Tips for Storing the Fish You Catch

Man reeling in fish at a lake on a warm day
Man reeling in fish at a lake on a warm day

Did you know Meadow Brook Game Farm, known for its pheasant, chukar and quail hunts, is also a popular place for fishing? Meadow Brook Game Farm in middle Tennessee has a nice 10-acre lake that’s stocked once a week with farm-raised channel catfish. Fishing at the lake is $20 per person for 8 hours– or 6 catfish, 6 bass, 6 crappie and/or 10 bluegill (or whichever comes first). Fishing hours are 6am to 10pm daily, April through September.

If and when you do come to Meadow Brook’s fishing lake, and you catch fish, what are some tips for storing the fish you catch?

Fish Storing Tips

Ideally, you want to put fish on ice. It’s a great way to store them for transporting them from one place to another, such as from the lake to your house. You can store them in an insulated cooler. Leave the cooler’s drain plug open so ice water will run out, since water spoils the flavor of the fish.

If you have access to a refrigerator right after you catch some fish, use that to store them. Before you put fish in the fridge, wash them in cold water. Dry them with paper towels. Then wrap the fish in aluminum foil, plastic wrap or waxed paper in order to store the fish in the fridge. How long can you refrigerate fish? They’ll do well for up to two days. Larger fish keep longer than smaller ones. Also, lean fish store better than fatty ones.

Should you decide to freeze fish so they’ll last in the freezer up to a year, you’ll want to clean the fish first and then place it/them in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag or airtight package. Remove all the air (or as much as possible) since fish can lose flavor when exposed to air. Some people wrap fish in aluminum foil and then freezer paper before freezing them. Some people opt to freeze fish in solid blocks of ice, using “just enough” water to cover the fish.

Thinking about fishing at Meadow Brook Game Farm? Call 615-888-2411 for more information.

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