# Whats wrong with these fish?



## Hogwash (Apr 20, 2015)

So I posted a report of some flounder I finally gigged this weekend. I fried em up, new bottle of peanut oil, cornmeal, you know how it goes. But when I ate these flounder they tasted AWFUL. And by awful I mean like a strong chemical taste to them. I thought maybe it was the oil or cornmeal, so I fry up some of the others in butter and crushed saltines, same chemical taste. I gigged em near Navarre, anybody else experience this, or have any insight? I don't think I'll be gigging fish from that area again.


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## chad403 (Apr 20, 2008)

Was it an ammonia type taste?


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## Hogwash (Apr 20, 2015)

Nope. Just a chemical taste I guess. I only had them on the stringer for about an hour, then they went on ice for the ride home. I cleaned them right away, rinsed em in cold water and into the fridge.


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## chad403 (Apr 20, 2008)

I think the fish being on a stringer for an hour in 84 degree water started the decomposition process and that is the flavor you are getting. Did the meat smell? These warm waters it does not take long.


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## Hogwash (Apr 20, 2015)

chad403 said:


> I think the fish being on a stringer for an hour in 84 degree water started the decomposition process and that is the flavor you are getting. Did the meat smell? These warm waters it does not take long.


It smelled fine, but maybe your right, the water is pretty warm. What a bonehead move on my part. I'll lug around a cooler next time I suppose.


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## chad403 (Apr 20, 2008)

I could be wrong, but from experience I have put mullet on a stringer for 15 minutes in August and they tasted funny and mushy as all get out.


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## darsinika (Apr 18, 2010)

*ice before death*

if the fish is dead and in our waters, can you say slow poached fish. live cultures lol..............Flounder is not a firm flesh, so it will warm up quick


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## Hogwash (Apr 20, 2015)

darsinika said:


> if the fish is dead and in our waters, can you say slow poached fish. live cultures lol..............Flounder is not a firm flesh, so it will warm up quick


 Thanks guys, lesson learned. How dumb can I be......


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## SteveCal (Jun 21, 2014)

Hogwash said:


> Thanks guys, lesson learned. How dumb can I be......


Not dumb at all. Part of the learning curve.


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## MGuns (Dec 31, 2007)

Learning has occurred for me as well; I wouldn't think the decomposition process would begin that quickly but I guess so. Bringing a cooler from now on when wade fishing in the heat. Thank you!!!


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Another thing I always learned to do is to imeaditaly gut your fish and ice at once. There are exceptions to the gutting. Flounder, trigger and mullet dont require gutting. The rest must be gutted and iced as soon as brought on board. The exclusions iced imeaditaly. The digestive fluids start to migrate into the flesh at death. If commercial fishing it's a ticketed offense to not gut and properley ice fish that are being sold.


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## Hogwash (Apr 20, 2015)

Thanks all, I feel like an idiot. I've never fished in water that gets so warm so I never really thought twice about putting them on the stringer. Lesson learned. I hate the idea of the fish going to waste, it's like losing a duck in the marsh, ya beat yourself up over it.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Those little white wiggling things aren't grains of rice.


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## 60hertz (Oct 1, 2007)

Could also be from your cooler. How clean was your cooler? What do you clean your cooler with? Maybe some cleaner didn't get rinsed out and the fish picked it up?


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

I'm gonna show my age...

The warm water has always been a problem. Before there were plastic coolers, when we went floundering we would buy block ice, break it up in our "croaker" sack in a washtub w/ an inner-tube and battery. Immediately put flounder, crab, etc. under the ice.


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## 2RC's II (Feb 2, 2012)

barefoot said:


> I'm gonna show my age...
> 
> The warm water has always been a problem. Before there were plastic coolers, when we went floundering we would buy block ice, break it up in our "croaker" sack in a washtub w/ an inner-tube and battery. Immediately put flounder, crab, etc. under the ice.


 YeP "croaker sack" was a dead giveaway on the age!


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## Hogwash (Apr 20, 2015)

60hertz said:


> Could also be from your cooler. How clean was your cooler? What do you clean your cooler with? Maybe some cleaner didn't get rinsed out and the fish picked it up?


I just use about a 10% bleach solution, rinse it 3-4 times and let it air dry outside. It's never been an issue before. Maybe next time I go to keep the fish cold I'll get a couple pounds of dry ice, wrap it up pretty good, and stick in the cooler to cut down on weight. Dragging all this stuff across sand gets tiring. I knew I should have pulled my duck boat down here, it would have worked pretty well for gigging I think.


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

2RC's II said:


> YeP "croaker sack" was a dead giveaway on the age!


 Lol, I threw that in there as a clue.
Wonder how many of our readers know what a croaker sack is?


