# Catfish Washing Invention



## whsalum

I've been catfishing all my life but never get to old to learn something new. I've been talking to a fellow noodle fishing enthusiast at the Kickapoo Marina the last month or so.. He has developed the neatest fish washing contraption I have ever seen. It uses a cheap Walmart sprinkler, a short 6' piece of water hose and a 5 gallon bucket with some well placed holes drilled around the top. The fillets are dropped in the bucket and cleaned as they swirl, by the time he is thru filleting the fish are ready to bag without ever touching them again. He has probably $8-$10 in the set up and folks it works. I will post a pic when I get mine built. It's impressive !!


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## Gator gar

Looking forward to it.


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## cva34

*Cat Washer*

I figger if it impressed Whsalum its prolly good and worth a look (but first gota catch enough to wash) He can Help with that too


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## whsalum

It is so simple I don't know why someone hasn't thought of it before. You guys will definitely like it when you see it work. The fish washing is completed at the same time the filleting is done , when your done with the filet knife there are no cloudy fish to wash, they are ready for the zip lock bag. Gator Gar you will be hooked.


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## Buster Brown

Interesting. I look forward to this also.


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## Gator gar

whsalum said:


> It is so simple I don't know why someone hasn't thought of it before. Gator Gar you will be hooked.


 I'm watching this thread closely. When you get yours built, I'll be building mine I'm sure.


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## Ducktracker

Billy were all waiting on pictures, go ahead and build two and I will pick up in two weeks! Lol


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## whsalum

Ducktracker said:


> Billy were all waiting on pictures, go ahead and build two and I will pick up in two weeks! Lol
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 I'm gonna have to go to Huntsville to gather up parts or wait on em to open the Livingston store back up


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## BobBobber

As a long-time RV owner, I'd add that any hose should be safe for drinking water. Like the white hoses that RVers use.

Many hoses sold have cautions about carcinogens. One black hose we bought from Home Depot still had a paper tag that warned you to thoroughly wash your hands each time you used the hose. However, several of the same hoses did not have the tags. You could still see the twist tie that held the tag, but tag was gone.

My basic rule is if it's made in China, and is black, it's got lead in it . . . and who knows whatever else.

Space in a 5th wheel is limited, so a special bucket for washing isn't an option for us. We drop our filets into a bowl of ice water to hold them until the final water rinse. But when I filet fish, I leave the rib cage and belly intact, so we do not have and blood and guts touching the raw flesh of the filet. Plus, I use a fresh sheet of paper on cutting board for each fish, so I am always working on a clean surface without slime, blood or guts.


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## fishin_envy

I have been using a similar setup or years. Only mine doesn't have a sprinkler, only a hole in the bucket that the hose goes into.


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## whsalum

The sprinkler is the round one about 3 inches around and is the cheapest one Walmart sells. The continuous circulation is what cleans the fish so well. I have washed catfish and white bass for years and never seen anything that cleans em up as effortless as this. I'll have one as soon as I can find the sprinkler


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## slabnabbin

A pvc pipe with a few hole and a couple fittings is all you need 
http://www.gamewasher.com/

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## whsalum

The exact same premise and result but the price tag on that one was $70 . But it works on the exact same lay out and result !!


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## RAMROD1

Can't wait will definitely build one myself also!


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## snapperlicious

That game washer bucket is nice but not worth 60 bucks. Heck not even half that imo.


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## whsalum

The one the guy showed me at Kickapoo will cost about $10 to build.


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## lx22f/c

Here's a picture of what the game washer looks like inside. A few of my dove hunters had made some and they worked good on getting the blood and feathers off the breast.


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## fish1onthefly

anybody built one yet?


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## Jimmy Blue

Can't wait to see this


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## ChuChu

You can buy a fish and game cleaner at Bucky's. Or here.....http://www.gamewasher.com/


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## whsalum

I went by the Livingston Walmart and could not find the sprinkler at that location either. I did get to see the invention in use again last Monday at Kickapoo. I am back home for a week or so , I will check at Beaumont Super Walmart this next week.


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## ChuChu

I don't think you need the sprinkler, just build it like the picture posted earlier.


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## whsalum

ChuChu are these just grooves cut in the PVC with a hack saw or is there something that adds pressure I'm not seeing ??


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## ChuChu

You can cut grooves or just drill holes. The openings need to be 90Âº apart, one set aimed to flow around the outside of the bucket, the others aimed at the center of the bucket so you get rotation and cleaning. Pressure is adjusted at the water hydrant. Once the bucket is full, it doesn't take a lot of water to do the job. Good idea to drill some 1/2" overflow holes around the top of the bucket so fillets won't go over the top.
I'm building one that will have a shutoff valve at the bucket so I can adjust water there. I may build one that uses a Sureflow pump so I can use it where there is no cleaning house.


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## Sgrem

I don't see the point in the sure flow unless you have a fresh water supply....not cleaning my filets in whatever water that ain't clean.


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## whsalum

The 3/8 or 1/2 inch over flow holes are a must. They allow any scale or fat to exit the bucket. I have all the PVC fittings on hand, I may try one like this and see if I can get the circulation. That is the key to one I saw.


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## ChuChu

sgrem said:


> I don't see the point in the sure flow unless you have a fresh water supply....not cleaning my filets in whatever water that ain't clean.


When I go where I know there is no good water, I carry two five gallon buckets of good water. That would be the point for the Sureflow


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## whsalum

Still haven't found a sprinkler but I have less than $10 bucks in this one and it works pretty darn good


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## ChuChu

Good deal! Simple and cheap.


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## Ducktracker

Looking good!


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## mudbug59

*washer*

after reading about the washing bucket i decided to build one here's what i did

#1 drilled hole in bucket for 1/2" pvc at bottom of bucket

#2 put a 90 on inside of of bucket on the 1/2" pipe thats going through the hole

#3 put a piece of 1/2"pipe from the 90 going up and stopping about 2" from top of bucket then put a cap on it.

#4 then i drilled 3/16 hole in pipe( horizontal) right under cap through pipe and bucket then used a piece of round wooden dow rod ,drill hole in dow long way so the 3/16 screw will fit through it.the dow will go in between the 1/2"pvc and the wall of the bucket put 3/16 screw through pipe ,dow and bucket then put nut on it.this will hold the top of the pipe steady i drilled five 3/16 holes in vertical for the water movement

#5 on outside of bucket where 1/2" pipe is i put a shut off valve then my water hose fitting. hope i didn't make this to confusing,i'll try to post pic sometime today if you have any questions p.m. me


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## mudbug59

*pictures of washing bucket*

washing bucket trying to figure how to post pic there are 3 holes on side of pipe you cant see


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## whsalum

The only difference basically in mine and yours is I turned the holes almost all the way around where they strike the bucket at an angle close to the pipe, that's the only way I could get circulation. Also the hole drilled around the top are what lets your waste escape. I am still going to build one with a sprinkler when I find one.


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## kunder3006

I made one a while back, took couple of tries to get it right on the holes in pvc pipe, but I found a sweet spot and does clean them fillets up real good, when you toss some ice on the fillets. helps knock the blood and dark out the meat.

































Sent from Kenneth's Plumbing www.kennethsplumbing.com


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## UnclePoPo

Thanks for the pictures. I was just talking about building one of these at work today. Now I have something to go on.


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## whsalum

You may want to drill you some holes around the top of the bucket. It lets the fat and blood go out the holes and keeps the fish from flowing out the top.


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