Don't Forget to Count Your Fish.

[jdmidwest]

A buddy and I went fishing a week ago Sunday at a local lake.  It was hot.  We anchored up the boat under some trees with a good point dropoff in front of us.  Fishing with chicken livers, we caught 7 nice 3-5 lb channel cat.  It started heating up and we pulled off the lake.  I went home with the catch in the livewells to clean fish.  We had a great mess of catfish for supper.

Last Thurs, while loading up the kayaks for a Spring River trip, I smelled something foul.  At first I just thought it was the trash cans.  Better half makes a statement, "it smells like it is in the boat".  I lifted the cover and raised the seat over the back livewell and was greeted by an awful smell, flies, and a mess.

When I was taking the fish out of the livewells, there was still a lively one that resisted being caught in that livewell.  I decided to let it drain out and went to the front livewell to get the ones in that one.  With the heat bearing down on me, I forget to go back and get the one in the back.

I let it ripen until today, I had to clean it out before this weekend.  It has melted down to a gray runny mess with maggots and some bones.  I puked twice while I run water trying to flush out the mess.  Used a pair of dollar store grabbers to get the bones out and tossed them.  Flushed with detergent and dumped a box of baking soda in to get rid of the smell.  YUK

[Mitch f]

11 minutes ago, jdmidwest said:

A buddy and I went fishing a week ago Sunday at a local lake.  It was hot.  We anchored up the boat under some trees with a good point dropoff in front of us.  Fishing with chicken livers, we caught 7 nice 3-5 lb channel cat.  It started heating up and we pulled off the lake.  I went home with the catch in the livewells to clean fish.  We had a great mess of catfish for supper.

Last Thurs, while loading up the kayaks for a Spring River trip, I smelled something foul.  At first I just thought it was the trash cans.  Better half makes a statement, "it smells like it is in the boat".  I lifted the cover and raised the seat over the back livewell and was greeted by an awful smell, flies, and a mess.

When I was taking the fish out of the livewells, there was still a lively one that resisted being caught in that livewell.  I decided to let it drain out and went to the front livewell to get the ones in that one.  With the heat bearing down on me, I forget to go back and get the one in the back.

I let it ripen until today, I had to clean it out before this weekend.  It has melted down to a gray runny mess with maggots and some bones.  I puked twice while I run water trying to flush out the mess.  Used a pair of dollar store grabbers to get the bones out and tossed them.  Flushed with detergent and dumped a box of baking soda in to get rid of the smell.  YUK

Did that with a crappie once.

[Quillback]

Putrefied fish are the worse stink there is.  Had a buddies bird dog roll in what was a plastic bag of long dead fish remains out in the weeds once when we were loading up the truck after hunting.  Worse stink I think I have ever smelled.  Dog thought it was great.

[jdmidwest]

Any idea how to get the smell out? Other livewell was used as beer can collector. Smells like cat pissed in that one. 

I am thinking bleach. I dumped baking soda in for now. 

[Mitch f]

14 minutes ago, jdmidwest said:

Any idea how to get the smell out? Other livewell was used as beer can collector. Smells like cat pissed in that one. 

I am thinking bleach. I dumped baking soda in for now. 

I've heard of guys using Rock salt. Let it dissolve in hot water and scrub and let it dry.

[fishinwrench]

Leave the lid off and let the bugs go to work.  Scrubbing just creates little grooves and pushes the funk into spots where the bugs can't lick it clean.  Once the stink is pretty much gone then clean it with Fast Orange hand cleaner. Any remaining stain will eventually fade.

[jdmidwest]

The bugs had it melted down to a few bones.  I cleaned the live well with soapy water, but it still stinks like butt.  Baking soda soak did nothing last night.

Bleach maybe?  I do have some orange cleaner to dump in there.  It does not need scrubbed and there was no stain.  Just a smell.  Nice wet hot humid afternoon today, the smell really permeates everything.

Just another good reason for catch and release.

[awhuber]

Dump a bag of lump charcoal in there to soak up the smell.

[oneshot]

Back in the '80's I was working for Johnny Morris. He parked a Vehicle in the Summer outside Bass Pro. Few days later it smelled BAD!

Seems him and couple Guys went fishing. Had forgot about the Ice Chest full of fish until the smell was brought to his attention.

oneshot 

[fshndoug]

tell the wife you need a new boat,just saying!