[Thrifty Angler]

I'm wondering how you guys do it.
Over the years while using cut bait, shrimp, and handling freshly caught fish my hand get fishy stinky.
Some folks seem to not have that stinky hands thing going. I use a rag to wipe my hands off...and may occasional trips to the sink to rinse them off.
Still, with the sun and heat the fish smell seems to stick to my hands no matter what. I don't want to use any type cleaner in case it could contaminates bait as I use it.
Here's what I'm thinking.....taking a small bucket and puttiing salt bay water in it. Then dipping my hands in it immediately after handling the bait and fish. Dumping out the water occasionally then refilling with a fresh catch of bay water.
Sorta like surf fisherman do by rinsing their hands after handling each catch.
Anyone do this with success?

Thanks

 

[letmefish]

When I'm surf fishing I usually keep a small bucket of fresh sea water by the bait prepping area, so I can rinse my hands. Sometimes while down in the surf, I'll scoop up a little sand and water, and vigorously wash and then rinse my hands. Sorta like a poor mans gritty soap. Works ok for me.

 

[lil red jeep]

I have grown to use the stink to my advantage. Once I'm good and repugnant, its a sure bet my wife will go shopping and leave me alone to fish longer.

 

[dialout]

Citrus will cut it or at least maSk it. Make a home made handy wipe with some lime juice ( thriftier then lemmon) and keep it in a ziplock baggie.

I usually just make due with a water rinse, figure I'm just gonna get fishy again anyway.

 

[andypat]

Never a problem for me. Just wash with soap and water when I get home, or if I go to men's room.

 

[Thrifty Angler]

Thanks guys.
It's not cool having smelly hands on the ride home. I usually take a bus to fish and back home. It's easy keeping the smell from sticking to my gear and cooler. I just wipe them down with a wet pre-soaked soapy rag that I always bring along in a zippered food storage bag.
It's just been a big problem when I handle fresh bait. Can't seem to keep that accumulated smell at bay. Washing them just before leaving the fishing grounds/pier lasts for about 20 or so minutes...then the smell comes back.
I wondering if I should wear those surgical type gloves....the stretchy type ones like I see some folks using. Maybe it's too keep the smell from getting on their steering wheels.

letmefish: The sand and water combo is good....unfortunately bad back these days won't allow me to do a lot of bending.

lil red jeep: no way will that work for me....I could never send em off to shop while I'm fishing. I stay out for a long while...can't imagine that final tally on my credit card statement. On the other hand....I gotta get me a guy like you..one who loves to fish and send em off to shop while you do. So long as my name isn't on the credit card statement, lol.

dialout: I'll give the diy citrus wipes a try.

andypat: The washroom wash down does ok at times. Depends on the quality of soap they provide. No doubt about it, I definitely always have to use the facilities while out fishing....a whole lot.:redface:

Thanks again guys. I'm gonna hoist up a small container of water and use it....changing it out as needed. No more using just one rag for handling fish. I'll get an old towel of sorts and cut it down into smaller pieces...throwing each away with the first hint they're about to "go there".

 

[letmefish]

I know what ya mean about the smell seeming to come back after 20 minutes or so. I'd be willing to bet that the smell is NOT coming from your hands at that point, but your clothes. If you wipe your hands on something I'm sure that must be coming in contact with your clothes at some point. How about a small bottle of that hand sanitizer. Ya know the kind that you don't have to use with water. I haven't bothered using it myself, but I'll bet that will fix you right up.

 

[NC KingFisher]

Get you a small bottle of gojo, it will get rid of anything

 

[js1172]

drink enough of those barley pops and you won't notice it
js

 

[Papa-T]

Use Toothpaste

 

[John Smith_inFL]

hhahhahaa I remember back in the '60s when my family and friends
would go surf fishing at Titusville, FL ..... they never took any soap and
water to clean up with as far as I can remember.
the bait, (cut mullet and shrimp) and all fish that were caught and all
the beer and soft drinks were kept in the SAME COOLER :--|
LOL when you pulled your RC Cola out of the stinky icy fish water,
there was this long tail of FISH SLIME that you had to wipe (or sling)
off before you could take a drink.
From what I remember, we always went home with a cooler full of
big killer whiting and pompano. Sometimes a black drum or two.

Fast forward 50+ years - now, I always carry soap and water, handi-naps,
all kinds of sanitizers and two separate coolers for food/drink items and fish.
and catch WAY less than we did decades ago !!!!

has the ecosystem changed to less fish ?? probably
does clean hands catch more fish ? no documentation either way.
does fishy hands, fishy food, fishy drinks, fishy bait catch more fish? YEP !!!!

