killing trout quickly? (+ photos for fun)

[yakimanoob]

Hey folks!

Apologies if this has been well covered elsewhere.  I did try searching but I'm not sure what common words are used for it. 

Do you kill your trout in some way before throwing them in the cooler?  Knock 'em on the head?  Decapitate?  Some other method?  I've heard some bits about people running a wire through the spine too. 

Just curious what others are doing.  I've typically just thrown them in the cooler and let them go to sleep.  But I'm very much a rookie here. 


And just for fun, I took my brother his family fishing at Rotary Lake in Yakima and we got stupid lucky -- arrived about 20 minutes after they dumped 4k new fish in the lake. 

[Evil_EdwardO]

I do like you and throw them in the cooler to go to sleep. Although, I've heard/read the most humane way is to cut/slice the gills and let them bleed out. Not sure how factual that is.

[Skyvalhunter]

knock them on a rock and get it over with. I can't believe I am even answering this

[Alchase]

I keep them alive in a bucket until I am ready to clean them.
Sometimes if I am bored wile fishing I will clean them while still in the boat. Unless it is too big to handle alive, I just start with a cut up the gut. cutout the gills, run a thumb up the inside to get the guts and bloodline, call it good.
Big fish get a bonk on the head, LOL

[Skillet]

Bonk and pop a gill to bleed.

[yakimanoob]

knock them on a rock and get it over with. I can't believe I am even answering this

Like I said, I'm a serious rookie in terms of western/trout fishing.  I grew up fishing streams in the southeast and kept the bass or bream on a stringer and they were alive until I was ready to clean them (or if I was with a friend with a boat, in a live well to the same effect).  I did the same thing at first when I moved up here three years ago, but after watching my trout die pretty quick on a stringer, I just started throwing them in the cooler and feeling like there must be a better way

I'll try knocking them next time I go out (which hopefully will be soon...)

[PolarBear]

Bonk and pop a gill to bleed.

Gotta bleed them out especially if you are keeping eggs to cure.
I was told that fish cannot feel pain only pressure.

[h20hunter]

I'm cruel i guess....all fish get the gills cut while alive. Once bled out they go on ice.

[7mmfan]

It depends on what the end goal is I suppose. If you want the best table fare, you absolutely need to bleed those little buggers, and doing it while they are alive is the best way to get the most blood out. Sever the connection where the gills meet the body, and that severs the jugular. The blood will pump right out of them. It kills them in a matter of seconds.

I don't like to see any creature suffer, so I often bonk my fish before I bleed them, but with little trout like that, that will usually kill them, not stun them, and you lose the heart beat to pump the blood out.

If you are just going to use them for crawdad bait, or something like that, just bonk them on the head and toss them in the cooler.

[Seahawk12]

Usually, if I'm fishing for lake trout I bring a 5gallon bucket and fill it 3/4 with water to keep em alive in until I'm ready to clean them.

[chiwawadan]

I've always head bonked trout. In Alaska, most folks I've known with experience will rip a gill of the salmon to bleed it. "Makes for better fillets" was the claim.

[W_Ellison2011]

I've always head bonked trout. In Alaska, most folks I've known with experience will rip a gill of the salmon to bleed it. "Makes for better fillets" was the claim.

It 100% does make for better fillets when you rip the gill. Just slide a finger under the bottom gill and bounce the fish on your finger. Their own weight will tear it and you will see blood pour out instantly. It makes the fillets taste milder imo. We did the same with all the halibut we caught while up there too. Trout I have never ripped the gills but I could see it being the same. We usually either just tossed them into the cooler on ice or bonked then into the cooler. This year I will cut gills especially on the bigger browns we catch at the lake in the mountains we go to.

[lokidog]

Gill cut is the quickest way, they are dead within seconds of bleeding out.  Bled out trout/salmon taste better than not.

[W_Ellison2011]

Gill cut is the quickest way, they are dead within seconds of bleeding out.  Bled out trout/salmon taste better than not.

I haven't done trout yet but from my experience with lingcod, cabezon, rockfish, halibut, and salmon... They all taste better if you bleed them! I've got a spot in the mountains that we regularly catch 10"-14" rainbows and cutthroat trout plus a couple 16"-26" browns. I will be bleeding them this year for a taste comparison.

[j_h_nimrod]

All fish, 2-3 gill arches cut, ripped, or torn out and on a stringer in the water for a more complete bleed. The longer they remain alive respiring the more completely they bleed. I have never noticed a flavor difference personally, but there is a difference in storage life and quality.