Ski-Boat — May-June 2017

your fish once it hits the deck.
A few years back Brad Kidd started
importing killbags from the USA and
they are really useful. We purchased a
bag from Brad and started seeing the
results immediately. Instead of storing
our fish in our insulated fish hatches we
started packing them in the killbag, top-
ping up with ice as the bag had more
and more fish in it. As the ice melts in
the killbag it makes the perfect slurry
and brings the core temperature of the
fish down to about 4°C.
We found that having the killbag
lying across the boat, from port to star-
board resulted in the fish still looking
pristine when we returned home. The
fish were no longer getting bruised and
battered in the hatches while we ran to
and from the fishing grounds.
Our imported killbag started look-
ing a bit tatty after a season so we
looked into purchasing another bag.
The only problem was that our poor
Rand was suffering and the strength of
the US dollar meant that the cost of
these bags was astronomical.
I decided to look local and get
someone to make them for me in
Durban for a fraction of what the
imported ones cost. Since then we
have not looked back and now have a
good stock of bags for our boats. The
beauty of the bags is that they roll up
like big sleeping bags and fit in most
cabins or hatches.
Our fish hatches have now become
ice hatches, and when we land the fish
they are quickly placed into the killbag
and covered with ice.
Most boats on the market these days
have adequate fish hatches, but many
will battle to hold a ’cuda bigger than
25kg. Not only do the insulated killbags
chill your catch, but they also provide a
cushioning effect resulting in your catch
looking like they have just come out the
water even after a full day at sea. You
will also notice a great improvement in
the quality of your fish fillets.
These bags are best for loading your
pelagic fish in and each bag can hold
about 80-100kg of tuna, ’cuda, queen
mackerel, dorado or wahoo.
I have a few mates who manage to
sneak in early morning fishing sessions
on their skis before work and they are
loving the killbags. It means that they
can fish for a few hours, load their
catch into the killbag with ice and head
straight to work without having to fillet
or even gut their fish until they return
from work in the evening. Most of the
guys have also commented on how
much easier it is to fillet the fish after it
has been cooled to the correct tempera-
ture. The flesh is firmer and this makes
filleting a breeze.
The other plus is that when you put
your fillets into the fridge or freezer
they are already chilled, thus extending
its shelf life.

Nothing is cheap these days and ice

is no exception, but when you have the

ability to catch beautiful fish for the

table, do yourself a favour and spend a

few bucks on the ice.

TO BLEED OR NOT TO BLEED

There are many theories out there

about what is the best way to handle

and prepare tuna once you have landed

the fish. I guess it all boils down to two

factors — firstly how much effort you

are willing to put in, and secondly how

practical it is to do the suggested prepa-

ration on your boat. With regard to the

first factor, if anglers applied just a quar-

ter of the effort they put in to actually

finding and catching a fish to the han-

dling and prep of their catch, then I

think they would have the best fish in

town after a day at sea.

The second factor is more compli-

cated. Here in KwaZulu-Natal most of

our fishing is done from smaller ski-

boats in the 14-20ft range. These ves-

sels are not as well equipped to deal

SKI-BOAT May/June 2017 • 35

Using a killbag and lots of ice — instead of just throwing your catch in a hatch —

will greatly improve the quality of the meat.