# Ike Jime



## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

I know a lot of us on here practice catch and release only - (say this in your Forrest Gump voice) which is very nice Lieutenant Dan. However, I eat fish and am not ashamed. What I am ashamed is the usual American practice of throwing a live fish onto ice and letting it suffocate. I've been bleeding fish and icing for years but now I'm taking it up another level. I'm going to use this Awl spike from Harbor Freight to brain spike the fish:









4 In. Scratch Awl


Amazing deals on this 4In Scratch Awl at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.




www.harborfreight.com





And I just bought one of these for the spinal cord destruction:









Circuit Breaker | 18G - 18 in. (46 cm)


Commercial-grade Shinkei Jime Circuit Breaker. Recommended species: Striped Bass; Bluefish; Blue Runner; Pompano; Spanish Mackerel; California Halibut; Flatfish/Flounder (various); Sheephead; Spadefish; Red Drum/Redfish; Black Drum; Triggerfish; Catfish (various); Walleye, Brown Trout; Rainbow...




shop.ikejimefederation.com





I almost bought the all in one tool on Amazon but reviews are iffy about the longevity of the tool and quite frankly i have no idea how someone finds the spinal canal thru the head. I've been trying to source the wire the Japanese use and finally found it on the above link. 

Here's to eating good fish!


----------



## NealXB2003 (Jun 8, 2020)

I think aftco has a kit too. 

I haven't tried it, but I've read about it enough to capture my interest.


----------



## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

Megalops said:


> I know a lot of us on here practice catch and release only - (say this in your Forrest Gump voice) which is very nice Lieutenant Dan. However, I eat fish and am not ashamed. What I am ashamed is the usual American practice of throwing a live fish onto ice and letting it suffocate. I've been bleeding fish and icing for years but now I'm taking it up another level. I'm going to use this Awl spike from Harbor Freight to brain spike the fish:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Post some videos of your work--would love to see this.


----------



## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

DBStoots said:


> Post some videos of your work--would love to see this.


I will….try. But it might be still photos. A picture tells a thousand stories, etc. 

I didn’t buy the Aftco or other spike because I figured I could buy 5 from Harbor Freight.


----------



## strikeout (7 mo ago)

here are a couple of videos the AFTCO/IKE JIME FED. put out.


----------



## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

here's the thing. when you put live fish on ice, like any creature their system tries to keep the heart and core going and pulls the blood from the extremities, which works similar to bleeding the fish. yes, its cruel but is it any more cruel than stabbing them in the brain. let the fishes' sleep.


----------



## 60hertz (Oct 31, 2008)

I also keep the occasional fish for the table. Ike Jime fan too - but, I quit ramming the rod up the spine.

I always "brain" the fish, then snip the gills. Specks, Mangroves, or any offshore species - gets the guts cut out. Redfish, I don't want to pierce the gut cavity.

Fish always go in a ice/water mix - fresh ice w/ seawater.

Whatever method, seems like the fillets taste much better than just throwing the fish in a cooler and having it flop around until it dies.


----------



## rovster (Aug 21, 2018)

Very interested in this. Researched it a while back but have never tried it. I believe food handling makes a big difference.


----------



## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

devrep said:


> here's the thing. when you put live fish on ice, like any creature their system tries to keep the heart and core going and pulls the blood from the extremities, which works similar to bleeding the fish. yes, its cruel but is it any more cruel than stabbing them in the brain. let the fishes' sleep.












Lol. I don't know man, Harbor Freight didn't have that awl. But i did order a Circuit Breaker. I need a brain spike.


----------



## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)




----------



## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

You have to keep us up to date after you use it a few times.


----------



## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

Yes, definitely curious to see the results. On a similar note, what have you found is the best place to bleed a redfish? I have tried cutting the "collar" under the gills a couple times. I've seen a couple spurt blood pretty good, but a couple that didn't seem to do much of anything. Should I do that before spiking the brain? Or is there a different spot that works better. I know on blackfin there's a good artery behind the pec fin, and snook have a distinct one near the collar -- anything special for reds?


----------



## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

For reds I usually sever the entire throat latch (isthmus). You can also slide knife under and cut backwards towards top of skull to ensure complete artery slice. I would brain spike first but I haven’t been…until now. 
My next red I keep I’m gonna spike, cut tail artery to expose spinal column, cut gills, then use circuit breaker to destroy spinal cord, lastly stick in ice slurry with seawater. We’ll see, I tend to get buck fever lol.


----------



## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

Pic from the ikejime app.


----------



## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

You slide that slider under pic and it shows x-ray and where brain is located. Kinda gruesome for sure, but more humane than suffocating and freezing to death in my opinion. Plus we’ll see how the fillets turn out.


----------



## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

Full disclosure here. Ike jime is much harder than it looks, especially offshore in some wave action. I was able to easily brain spike the fish, and bleed, but cutting the tail and actually finding the spinal cord circle area was very difficult. Good thing is the brain spike took the fish out, no flopping. Also the Ike jime wire came in handy to unclog the pee hole on the Yammy, darn mud dauber closed the hole. Lol.


----------

