Cooler Bags

[Plugs]

We have been using a cooler on the boat for the fish like everyone - pretty standard. I have a fish box under one of the seats that I typically use for storage & I when I do use it for fish I hate cleaning it out. At the end of last year, I used it a few times & I liked the extra space in the boat without the cooler. Been thinking about a way around this a bit this winter and found some some large soft side bags that look interesting. These look to be mainly for salt water type fishing, but was curious if anyone had any experience with anything similiar for the big lake? Not sure how durable these things are as I would have to try to pull it in and out of the box which just has a hatch door on it that is approx. 2 foot square.

Any input would be great - Thanks

[BenLubbs]

what about using one of the bags they use for fish in bass tourneys? I don't have a fish box, but I can see your dilemma.

[Just Hook'n]

I actually lined a storage box on my boat with a thick pond liner and then ran a drain plug out the bottom. Problem was that the liner eventually got water (and fish scales) behind it and MAN was that nasty. Ended up going back to the cooler.

[Plugs]

The Bass bag is one of the things that got me wondering about this, but I was thinking of something a little different. When I use the fish box, I typically take them out of there and put them in a cooler to transport them to where they will be cleaned. I am then cleaning out the boat and the cooler.

I was thinking of a bag that would go in the fish box. It would have to be big enough to hold 10+ salmon and then I would need to be able to get it out the hatch with the fish in it. I have seen some bigger bags watching the guys fishing in Florida for King fish. Their weigh in bags are a similiar idea to bass bags, just much larger & they look to be insulated.

I will keep looking to see what I can come up with, but otherwise thinking I will try to do a good wax job on the inside next year to see if it cleans easier.

[Priority1]

The Bass bag is one of the things that got me wondering about this, but I was thinking of something a little different. When I use the fish box, I typically take them out of there and put them in a cooler to transport them to where they will be cleaned. I am then cleaning out the boat and the cooler.

I was thinking of a bag that would go in the fish box. It would have to be big enough to hold 10+ salmon and then I would need to be able to get it out the hatch with the fish in it. I have seen some bigger bags watching the guys fishing in Florida for King fish. Their weigh in bags are a similiar idea to bass bags, just much larger & they look to be insulated.

I will keep looking to see what I can come up with, but otherwise thinking I will try to do a good wax job on the inside next year to see if it cleans easier.

A splash of cheap bleach, some Dawn and water and the cooler will clean up with little effort. I clean my cooler after every use and it takes less than 5 minutes. I use a sponge and scrub brush. The bleach will kill the bacteria and leave it fresh smelling.

[Rascal Trophy Fishing]

I like your thread here Shane, and it's out of box, lol, thinking. Yes, I don't have the fish bag mfrs. names readily at hand, but they are a good idea. They come in several different sizes and are quite pricey, but worth the investment imho. I have seen them around for about 5 years now in Fl., and they work well with lots of ice, esp. on hot days. If I have time to research them, I'll post the places to buy or inquire about them. Thanks.

[GTRIEM]

Just shooting from the hip here, but what about a Tyvek(type) material glued up into a removable liner? I doubt any bag would withstand the weight of 10 salmon pulled out of a 2' square opening. Might be a interesting project to try out.

GTR

[rbradley]

I actually used one as my main cooler for 3 or 4 years, helped with space on my smallish boat until I redid the seats this year. mine is a smith, i think 22" by 66" or something like that, i'm north of zeeland if you want to give it a try, it didn't leave the garage this year with my new seat arrangement/120 qt cooler

I think they are around 125 bucks

[danthebuilder]

I actually used one as my main cooler for 3 or 4 years, helped with space on my smallish boat until I redid the seats this year. mine is a smith, i think 22" by 66" or something like that, i'm north of zeeland if you want to give it a try, it didn't leave the garage this year with my new seat arrangement/120 qt cooler

I think they are around 125 bucks

Can you upload pics?

[rbradley]

I'll post pics later, here is the link to it from west marine, I bought mine from somewhere else online, they hold ice ok, but do leak at the zipper some.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_11151_10001_193484_-1?cid=chanintel_google&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=193484

[Plugs]

Thanks for the input guys.

Rob - That definately looks about what I had in my head. I may shoot you a PM this spring if you wouldn't mind. It is a little more pricey than I was thinking and I would really like to see if something like that would work with my hatch and some fish in it.

[rbradley]

Feel free to get in contact with me this spring, I don't use it much anymore, so if it is something you end up liking your more than welcome to try it out on your boat.

[ChampionShip]

I have a buddy that has a white SMITH fish bag he keeps on his swim platform. It's insulated, zips open all the way so you can hose it out or just clean it with lemon joy or dawn when needed. Heavy duty suction cups hold it in place, and a 20 lb bag of ice spread across the bottom seems to last an aweful long time. If you have a spot for it, it's by far the coolest thing I've seen for a swim platform.

http://www.alltackle.com/smith_fish_bag.htm