 

[pmcdaniel]

Make sure you get your nails real good and especially under the cuticle at the top of your nails - that's where all the stink hides. Don't believe me, go cut an onion!

 

[letmefish]

hhahhahaa I remember back in the '60s when my family and friends
would go surf fishing at Titusville, FL ..... they never took any soap and
water to clean up with as far as I can remember.
the bait, (cut mullet and shrimp) and all fish that were caught and all
the beer and soft drinks were kept in the SAME COOLER :--|
LOL when you pulled your RC Cola out of the stinky icy fish water,
there was this long tail of FISH SLIME that you had to wipe (or sling)
off before you could take a drink.
From what I remember, we always went home with a cooler full of
big killer whiting and pompano. Sometimes a black drum or two.

Fast forward 50+ years - now, I always carry soap and water, handi-naps,
all kinds of sanitizers and two separate coolers for food/drink items and fish.
and catch WAY less than we did decades ago !!!!

has the ecosystem changed to less fish ?? probably
does clean hands catch more fish ? no documentation either way.
does fishy hands, fishy food, fishy drinks, fishy bait catch more fish? YEP !!!!

OMG!!!! That is so true. I remember digging sandwiches in baggies out of that same cooler we put all those fish in. That was back BEFORE ziploc bags. My mom used to tape the baggies shut to keep the water out. Heck the cooler itself seldom if ever got rinsed out.

 

[ecks]

Rubbing wet hand on stainless steel is supposed to remove all odors. They even make a small bar of stainless steel "soap". Sold in cooking stores.

 

[Mastrbaitr]

I'm wondering how you guys do it.
Over the years while using cut bait, shrimp, and handling freshly caught fish my hand get fishy stinky.
Some folks seem to not have that stinky hands thing going. I use a rag to wipe my hands off...and may occasional trips to the sink to rinse them off.
Still, with the sun and heat the fish smell seems to stick to my hands no matter what. I don't want to use any type cleaner in case it could contaminates bait as I use it.
Here's what I'm thinking.....taking a small bucket and puttiing salt bay water in it. Then dipping my hands in it immediately after handling the bait and fish. Dumping out the water occasionally then refilling with a fresh catch of bay water.
Sorta like surf fisherman do by rinsing their hands after handling each catch.
Anyone do this with success?

Thanks

thats exactly what I do except I splash water on my hands to keep the water clean as possible so I don't have to re haul a full bucket. They might be small but a full bucket still pretty heavy. The plastic laundry detergent buckets(square) work great. Keep an aluminum soap bar in your tackle box as well. They sell them at bass pro.

 

[Signartist]

I always carry a 1 gallon collapsible water jug and small liquid soap. You can find them in the camping sections of stores. They have a spigot to turn on and off and fold up flat for transport.

 

[757_Fisherman]

Someone told about using mustard and dish detergent and it really works. Put a little mustard on your hands and add some dish detergent then scrub and rinse. The smell will be gone after a couple of times.

 

[plotalot]

Water and a stainless steel teaspoon. Wet your hands and rub the backside of the spoon on the stinky parts.

 

[Got Fish?]

Get you a small bottle of gojo, it will get rid of anything

+1 Gojo in the orange bottle and hand sanitizer gets the job done. If you're really stinky lemon juice can finish the job.

 

[Bayluvnnrse]

Hey Thrifty, if you're referring to keeping your hands smell free while fishing, and making sure the fish don't detect what you're using to keep them smell free, then the bay water with sand or table salt works wonders! I've tried hand sanitizer, but it seems that they can detect it on the bait because the bite seems to slow. If you use surgical gloves, be sure they're non-latex because I would swear the fish can detect that too, on the bait. I once used rubber bands to secure my chicken necks and thighs in crab pots because I forgot my twine...didn't catch zilch!! They wouldn't go near it. Changed my bait and bought twine and went home with a cooler full of crabs in less than 3hrs.

Another thing, when fishing on the pier, it's not just the hands that get smelly, but everything stinks...my clothing, my hair, etc. and I am very careful not to touch my face and hair while out, so I know it's just the environment that contributes to the smell. I go straight home, and avoid stopping by stores or anyplace I'll have to be near others because you smell like the pier! When I get home, everything gets scrubbed and I clean my nails, used a big handful of table salt mixed with lemon dish detergent or lemon juice and a nail brush and scrub away, then shower and wash my hair. Stink gone, and hands fresh smelling but very dry. Follow with a rinse in white vinegar (softens hands) let dry, then lotion. Works for me. :fishing: