Whose the Expert in Ice Slurries?

im looking to reduce the amount of ice I carry. I’d like to keep my carrying capacity at 40 ish tuna in the round. If I need to we can always Cark to make space. I’m not too worried about weight I just want to maximize space as I have no below deck fish storage. Ideally I would like to limit my storage to a half tote on the deck and either a large cooler or kill bag on the bow.

I’ve made slurries with ice and sea water before but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to hose ice down with 65 degree seawater.

Do you just dump a bunch of rock salt in the shaved or what? It’s late in the season and I’m trying to shorten the learning curve.

 

It is the internet and everyone is an expert. lol

 

Making a slurry doesn't reduce the amount of ice you bring. It's a way to cool them fast. Yes, add in water softener salt and pixy dust which magically makes the slurry really fucking cold.
Add just enough water to the tote so the ice just starts to move freely, not watery. Move the slurry fish into the kill bag with ice once the tote gets full. The rest of the fish are left in slurry. If you drain the water out of the slurry you should be left with a lot of ice that can be used later in coolers. Not so much in aluminum boat holds.

I think a half tote and a big kill bag would get you close to 40.
Can never have too much ice.

Note: @Marlin Mike is a master of the slurry on the KelliAnn. Boat holds ice like no other.

 

Just a note: carking them prior being very well cooled is a pain in the ass

TT

 

As Miles said it does not necessarily allow you to use less ice. Salt in the ice and the slurry combine to transfer the heat out of the tuna more efficiently to get them colder faster for a better end product. In my mind the way they do it on Vance’s boat is about the best for quality product. Gutting and gilling leaving the head allows the maximum heat transfer without compromising any of the meat. Hell a 23’ Parker can take a 150qt cooler shy of a full tote of ice without too much trouble, so I would think you just need to find a combo of kill bags and coolers that allows you to take at least 3/4 a tote or so. Save the leftovers in coolers for the ride home.

 

Under the 1/2 tote and kill bag on the bow scenario:

3/4 fill the tote.
1/4 fill the kill bag.

When you get out there, add 2-3 gallons of salt to the tote and a maybe 1 qt to the kill bag. When you get onto fish, Add about 15 gallons or so water to the tote. Pour it all around and torpedo fish in head first. Organize it so you know which fish went in first. When that gets full of fish, remove 1st fish and move to kill bag. As you stack the bag, bucket ice from tote to layer fish/ice in the bag. When the bag is full, continue plugging the tote.

The first tote fish will hopefully be cold and the kill bag with added tote salted ice will keep them that way. Then you can max out the tote capacity with fish.

 

If you plug on 1 bait stop, make sure the crew takes their fish from the kill bag...

 

This is all to complicated, the real question is why did you a sell a boat WITH fishboxes and buy a boat with no fishboxes?

 

Cause he wanted a Bertram dude! The real question is why doesn’t he know how to make a proper slurry if he has had fish boxes in the past,

 

Fill the hole with ice. Then add tuna strait in. When you lose room, slurry that shit. Then when you run out of that room. Take your ice from the bow bag and top off the plugged fish box and let them get coooood. Drive 10 miles then have someone start cutting.

 

You cook them first...damn I need to try that.

 

I put (3) 32 gallon garbage cans in my rear hold, and a another can in the kill bag in the bow. We add the first 20ish fish to the hold. After that 10 gallons of 65 degree sea water and anither 30 fish. We let it slosh around for awhile then hit the pump. The fish are perfectly layered in the ice. Cleaned by the number 8 bouy. Kill bag fished cleaned after that

 

I have some experience in putting fish holds in a 31 Bertram if you want some advice.

 

And outboards on it! You win!

 

Regarding the kill bag, 5200 the seams 3/4 of the way up on the inside. Otherwise you will loose most of the water you add!

 

Indeed but there’s zero room available with a couple of pissed off diesels down there. Mostly looking for advice on slurries.

 

Marlin mike is the master when it’s comes to slurries

 

Agreed. Best end product I’ve ever had has come off of the Kelli Ann. Mikey has that shit fucking dialed!

 

Okay guys here’s my take on ice storage and slurries and what I do.
Number 1 Rule.
Air is your enemy in storing ice

We take full tote of ice and goes in fish boxes over night.
3 Tripp’s down the dock with 2 garbage cans full ice.
Between each trip after the ice goes in the box. It gets chopped up with the plastic shovel, that packs the ice in the box causing the air to escape and all voids get packed tight..After the box is filled to the brim. The hatch access gets a insulted blanket over the openings of the hold. Bring a empty kill bag.


When it’s time for fish to go in the box. All fish have been bleed, cored., risnsed clean inside And out.

Get kill bag fill bag 1/2 from each side.
Get the shovel and break your brick of ice till it’s back to flake ice.

Add sea water till slurpy status

Add 1/2 gallon zippy of rock salt

Start loading box with tuna

Add other 1/2 of gallon zippy stir it in


Add the killbag ice shut the hatch and your gtg

Before we leave the grounds we pump out fish box probably 2/3 . Reduces sloshy load home And also packs the fish in salt ice / thick slushy

I believe that coring the fish helps cool the fish faster from both out side and the internal cavity bing surrounded by slurry.


Last week I put the temp gun the tuna when we went to core them out.
67.7 surface temp of tuna

71.7 internal temp.


Cooling them faster reduces ice melt off in my opinion.


Well that’s how we roll thought i’d Share
.

 

That way makes it good...