I count myself quite fortunate to be in the company of of a very knowledgable partner this past trip. I learned quite a bit and am a better canoe country camper for it.

One of the tips that was driven home had been discussed several times on this forum but never really sunk in. Anybody else like that? Finally the light bulb went on when he pulled into camp holding a small wet canvas type bag. Inside was a ziplock bag of fish filets. Dinner anyone?

I was a bit surprised at the evaporative effect (yes I know we have talked about it at length already).....the bag and the fish were quite cool to the touch. The idea is to wet the small canvas bag, tuck the filets in a ziplock and keep it out of the sun.

The benefits are self evident. First off you don't have to clean fish in camp. That in itself is a big plus. Secondly, you don't have to pull a fish around on a stringer which not only causes you to work harder but the filets are continually degrading in quality.

Remember to keep the bag wet and it must be of a material that retains some water so the evaporating process takes place. Don't let the bag dry out. I have a hunch that the hungry camper could keep fish filets for at least a few hours this way, maybe substantially longer if conditions were right.

I try and pay attention but sometimes things just don't sink in until you see it in practice. I have contacted my R&D department and the bags may soon be available at MT enterprises.com in standard and custom colors (camo is extra). Give it a try if you haven't already, it will certainly be standard procedure for me in the future.