I know it's best to clean the fish you keep right away but if you can't clean it right away, how long can a fish be kept in ice before it goes bad?

I try to keep them alive until I am ready to clean them.  This is in part because I don't like cleaning fish that have been on ice.  They are stiff and that makes it (for me) hard to "flex" the fish during a filet, especially on the skin side.

All that being said, I have had to ice fish prior to cleaning and I wouldn't wait more than about 6-8 hours and make sure you have enough ice to do the job.  4 hours would be better imho and that's inside a closed cooler not just sitting in a bucket of ice in the bottom of the boat.

We had a chance to go out on the water with the DNR recently and we kept a catfish alive for over 20 minutes! I was very excited that he made it to cleaning time but she sure was hanging in there, even without water. Other species I'm not too sure about, I'm sure a live well will definitely do you right if you have one, even just a cage you can throw in while you're fishing. Good luck bud!

I take 3 day trips to the Torgugas and keep fish on ice from day one until day 3. NEVER EVER had a problem.  These are saltwater fish: dolfhin, kingfish, snapper and grouper.

Lots of ice and don't worry about it.  If if smells fishy, it's bad and shouldn't be eaten.

My family was in the fish business for 40 years.

Commercially caught fish are immediately iced, once back at shore they will be iced again and boxed.  Shipped to wholesale distributors, then local markets buy the boxed fish and put them in their showcases.  From catch to local store can be a number of days.  Once purchased by the consumer the fish were then filleted or cut into steaks, wrapped in ordinary "butcher wrap paper" and taken home uniced, to my knowledge the fish were always fine.

We handled both fresh and saltwater fish.

I do know people that live in the hot desert take an ice chest with them to the grocery for all their food.

Always make sure the eyes of the fish are clear and if possible avoid any market that cleans fish in the " backroom and not in front of you.

If if smells fishy, it's bad and shouldn't be eaten.

This is always a good rule to follow                  ;D

My family was in the fish business for 40 years.

Commercially caught fish are immediately iced, once back at shore they will be iced again and boxed. Shipped to wholesale distributors, then local markets buy the boxed fish and put them in their showcases. From catch to local store can be a number of days. Once purchased by the consumer the fish were then filleted or cut into steaks, wrapped in ordinary "butcher wrap paper" and taken home uniced, to my knowledge the fish were always fine.

We handled both fresh and saltwater fish.

I do know people that live in the hot desert take an ice chest with them to the grocery for all their food.

Always make sure the eyes of the fish are clear and if possible avoid any market that cleans fish in the " backroom and not in front of you.

              I dont always agree with Snooky but he makes a good point. If you buy fish from a market make sure the fish is cleaned in front of you, and as far as putting them on ice, I have had fish on "HEAVY " ice for several days and they kept very well. Chances are, if you think it has been to long you are probably right !

I think the correct term should be not on ice, but "in ice". as the fish should both be on top of ice then covered completely with a layer of ice.

Also a good market will have way fewer flies around because the floor should be disinfected every day and the smelly "fishy smell" will be kept to a minimum.

I was taught from people who always ate fish... you can keep them iced as long as the gills remain red, the fish is good... but once they turn milky, the fish has spoiled.  I've never had one spoil while in ice.