Did you know that we, humans, can only taste only 4 different tastes? They are sweet, salt, bitter & sour. The rest of what you perceive as taste comes from smell. Basically, the difference between grape soda & root beer is the smell. The whole purpose for taste & smell is to keep us from eating something that will make us sick. That having been said, do you know that fish is basically odorless? That "fishy" smell (& taste) that many people have an aversion to is actually produced by a bacterium found on fish. That is why the older or less cared for a fish is, the stronger the taste. OK, so you see where I'm going with this, right? No one wants to consume bacteria. We all like our kitchen smelling fresh and clean after a meal, and many of us would rather have fresh firm fish, not some smelly mush. If you buy your fish from a store there are few things you can do to ensure a good product, but, if you fish, there is so much more. All stages are in your control. Once you've decided that the next trophy is destined for the table please pay attention. I promise that all fish will greatly benefit from this.
#1) Unhook, take the pictures and prep the fish as soon as possible. Every second out of the water, that bacteria will start to grow. And once the fish expires, the growth rate goes off the scales! (was that a pun?)
#2) If possible, bleed the fish. Tuna fishermen have been doing this for years. I started doing it with Bluefish. Trust me, do it for all your fish. The results are incredible. Fish are best bled by making a small slit in either side in the red membrane just behind the gills. Once cut, put the fish head down in a bucket of water for a few minutes until the heart stops.
#3) Clean the fish. The stomach of the fish contains all sorts of nasties and is a veritable bacteria producing machine. Get rid of it. The head too unless you want it for soup or whatever. If you keep the head, clean out the gills. They too are a good source of bacteria.
#3) Ice it down. No, that doesn't mean putting the fish into a cooler that has a frozen bottle of water in it. Ice it down. If you can, put the fish in a slurry of shaved ice and salt water. The salt will bring the ice water down from 32 degrees to the low 20's. In this temperature, the fish will stay pristine for a very long time. Also, salt is a preservative and will retard any spoiling.
I know it all sound like a lot of work, but believe me, it is all worth it. Admittedly, different fish do not require such extremes. For instance, bluefish & red hake absolutely demand this treatment (you wont believe the difference in the appearance & taste of your bluefish after this or the smell of your hake). But fluke & sea bass, I would optionally bleed it and ice it good. Weakfish & striped bass needs are somewhere in between. Judge for yourself. One thing for sure, if it smells, it is bacteria and not the fish. And, the whole reason we have aversions to certain tastes, is to protect ourselves from consuming bacteria. So the next time your dinner guests tell you they don't like fish, tell them they don't like bacteria and give them some real fish.

Good Fishing - Good Eating... Captain John
(cr) May 2002