Handling your fish properly at the water

How it works

1. Have everything to hand before you land the fish: priest, sharp knife, disgorger, wet cloth and a cool box with ice packs.
2. Quickly check whether you are allowed to keep the fish: minimum size, closed season and bag limit are on your fishing permit. If not, release it quickly and gently.
3. Stun: hold the fish with the wet cloth and immediately give it a firm, well-aimed blow with the priest on the back of the head, just behind the eyes.
4. Kill: straight after, stab it in the heart. To do this, stab behind the gill covers towards the base of the pectoral fins, or cut through the gill arches.
5. Let the fish bleed out for a few minutes, for example in a bucket of water from the lake or river. This makes the flesh lighter and helps it keep better.
6. Gut: cut the belly open flat from the vent to the gills without piercing the gut, and take out the innards.
7. Scrape out the dark kidney along the spine with your thumb or a spoon and remove the gills. Take a close look at the belly cavity while you do this.
8. Rinse the fish with clean water and pat it dry. Innards do not belong in the water, check the rules for your water (Gewässerordnung).
9. Chill: put the fish in a bag and straight into the cool box, not directly into the meltwater. At home it goes on the bottom shelf of the fridge.

Tips

• A priest made of hardwood or metal with weight at the end makes the blow more reliable than a stone or pliers.
• The faster you chill it, the firmer the flesh stays. A few extra ice packs are worth it on warm days.
• Prepare your catch on the same day or the next day if possible, or freeze it well wrapped.

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