wash them off so they don’t adsorb any. Plus a bad fish or one with body fluids on it when in a water bath can impart any off taste to all of the other fish in the soaking vessel.
Throwing them on the rocks is bad, can be ticketed for that wantnwaste thing. I cut mine up and preserve it for cat fish bait. Spawn works good for chum.
Quote:
I generally just through them up on the rocks…
You guys crack me up 
Gianni,
I got a food saver for Christmas and wouldn’t sell it for $500 now. It’s the cat’s meow. I used to do the same exact thing as you with the freezer bags and water.
What Kevin says is true, soaking the fish fillets in water for any period of time will make them mushier, and if you have one bad or slimey fillet, it affects how they all taste.
The Food Saver is really fast and easy to use. Put a couple of fish in one of the Food Saver bags, stick the end of the bag in the machine, close it and press down and the machine vacuums and seals and shuts off automatically. 
With all the Pheasants, Ducks, and fish I have frozen over the years, I can’t believe I didn’t get one earlier.
Do you guys sometimes have problems w/your foodsavers when it starts to draw out all the moisture…and then it doesn’t seal properly because it gets wet?
Jeremiah,
I have experienced sealing problems when the fillets are wet. Now after I clean the fish and wash the fillets, I lay them on paper towels before using the vacuum sealer. The foodsaver is the best way to package and freeze fish.
Sandbar
Quote:
Jake and SteveO, I’m a little surpised that you would gut out a 5 lbs bass.
I generally just through them up on the rocks…
You know, it’d really be funny if you weren’t serious. I’ve seen the way you “bank ’em”! Get ’em caught in the rocks and rip the lure out…………..and usually right at your fishing partner! 
Well, it works for ya pretty good because you’re in a boat and they’re on shore. What are ya gonna do about that?…………….. 
…………. yep ……….. get up tomorrow and do it all over! 
Quote:
Do you guys sometimes have problems w/your foodsavers when it starts to draw out all the moisture…and then it doesn’t seal properly because it gets wet?
My wife talked to the company and done a lot of research before she bought me one for Christmas. Everyone recomended the VAC 800 as best for doing wet stuff like fish. The VAC 800 comes with an extended seal. She says the VAC 820 did not. It also has a built in cutter for cutting the length of bag from a roll that stores in your machine. This makes a lot better cuts than you can any other way. Make your bags extra long and put a folded paper towel accross between the fish and the seal area. http://www.foodsaver.com/
Another idea with the Foodsaver is to put the fillet in the bag, then place the open bag in the freezer just long enough that any liquids firm up. Then when you vacuum seal the liquid is not drawn into the machine.
I do this same thing when freezing salmon spawn. If you dont freeze it a little first the vacuum squashes the eggs. Freezing them first protects them.
I put the fillets on a towel and let them dry before I seal them.
I know from experience that they’ll taste fresh after at least two years in the bottom of the freezer. I couldn’t tell which ones were a year old versus the two year old.
I don’t eat those tasteless walleyes and instead freeze winter perch in one meal size batches for summer eating.
Bluefin hit it on the head. Put your fillets on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for about an hour or so. They firm up nice and all the moisture is gone. Then sealing is a piece of cake.
Here’s something else I’m trying. I chopped up a clove of garlic and sealed up a bunch of ringworms! Garlic flavored ringies for the Piggies this fall!!
I gave a buddy 6 walleyes about 2 months ago. A couple days later he informed me that they had 11/05/01 on the package. I appologized and told him I would give him some more. He said what for, they were great. He couldn’t tell, and he’s still standing up straight. I do the ziplock bag and water. I usually don’t go over a year, but that package must have slipped by.
I’ve done the fish and water in a ziploc freezer bag thing for a number of years. Never had a problem. Even when eating them after a couple of years!
Quote:
Here’s something else I’m trying. I chopped up a clove of garlic and sealed up a bunch of ringworms! Garlic flavored ringies for the Piggies this fall!!
Please let us know how the garlic ringies works. I am just getting in to this plastic bait thing. I asked on another post once “Do you guys use attractants on your Ring Worms”??? I didn’t get a reply, so decided it was a stupid question or a secret….LOL
Jim,
I am a firm believer that a fish friendly scent will never hurt.
Berkley didn’t make powerbait for nothing.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
