Bonk or bleed?

[DriftOR]

I'm a bonker. Always have been. My Grandad was a bonker, my dad is a bonker, it's just the way I was raised. Does bleeding a fish really make that much difference in the quality of meat? I have eaten plenty of bonked fish and they were delicious! Could you actually tell the difference in a taste test?

 

[jamisonace]

I bonk then immediately bleed. The only reason I bleed is because there is less mess when I filet the fish. I bonked plenty without bleeding and I can't tell a difference in taste.

 

[fish4life]

Important to bleed hens if you are planning to use the eggs gets the blood out of them.

 

[halibuthitman]

Bleed, using your finger pop 1 gill and let the heart do its work. Why? the number one cause of spoilage ( even if frozen ) is blood enzymes in the meat tissue, fish will remain fresher and last longer in the freezer if all the blood is removed, this is why troll caught pressure bled salmon demands the highest dock price in the commercial fleet, and gillnet bruised fish gets the least of the money. Blood in the cells also expands when frozen slowly in a home freezer causing cell damage making for mushy and poor textured meat-

 

[Irishrover]

I bleed them by the gills then slide them into the fish box. I filet them, mostly, then vacum pack and off to the freezer. They keep well and taste good even months later. Like mentioned ubove by HHM it's the enzymes in the blood the starts the decaying process. That's why I'll bleed an animal after I butcher it. Kill then hang and bleed. Getting the blood out of the meat makes a better product and particularly if you intend to store the meat. Its the same idea with enbalming, out goes the blood in goes enbalming fluid. It keeps the body tissue stable and forstalls the decaying process. But if you are just bonking a trout for dinner I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[metalfisher76]

Bleed!

 

[RunWithSasquatch]

Bleed...

Generally I have noticed though that if you give them one bonk, they're usually dazed and wont flop around in a boat, but there heart is still going. So you can bleed a fish that wont flip around.