# Cleaning fish at the beach



## gigem87 (May 19, 2006)

When you catch trout in the surf, do you:

a. clean them right there, on the tailgate of your truck, or
b. take them home to clean them

If you clean them at the beach, do you put the carcasses:

1. toss into the surf
2. put in trash can
3. bury in the sand
4. other (specify)


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## iamatt (Aug 28, 2012)

Gill , bleed and gut right there and clean at home. The guts don't last but minutes with the gulls.


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## Tail Chaser (May 24, 2004)

I've always put them on ice and cleaned them at home. Guts and carcass go in the bayou behind my house. I'm sure the turtles appreciate it!


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## Mr. Saltwater (Oct 5, 2012)

Gut and gill them and pack on clean ice...fillet them at home where I have clean water to rinse. Seagulls eat the guts within minutes, carcasses feed the cats and buzzards or are buried in the garden. 

I never fillet them at the beach. I don't like sand on the fillets and it's easier to prove to the Wardens that they are all legal fish.


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## wish2fish (Mar 1, 2005)

But is it legal to clean fish at the beach. I would rather do that then bring them home. I always put the remains in a trash bag and into my deep freeze or in the cooler with ice and wait for trash pickup.


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## themule (Sep 15, 2013)

I put them on ice and go to the nearest marina. They usually have a cleaning station. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Instigator (Jul 6, 2004)

I try and use everything so I bleed them on the beach then clean them at home. About all I have to throw is heads, gills and guts. Those go into next year's tomato bed. It sure makes a difference in my garden and it calls in the worms that I use for catfishing. Circle of life stuff.


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## Capt.Troy (Aug 29, 2006)

Pretty sure it's not legal to clean them at the beach.


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## hunterjck (Sep 30, 2010)

*Clean Fish at the Beach?*

It's OK to clean non-game fish (croakers, whiting) on the beach but it is illegal to clean game fish (trout, reds, flounder) there.
It's OK to gut, gill game fish tho.
I like to gut, gill on the beach, put them on clean ice and filet the next day. The cold carcasses much easier to handle.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

If I'm keeping fish, I walk them up and put them on ice the second I take them off the hook. Clean them when I get home.


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## jordanmills (Jan 8, 2009)

Capt.Troy said:


> Pretty sure it's not legal to clean them at the beach.


Same. IIRC you're not supposed to do anything to mess with the length of a game fish until you get "in".


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## fishhawkxxx (Jul 7, 2012)

*cleaning fish at the beach*

Mr green jeans told me they can write you up for littering!


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## javajaws (May 1, 2016)

> In order to verify length and species, a fish caught may not have the head or tail removed and may not be filleted until an angler finally lands the catch on the mainland, a peninsula, or barrier island not including jetties or piers and does not transport the catch by boat.


http://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing/general-rules-regulations/general-fishing-regulations

I would think that in general using some common sense goes a long way.

Filleting a full limit at 9 am after a hot hour or two of fishing? Expect to get hassled.

Filleting a limit in the evening while camped on the beach or packing up your gear? I can't imagine any game warden giving you a hassle.


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## gigem87 (May 19, 2006)

Thanks for posting that @javajaws. I never considered that cleaning fish on the beach after a morning wade might be illegal. Based on what I read on the TPW website, it isn't illegal. Thanks.


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## poolio (Dec 14, 2011)

I bleed out on the beach, then put on ice. At the end of the trip, I hit a fish cleaning station on the way home. Running water and a sand-free environment are a must for me.

The only time I'll clean a fish on the beach is if it's too big to fit in the cooler.:rotfl:


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Capt.Troy said:


> Pretty sure it's not legal to clean them at the beach.


Just cant transport across water.

You can clean them. Clean on folding table and put in plastic bags in cooler. Carcasses go in cooler too. Drop them in the canals on way home. If you dump in surf they will just wash up down the beach.


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