My vote 1. stopping for a shore lunch of fresh fish  2.just letting them go and fishing closer to camp

(wait... was eating the fish on the lake you caught them an option?)

I think I misspoke. We actually tie or carabiner the fish-laden canvas bag to the top or outside of the pack. We have also hand-carried it. Since the fish is actually sealed inside a zip bag, there is little chance of the pack becoming contaminated.

While salt would also work, we don't do it (have never tried it, actually) because of what it would do to the fish and my low salt diet.

I'd go with the catch or release, but wouldn't hesitate to use the method OS described, if the mood hit me. I took take a be-headed/gutted Laker from Jean to the East end of Sturgeon on a high 80 degree day with zero loss of flavor. I kept it under my seat and just re-wet as needed. The canvas bag worked wonders.  I don't throw back an eater size Laker unless I'm damn sure of catching another before the day is over

I wouldn't put the fish in a pack, but would Bungee Bob under a seat in canoe.

I vote for D, throw it back, especially if you are going to Jesse, plenty of meat holes there.

My vote is split between D and E. In this case choice E being clean what you would care to eat and fix a quick shore lunch. Who says meals need to be at predetermined times anyhow? Travel plans for the day might not allow this as an option though. One of those decisions you cannot really make ahead of time.

Wow! All these responses for something so simple. And all good answers too!

Last year I overnighted a breakfast walleye on cord 'n stringer for morning but got up and found it was a better day to travel. What to do with the fish is what I wondered while packing up. Letting it go would be cruel and illegal. I ended up filleting and bagged it with just enough water to keep it wet and kept it cooled in with the cheese and sausage. This was after a week in august so the cheese was rather oily by then. The water aspect was simply what I was taught.

That fish was fine 12 hours later and on Jesse no less. I don't usually paddle that far in a day but being a day ahead I poked around not having any real plan and eventually wondered how I'd dispose of it if my nose said no way.

Jesse was empty but I took the last viable site so I was tired and hungry. Setting up I wondered ... I didn't really trust it. My nose said it smelled like water. I wasn't a believer. It didn't wiggle as I breaded it. My mouth said MMMMM, buttered crunches, different texture ... tummy was silent beyond thanks. I don't remember any fish meals after that one but none were better and I was kinda worried about that one.

My mouth is watering now - damnit.

I've never considered traveling type legalities within the park. I'd assume any fish kept wouldn't exceed the possession limit on any one species anyway but I personally wouldn't take any fish out of Pickerel and put it in another lake anymore. I don't even know what Spiny Water Fleas do but I know their presence has been confirmed in Pickerel.

Kingfisher & I caught walleyes early in the day in the Falls Chain. We cleaned them and put them in a plastic bag and dropped them in a canvas bag. When we got to Louisa later in the afternoon, the fish were cool and smelled just fine. Most importantly, they tasted great. I didn't keep track of the time, but that was 18 miles and 14 (I think?) portages.

Fishing for us was SLOW and we knew we were going to be traveling that day after we caught the fish.

Note:
The plastic bag the fish were in had a hole in it to let water drain. No sense in cooling water in the bag. KF was carrying the fish and I know he kept the bag wet. I think he hand carried the fish while portaging.

pretty much exactly what old_salt said. batch trolling leads to lakers or pike way more than walleyes.

jesse is a guaranteed bet to get walleye and in great numbers with minimal effort. portaging a walleye meal into jesse isnt worth the effort. bringing in a laker though is worth it because jesse doesnt have trout. go with the fillet and keep them in a plastic bag surrounded by a wet towel. we tend to favor a lemon juice + salt marinade instead of dry, but its a taste based preference.

I guess I'm just overly cautious.  I don't want fish (even fillets) anywhere close to my packs.  Yes, I understand placing fillets in a plastic bag and wrapping in burlap or something else to create evaportive cooling.  But, if the plastic bag gets punctured ... guess what the pack will smell like, and that's going into camp with you.

I also get a mental picture my paddling partner told me about when he was in a group fishing along a river in Alaska.  It had been a pretty good day as they were walking the trail back to camp in single file; the last in line having his catch slung over his shoulder.  They were making enough noise that they didn't realize until almost too late that a griz was keeping pace with them, stide for stride, as they walked.  As soon as they realized their peril, they dropped there catch and quickened there step as they left the bear feasting on their deposit.

I'm not interested in repeating this senario, even with a black bear, especially since its not too unusual for me to be alone on a portage.


dd

D
I've never portaged fish from lake to lake.  There is enough stuff to carry without worrying about dying fish.
I thought everyone always brings enough food for some meals without fish, so it's not worth the hassle to me.
But if it's been a horrible trip fishing wise, and I've only had fish to eat once and it is getting toward the end of the trip, it might be tempting to fillet them up prior to portaging.