When fishing, if I leave throw the fish in a pail, how long until they die?

Question

I love fishing, but I am not so good with the killing of them. My dad used to give them a good clobber over the head and I tried that and got a little sick to my stomach. I knew someone that bled them out, but I can't do that either.

If I put them on a pail of ice how long would they last? Also, when they warm up, or thaw, would they live again (I have heard of that... myth or fact?)

Or if I just put them in an empty pail, how long would they last until the die?

Answer 1

Eventually the fish will suffocate if you leave them ina  pail of water, i would hit them over the head quickly to kill them humanely, rather than suffocate them in water and let them get stressed,which i also believe can make the flesh taste bad, hey can survive up to 2 hours in water but its an in-humane way to kill them, get over your fear of hitting them on the head and use that method, you could also fish catch and release. Also don't put them on ice, there is a device that you can buy in most fly fishing shops called a "priest" this is a heavy brass object to kill them with one go.

Answer 2

This can vary widely with different species of fish; i.e. trout will die quite quickly whereas catfish can live for several hours

Answer 3

fish can live a pretty good while in a cooler full of ice and water. Their metabolism will slow down so much that they become somewhat dormant so the living again thing is mostly myth. I have had fish live in a bucket of ice water for 24 hours and they become active again when I put them in warmer water.  I use these fish as bait for bigger fish. In an empty pail I would say no more than 15 minutes on average. So, if your intention is to keep them alive and fresh until someone else can finish it up then yeah, just drop them into a cooler of ice but make sure there is enough water for the fish to be able to breathe

Answer 4

I rarely eat what I catch but when I do I'm not the one to do the killing.When we eat what we catch we knock them out right away.There's no sense in making them suffer any longer than they should have to.

Just put yourself in the fishes shoes so to speak,would you rather die a slow and painful suffocation or die so fast you don't even feel yourself being knocked out?

Answer 5

your best bet is to suck it up and use a hammer on the head