Best Way To Clean Salmon

[MattP]

I recently bought my first troller. I've been a part time resident of the state for the last few years and am planning on making a permanent move this spring. I've participated in winter longline and jig fisheries for other species and guided for salmon in the summers (I know, I know, I'm getting out of it). Anyways, I've never commercially fished for salmon and the fish I got guiding were usually just bled and put on ice. I've read alot on this forum about how guys are trying to maximize the quality of their troll-caught product. I was wondering if anyone knows of a link to or could post a detailed description of how they process their fish on the boat before icing them. I found an old post that had a link to a video from the SPC coop about this but the link was dead. I really want to produce a good product right off the bat. I will be icing or slush icing in totes. Something with pictures would be great and any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[SilverT]

Matt,

I looked for and couldn't find the link to SPC's video. I have to run and have not watched them entirely, but the Washington Troller's Association web site has a few videos and pics on the subject that you might want to check out. I found SPC's video the most helpful and the processors were very pleased with the results of following their instructions, so it would be nice if we could get it back in circulation. Congratulations on your new venture. A link is posted below.

http://www.washingtontrollers.org/cleaning.htm

[Salty]

I have a nice sequence of my wife cleaning a silver salmon. I will post it on the pictures section. Does not include flushing of the blood lines.
Or perhaps I will post it here. Chum Troll Association News thread has a detailed paper we produced on handling round troll chums from the bite to the clean up. A lot of that also applies to dressing salmon.

I will go look up the thread on cleaning coho and post it if I have not done so already.

[Salty]

Already posted on the second page of troll action in the pictures and movies section.

[gonoff]

Try going to You Tube and typing in salmon trolling Myriad. There are three videos from 2004. At least one shows how to pressure bleed a salmon.

[MattP]

Thanks for the help guys. Also, I managed to find the SPC video. It is no longer on the SPC site but Google video still has a copy of it. If anyone wants it the URL is: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 3820510396# .

[Salty]

I have had a couple of requests setting up a troll deck for handling ergonomics, quality, and efficiencies. Here are a few pictures showing the deck set up on my troller. I walk the docks regularly looking at back deck set ups for handling fish. Two things impress me over time and looking at hundreds of boats.
1. How amazingly creative trollers are who put their mind to their back deck ergonomics and efficiencies.
2. How neglected the ergonomics, quality consciousness, and handling efficiencies are on a good percentage of the fleet.

This first slide shows the relative neatness of the back deck working station from an off board port aft view. How pulling the fish over the rail is unobstructed.

IMG_5837.JPG (56.56 KiB) Viewed 15924 times

This next slide shows the gurdies mounted above the deck, yet close to rail at waist level for safety, ergonomic handling, and easy cleaning. Mounting on the edge of the boat like this clears up the center of the boat for easy access and reduces infrastructure to get around and clean.

Port Side Gurdies.jpg (169.99 KiB) Viewed 15929 times

This next slide shows the back deck including hatches, gurdies, electronics box, gear setters, and cleaning trough. It does not show the block and rope we have for lifting the back hatches from the cockpit. I also just contracted to replace the fiberglass hatches with lighter aluminum hatches for even more ergonomic handling.

This next slide shows the starboard cleaning trough in position for landing one fish (winter kinging) directly into the trough for bleeding, gutting, flushing, and rinsing. The salmon can go directly from the trough to the slush tank without ever hitting the deck when fishing is slow.

The final slide shows the slush tanks. Since this picture I have added two legs of support to the troughs and just contracted to have excess aluminum trimmed off to make them even lighter when we are sliding them around. If you look closely you can see that the trough slides into built in rail on each side of the front of the cockpit. When we are in fish, if it is just a few, we bleed them right on the deck in front of the cockpit. It it is fairly hot fishing, then we have 3 X 4 blue light blue plastic tubs to bleed and hold the fish while we get the lines reset. We almost always clean the fish from one pull through the lines before running them again.

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[Salty]

Someone said I should show a picture of the deck with some salmon on it. Well, mostly I am busy when the fish are biting but here is one I snapped after a nice little clatter last spring. Fish are bleeding out, weather is cool.

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[Wperson]

Nice rain hat, better than a skiff to keep the rain off your head. Do you have controls in the Stern?

[jennyj]

do you think it works in high rain fall