5 Ways on How to Keep Trout Fresh While Fishing

By David Chavez
February 9, 2022

When fishing for trout, it is very important to keep your fish fresh. The best way to keep trout fresh while you’re fishing is by keeping it on ice in a cooler.

If you put the fish on ice while you’re fishing, this will keep them fresh and ready to eat. There are alternative ways to store fresh trout as well, and we’ll go over that in this article.

Where to Store Fresh Caught Trout

There are several places you can store fresh trout while you continue to fish. They are:

Cooler: If you have a cooler, keeping your fresh-caught trout on ice is the best way to keep them as fresh as possible.
Plastic bag: The other alternative is the plastic bag. Place your fresh-caught trout in a plastic bag and keep the bag in the shade.
Container: Keep your fresh-caught trout in a container and keep the container in the shade.
Fishing Stringer: A fishing stringer is a great way to keep your fresh-caught trout while you go fishing. A stringer is a simple tool that you can use to keep your fish on. Once you catch a trout, simply grab it by the gills and put its mouth through the stringer. Then, just put the cord over a branch and let the trout hang with the water still inside of it.
Floating Fish Basket: A floating fish basket is another alternative way to keep your fresh-caught trout while you continue to fish. This device has a long piece of plastic with holes in it and a rope attached. All you have to do is place the trout inside the basket and then let it float in the water.

How Long Can Trout Stay Fresh After Catching

Trout can stay fresh while you continue to fish, but there is a limit. Catching and keeping your fish on ice will keep them fresh the longest, around three days. Keeping it in a plastic bag or container will keep it fresh for about two days.

A fishing stringer can also help you to keep your fish as fresh as possible before cooking it, around one day. Leaving your fresh-caught trout floating in the water can only keep them as fresh as about half a day.

Remember that you don’t want to overstock your cooler with trout so they begin to spoil and ruin all of your other catch too!

Equipment to Help Keep Trout Fresh

There are several types of equipment that can help you keep trout fresh. As mentioned, a fishing stringer, a cooler, ice. But another tool you want to have is a knife. You want to kill a trout quickly by using a knife. This will make it easier to store and keep fresh.

Fishing Trout While on a Boat

If you’re on a boat, you have a lot of space to store your fresh caught trout, so keeping them on ice is actually ideal.

However, if you’re on a small boat and there isn’t room for an ice chest, it’s best to keep them in a plastic bag or container with a little bit of water inside.

Fishing Trout While Wading

If you’re wading and want to keep your trout fresh after catching them, it’s best to put them on ice by using a backpack cooler. A backpack cooler while wading is a great place to store your trout while you go back to camp and start cooking them.

Fish bags or stringers also work extremely well for wading.

Fishing Trout While Floating a River

If you’re fishing a river and don’t have a boat or access to an ice chest, it’s best to keep your fresh-caught trout in a floating fish basket.

This is the perfect way to keep your fish fresh before cooking them once you get back to camp.

Final Thoughts on How to Keep Trout Fresh While Fishing

If you’re storing your trout for any amount of time after catching them, always remember that they can spoil quickly.

If you do not store them properly, the bacteria inside of the stomach can spread throughout the entire body, even if it looks fresh on the outside! Make sure to store your trout as soon as possible. Also, make sure they are completely dead when handling with a knife.

David Chavez

I love blogging anything and everything related to fishing!. Much of my background comes from Freshwater fishing, but I'm also pretty decent when out in the ocean. My goal is to help other anglers better their skill-sets with proper guides, and just have fun doing so.