[615790]

I'll be on the road to Florida 1st of Nov, How or what is the best method of keeping the fish frozen for 3-4 days without thawing the fish. The cooler I
have will not last that time. There must be plenty of Snowbirds who done it...."HELP." [email protected]

 

[MakoMatt]

mr. seas, dry ice works very well but you need to handle it very carefully. Don't touch it or let it touch the fish. Wrap the dry ice in newspaper and keep the fish surounded by it and packed tight in the cooler. I don't know what kind or size cooler you have but you mentioned that it would not keep for the 3 or 4 day trip. Dry ice may not either then. Dry ice can be a little pricy, so consider how much you will need in relation to the amount of fish you have and how much you will need to surround the fish and pack it tightly. You may be better off getting a new cooler. Coleman or Igloo, I forget which one, has a "deep freeze" cooler that holds the cold longer then the "regular cooler". They sell them at Sports Authority. I think a "regular" Igloo cooler, a marine one in white, could work too. Really depends on how much room for ice you have in relation to the fish. With a regular Igloo, just check & drain the cooler daily and refresh with cold ice. Remember, cold ice and pack tightly. I probably have every size Igloo cooler made, they are very good and can hold for a good long time.

 

[615790]

Thank you for the reply, MakoMatt

 

[Hipshot]

Just a thought, I have NO personal experience with this but, commercial fishing boats are out on the water sometimes 2-3 weeks at a time, they don't freeze the fish, they just ice them down real good, draining off the water from the melt. You might think about this, and package them at home, then freeze them. The fish you buy at the fish market is days old if not weeks old!

 

[Hipshot]

P.S. You might think about shipping them back frozen-this is done all over the world-when you have lobster tails in Colorado-they are frozen, just check the pricesfor shipping! You are probab;y not the first person to do this in florida, others have done it before you!

 

[togmaster]

Very easy

You?re driving down you stated. Why not just use bags of ice. Ice in a good cooler will last for many hrs. Or even days in the good marine ones. Just check it every couple of hours and buy ice at the gas stations every time you need it. This is the simplest why to go. But if want you could buy commercial gel packs which would keep the fish iced for 3 to 4 days! You would have to find a commercial fish supplier and get them. Even try a commercial fish whole seller also. You could even keep the fish fresh and eat it upon arrival if it was never frozen to begin with!

 

[619627]

Mr. Seas...if you have the time, stop by the Fulton Fish market, and ask around for fish dealers who ship fish around the country or overseas. They will have special small styrofoam containers, and plastic wrapped gel pacs, that will keep fish cold for days. Usually they will charge you a couple of dollars if anything since many times they just discard them once they are used. Once you seal the container you do not open it, till you get to your destination. These gel pacs can be refrozen, and ontill they become punctured, just wash them off and refreeze....they can be reused for years.

EC NEWELL MAN*

 

[615790]

I would like to thank all for the response I've gotten
on my ques.
Noreast is by far, the BEST FISHING WEB PAGE ON THE INTERNET.....A GREAT SERVICE...YEAH

 

[615790]

Thanks you all for the great responses to my quest on this greatest of all the Net Fishing Sites and many thanks to the Managers of NOREAST

 

[614135]

I have an electric cooler that plugs into the car cigarette lighter. It works like a small refrigerator and works real well.

This might work for you

If I remember correctly, I bought it at AID auto stores.