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## DAWGONIT (Jan 16, 2009)

great thread; so many key tips to learn for the different varieties of fishing.


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## drifterfisher (Oct 9, 2009)

barefoot said:


> Lol, I threw that in there as a clue.
> Wonder how many of our readers know what a croaker sack is?


I know very well what a croaker sack is....humped a many of them on a loading dock.


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## Russian (Jan 13, 2009)

Croaker sack, being a transplanted Yankee I wouldnt know, but intriguing.

Never thought of this as a problem wade gigging. We gigged a good mess last year labor day weekend wade gigging and never had a problem with them on the stringer in warm water, but that is a month from now, it was hot though. Im thinking a dry sack with ice in it and tie it to your wading belt where the stringer usually is maybe. Definitely something to think about. Normally they live for a while on the stringer if you dont stone them. Good conversation and no you are not an idiot.


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

Apologies to the OP...
just couldn't resist a lil southern education.

Croaker Sack: "croaker sacks" were burlap bags/sacks used to hold frogs when caught. The burlap bags / sacks enabled the frogs to stay alive and damp while other "croakers" were captured (called frog gigging). Term supposedly originated from central Fl. in the mid '30's when Frog Legs" were all the rage in restaurants.


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## Hogwash (Apr 20, 2015)

barefoot said:


> Apologies to the OP...
> just couldn't resist a lil southern education.
> 
> Croaker Sack: "croaker sacks" were burlap bags/sacks used to hold frogs when caught. The burlap bags / sacks enabled the frogs to stay alive and damp while other "croakers" were captured (called frog gigging). Term supposedly originated from central Fl. in the mid '30's when Frog Legs" were all the rage in restaurants.


No apology needed, pretty sure I figured out my problem.. 

I was wondering though what the heck a "croaker sack" is. Thanks for that bit of southern knowledge


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Another thing that could cause that taste, All this fresh water run off from the rivers and rain could cause a quicker deterioration of the flesh along with the heat.


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## 60hertz (Oct 1, 2007)

sealark said:


> Another thing I always learned to do is to imeaditaly gut your fish and ice at once. There are exceptions to the gutting. Flounder, trigger and mullet dont require gutting. The rest must be gutted and iced as soon as brought on board. The exclusions iced imeaditaly. The digestive fluids start to migrate into the flesh at death. If commercial fishing it's a ticketed offense to not gut and properley ice fish that are being sold.


FL recreational regulations require fish to be landed whole. If you gut them when you bring the fish on board you are risking a fine and maybe court too.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

60hertz said:


> FL recreational regulations require fish to be landed whole. If you gut them when you bring the fish on board you are risking a fine and maybe court too.


Thats bull s?!t you are suppose to gut fish. There is no problem if u gut fish. In fact if commercial you can get a ticket for NOT gutting fish.


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## jigmaster (Oct 27, 2007)

They will spoil quick. Fish need to be iced down asap. Other than this corn meal sucks ass catfish is fine. You may as well rolled the flounder in Beach sand....Beer batter is the way to go or in a close 2nd is Atkinson s seafood breader.


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## DMC (Nov 28, 2010)

I don't think how you handled the fish hurt them. If I was going to change something I would do away with the peanut oil.:no: I tried it once and made the fish taste funny. I want use it on fried fish.
As far as to use a batter on fish I might as well go to captain D's but I don't eat that sheet either.

Oh and I know what a croaker sack is also. :notworthy:


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## Hogwash (Apr 20, 2015)

jigmaster said:


> They will spoil quick. Fish need to be iced down asap. Other than this corn meal sucks ass catfish is fine. You may as well rolled the flounder in Beach sand....Beer batter is the way to go or in a close 2nd is Atkinson s seafood breader.





DMC said:


> I don't think how you handled the fish hurt them. If I was going to change something I would do away with the peanut oil.:no: I tried it once and made the fish taste funny. I want use it on fried fish.
> As far as to use a batter on fish I might as well go to captain D's but I don't eat that sheet either.
> 
> Oh and I know what a croaker sack is also. :notworthy:


I respectfully disagree. I've never been fan of beer batter. For 20 years I've either used corn meal or a corn meal based breading, or crushed up saltines to coat my fried fish. 

Frying fish in anything OTHER than peanut oil or butter seems crazy to me.

To each his own I suppose.


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## CurDog (Nov 14, 2010)

We'd use our croaker sack for a mullet sack. Fill it with soybeans, soybean mill, rabbit pellets (rabbit food), cheap dry dog food, whole corn, and a good sized brick, maybe a 10ga wire to tie it up with and used as a rope, toss it in the river where you're gonna mullet fish, let it set for a few days, then fish near it. Caught alot of mullet that way. Tied the wire to a underwater root to keep it hidden from other boaters/fishermen... They tell me now it's illegal to use a mullet sack... I say keep the wire hidden and the bag in deep water, you should be good to go.


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## Five Prongs Of Fury (Apr 15, 2008)

Hogwash said:


> I respectfully disagree. I've never been fan of beer batter. For 20 years I've either used corn meal or a corn meal based breading, or crushed up saltines to coat my fried fish.
> 
> Frying fish in anything OTHER than peanut oil or butter seems crazy to me.
> 
> To each his own I suppose.


I also prefer fish fried in peanut oil and have ate them battered with different variations of cornmeal and flour all my life. Gonna have to try the saltines, never thought of that.


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## AndyS (Nov 22, 2011)

barefoot said:


> Apologies to the OP...
> just couldn't resist a lil southern education.
> 
> Croaker Sack: "croaker sacks" were burlap bags/sacks used to hold frogs when caught. The burlap bags / sacks enabled the frogs to stay alive and damp while other "croakers" were captured (called frog gigging). Term supposedly originated from central Fl. in the mid '30's when Frog Legs" were all the rage in restaurants.


Those not from the south might know a "croker" (or "croaker") sack as a "burlap bag" or a "gunnysack" (although I've heard both of those other terms used in the south as well) 

Used to be common all over the country because they were used to sell, transport, and store dry bulk items likeseed, feed, potatoes, dry beans, coffee, etc. Nowadays bags made out of some kind of plastic are more commonly used, although croker sacks are still around. The origin of the word "croker" _(see below)_ supposedly has nothing to do with gigging frogs .... although that's a good use too. Also good for crawfish as the burlap material retains moisture. 

_



"A large sack made from loosely woven, coarse material goes by a variety of names in regional American English. The most general term is burlap bag, known everywhere but used especially in the Northeast. In the Midwest and West the usual term is gunnysack. The word gunny in gunnysack means "coarse heavy fabric made of jute or hemp" and originates in India. Although we are not certain from which language or languages of India the word was borrowed, words relating to sacks and sounding like gunny are widespread in the languages of India, such as Punjabi gūṇī, "sack," Marathi goṇī, "sackcloth," and Hindi gon,"sack." All of these Indian words ultimately descend from the Sanskrit word goṇī, "sack," and the Indian word was brought into English in the early 1700s through trade with India, where items were often packed for transport in sacks of jute or hemp. In the Upper South of the United States, on the other hand, a burlap bag can be called a tow sack, and in eastern North Carolina, a tow bag. The word tow (another synonym like burlap and gunny for "fabric made from jute or hemp") probably derives from an Old English word meaning "spinning." In South Carolina and adjacent parts of Georgia, however, a burlap bag can be called a crocus sack, and in the Gulf States, a croker sack, both terms deriving from the word crocus. According to Craig M. Carver, who draws on the research of Walter S. Avis, "crocus is a coarse, loosely woven material once worn by slaves and laborers and common in colonial New England. It probably took its name from the sacks in which crocus or saffron was shipped." Though the term crocus sack virtually disappeared from New England by the end of the 1800s, it survives in the South." http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gunnysack

Click to expand...

_Oh, and yeah .. always get your fish gutted and on ice as soon as ya can, especially in hot weather.They'll go bad.


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

AndyS;

_The origin of the word "croker" (see below) supposedly has nothing to do with gigging frogs _

NOPE, sorry this is wrong information. A croaker sack around here got it's name from being used for frog gigging.

It should not be confused w/ larger burlap sacks, used to ship good at that time, they were too big to use as croaker sacks.

I prefer corn meal to fry fish in, but I bake & grill mostly.


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## AndyS (Nov 22, 2011)

barefoot said:


> AndyS;
> 
> _The origin of the word "croker" (see below) supposedly has nothing to do with gigging frogs _
> 
> ...


Where I grew up on a farm in east central Mississippi ... pretty much any large burlap bag was often referred to as a croker sack. _(And yeah, we gigged frogs there too.) _

So far as I can tell it's just a coincidence with the whole frog-gigging thing & the actual historical origin of the name. Although I consider myself a bit of an amateur historian myself, who am I to argue with people who have actually made it their life's work?

Anyways, I was just quoting the historical word origin reference above .... folks can choose to believe what they want about it. No matter to me.


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

And having been in fl. for over 6 generations, I also am a bit of a historian. It's not uncommon to have the same item called by diff. names...happens today also. It's a geographical anomaly.

1st use of the term CROKER sack is recorded to be about 1875-1880 and was a southern slang version of the CROCUS sack.

It gained popularity as a word in the 30's after a magazine article about central Florida frog gigging business. After several interviews w/ locals who called it a "croaker sack", he used the name in the article and it became widely accepted as the definition of a small burlap bag used to hold frogs & fish.


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