Fish cleaning Stations

[-JR-]

They are selling tags a Wabamun. So with the money are they going to install a fish cleaning station . I was at Lac ste anne and did not see one there either.

[jungleboy]

I wouldn’t get my hopes up.

[trigger7mm]

Wishful thinking. Don’t hold your breath.

[deschambault]

They took the Newell one out years ago, OK since it smelled truly awful.

[Dewey Cox]

I don't think fish cleaning stations are there for your convenience.
I think they only exist to keep the fish guts concentrated to one place so as not to attract bears to every campsite.
I have never seen the appeal of using a communal fish cleaning station, personally.

[deschambault]

The wife prefers it to using the kitchen counter, just sayin.

[Moosetalker]

Alberta regulations require any Walleye and Pike Lake trout you retain be kept whole. {can remove innards and gills} for CO to measure for size and ID. No filleting till its prepared for consumption.

[Smoky buck]

Personally have no interest they stink and just nasty

I would rather see money invested into improving our fisheries and habitat of our water’s

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

I would rather see money invested into improving our fisheries and habitat of our water’s

^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^

[57charlie]

I've never used a communal cleaning station except at a fishing lodge. I find it easier just to gut the fish over the side of the boat while still on the lake, give it a good rinse & throw your fish in the ice packed cooler. Alot of times I'll bring a cleaning board or take it home to clean.

[Frank_NK28]

Fish cleaning stations? In Alberta? For what? 10" stocked rainbow trout? About the only thing you can keep in Alberta besides prussian carp......sounds like a worthwhile investment!!

[EZM]

As others have mentioned, I have never been to a "public" fish cleaning station that I would consider clean and sanitary. The ones at resorts, often times, are cleaned and maintained - so I might use one if it was clean and sanitary.

If I'm fishing a public lake, I will bleed, gut and gill the fish I plan on keeping and put it on ice ...... I treat it just like you should treat your food.

I would advise against leaving the blood, gills and guts in the fish any longer than you have to ...... the quality of your fish will be noticeable. Even if you put it on ice ...there still the coagulation of blood along the spine/bloodline (often causing a strong fishy taste), and parasites found in the guts and gills that remain alive long after the fish has died.

Frankly, I don't care if they put a fish cleaning station there - it's unlikely I will use it if I am retaining any fish. It will be gross 20 minutes after they open it up to public use and the first weekend googan pierces the crap sack on his dink walleye and contaminates the cutting surface spreading fish crap all over the place .....

[Stinky Buffalo]

Whew, I thought I was the only one who was repulsed by those stations!

There are some stations that have a rinse hose, which is an improvement. But those are few and far between.

[Frank_NK28]

Originally Posted by EZM

As others have mentioned, I have never been to a "public" fish cleaning station that I would consider clean and sanitary. The ones at resorts, often times, are cleaned and maintained - so I might use one if it was clean and sanitary.

If I'm fishing a public lake, I will bleed, gut and gill the fish I plan on keeping and put it on ice ...... I treat it just like you should treat your food.

I would advise against leaving the blood, gills and guts in the fish any longer than you have to ...... the quality of your fish will be noticeable. Even if you put it on ice ...there still the coagulation of blood along the spine/bloodline (often causing a strong fishy taste), and parasites found in the guts and gills that remain alive long after the fish has died.

Frankly, I don't care if they put a fish cleaning station there - it's unlikely I will use it if I am retaining any fish. It will be gross 20 minutes after they open it up to public use and the first weekend googan pierces the crap sack on his dink walleye and contaminates the cutting surface spreading fish crap all over the place .....

When we go to a resort to fish I carry a bottle of anti-bacterial dish soap & plastic scouring pad to the fish cleaning station with me and wash the heck out of the table top surface prior to and after I clean our catch. I also do another thorough rinse of our filets once back in the cabin before bagging them for transport.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by Frank_NK28

When we go to a resort to fish I carry a bottle of anti-bacterial dish soap & plastic scouring pad to the fish cleaning station with me and wash the heck out of the table top surface prior to and after I clean our catch. I also do another thorough rinse of our filets once back in the cabin before bagging them for transport.

That's a great idea!

[StiksnStrings]

I've used one once and that was one too many times. It did have a running water supply but, I can only guess that it was too much effort for the previous fisherman to clean up after them selves. Now a days kept fish get gutted and gilled on the water and onto ice or the frying pan asap.

[EZM]

For the very few fish we are allowed to keep these days, it real easy to lean over the side of the boat, gut, gill and bleed a fish in a few minutes time .... then just put the fish on ice and process back home or at the camp/cabin. I just feel better about it.

I once saw a guy, while sitting on the deck overlooking the launch and fish station on a burning hot day, go down to his boat and retrieve a black trash bag and proceed to the fillet station and watched him pour out a couple slimy soft, discolored dink pike and clean them up ........ not sure how long this guy had the pike sitting there baking in the hot sun in a trash bag, but i can imagine what that smelled (and later) tasted like.

No wonder some people say "I don't like eating pike" ....I bet this guy got a nice cleansing after eating those fillets.

gross

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by EZM

For the very few fish we are allowed to keep these days, it real easy to lean over the side of the boat, gut, gill and bleed a fish in a few minutes time .... then just put the fish on ice and process back home or at the camp/cabin. I just feel better about it.

I once saw a guy, while sitting on the deck overlooking the launch and fish station on a burning hot day, go down to his boat and retrieve a black trash bag and proceed to the fillet station and watched him pour out a couple slimy soft, discolored dink pike and clean them up ........ not sure how long this guy had the pike sitting there baking in the hot sun in a trash bag, but i can imagine what that smelled (and later) tasted like.

No wonder some people say "I don't like eating pike" ....I bet this guy got a nice cleansing after eating those fillets.

gross

The dreaded black garbage bag of fish in the sun is the worst. I have seen sockeye dump out of a bag half cooked

[deschambault]

There are some interesting ones though. One time at Lake Livingston Texas at at a small "resort" the owner showed me the fish cleaning table. It was cantilevered over the water and the fish guts went into the lake. He said, "Watch this" and kicked on the water pump. Two sets of alligator eyes started swimming towards the table. The next morning I cleaned a couple of bass and fed the neighborhood recyclers.

[EZM]

Originally Posted by deschambault

There are some interesting ones though. One time at Lake Livingston Texas at at a small "resort" the owner showed me the fish cleaning table. It was cantilevered over the water and the fish guts went into the lake. He said, "Watch this" and kicked on the water pump. Two sets of alligator eyes started swimming towards the table. The next morning I cleaned a couple of bass and fed the neighborhood recyclers.

Sounds like a place where you probably don't want to go for a swim !!! Yikes

There was (maybe still is) a similar set up (cleaning station above water) in Nanaimo at Schooner Cove - guts go down and the minute the water starts splashing down all these fish come racing in for a feeding frenzy - these are not alligators by any means - but I remember as a 7-8 kid how cool that was to see ..... not a sign of life until the water started dripping down and then it was like an aquarium of wonderment for us kids.

[fish99]

the fish cleaning station in port hardy dumped in to the ocean , when you cleaned your catch seals were all over the trimmings.