I made a long paddle this past weekend, caught a decent sized sandy on the way to the spot, say 9 ish, fish stayed alive on stringer off side of yak till 1030 ish. After 5 or so hours of being towed under the tx sun it was one stanky fish when I got it home. Meat took a yellow slimy texture and stunk, had to pitch it.

So, this is my 1st summer fishing from a yak, when I go I tend to stay late due to trips being few and far in between. How do you keep your fish fresh while fishing from a yak?

I'm guessing that I'll need to get a decent sized egg sinker and a longer stringer to keep those early caught fish nice a fresh.

I'm curious about the drag though. Just trolling and reeling in a lure spins the boat, let alone several fish with a weight. What's the answer, fish closer to parking lot.

get a fish cooler bag and throw them in there. or use a cooler with ice.

I keep em on the stringer as long as I can and then I make the move to my ice chest once I think they've had it. I carry a small soft pack w/ me to put my drinks,etc. in that I moved from my bigger one. Had to do it this weekend w/ fish I caught.

What are the downsides to using a stringer for us kayakers?

I typically use a cooler 3/4 full of ice and I can keep my fish on ice from the minute I catch them untill I filet them at the ramp and put the cuts back on ice. Even on longer trips from 6am to 3pm I have enough ice to keep the fish cold and just in case I keep a few pacakages of the reusable ice packs in my car in a lunch box to keep the meat cold on the way home. Worse come to worse I'll put a slight weight on the end of my stringer and just have the fish on that untill they are ready for the ice, I can milke to ice a few hours longer that way.

The drag for me is barely noticable since I have a Hobie Outback, I have trolled with a stringer full of 10 sandies without really bugging me is all. Might bea bit much on a paddle kayak with no rudder though.

I actually bought a fish basket that I put in my yak when I move a long distance. I just throw it in back and go then when I get to my next spot; I throw it back in the water. It works even better if you're close to your put in and you don't have to go far. This will cause the fish to die faster though (resulting in needing to put them in a cooler faster). Really don't see a drawback to stringers except for being a pain to untie and place the fish on w/out dropping the dang thing in the water!

If you put the stringer on your anchor trolley and swing them to the back, it may not cause too much trouble.

Current water temperatures are in the 80s F. Nothing is going to last very long at that temperature. Cooler with ice or a freezer pack is the best option to keep them fresh. I prefer the Coleman 28 quart, because it has a single handed carry handle.

Matches...........

Yea, I've got to figure something out, nothing worse then killing it and not eating it.

I've got a softside that fits width wise perfect, I use it for drinks and snacks. Behind that I put my minnow bucket, while on the move. I'm not sure that the pescador has room for a cooler back there. I could do away w/ the softside, which is where I also keep extra stuff in the pockets, dry goods and what not. Maybe one of those cheap styrofoam jobs would fit back there.

Cooler with ice. Attach some rod holders to it and make it dual function.

PS. Please don't take uncovered styrofoam on our states lakes and waterways. They are bad for the wildlife when the get broken up.
Hard plastic coolers come in all shapes and sizes. If you look long enough you can find one that perfectly fits your well.

@MR, good point, never thought of that, yea, another thread going people are fitting 28 qts in the back storage area of the pescador.

How do the cooler bags work, do you put reusable ice packs in with them, I see they are insulated and utilize reflective material.

While you guys are trolling, do you drop markers when you hit humps/structure, for those of us w/out high end marking gps/depth finders?

Do whatever works for you. I use markers in the boat, but never took them on the kayak. I'd usually anchor up using two anchors over my brushpile or hump and use the two ropes to manipulate my position over said structure.