Frequently Asked Questions

Most questions revolve around freight and we are constantly working on ways to reduce it so keep checking back, asking questions, and giving advice.

Please note Shipping frozen fish safely is expensive. Insulated boxes, dry ice, freight and human labor all add up. But if you don't do it right it's a mess and we do it right. We cover some of the cost and it's free if you spend $200.

So load up and share with a friend to keep the shipping down.

 

Q: How much is it to ship to _______?
A: Well it depends on everything. The only way to accurately know is to choose your product for your shopping cart and click the "Estimate Shipping" button where you enter your zip code and state. The cost depends on the weight, where you are shipping to, and how fast you want it.

Q: I don't need 5 or 11 pounds because I don't want to thaw it all out. Do you have any smaller quantities?
A: There are zero products shipped as a block. We have flash frozen (IQF) or vacuum packed so you do not need to thaw out the whole batch at once. We have some sampler packs with smaller quantities per fish but it wouldn't be economical to ship smaller quantities. We have been moving more towards 5 pounds than 11 though.

Q: Can I get a freight quote without giving you my credit card?
A: Yes, there is an estimate freight button in the shopping cart and you also will see the prices and options before you enter any credit card info.

Q: Overnight or Economy?
A: The packaging is designed to keep the fish fillets frozen for three plus days. However, delays happen and we have no control over packages once they leave our warehouse. Economy delivery is perfectly fine for 99% of shipments, but in the middle of summer to Phoenix we start to see problems. Economy will save you money and . The fillets on the outer edge may start to thaw. All that being said, most of our orders are Economy and I ship to myself in San Diego in 3 days even in the summer and the shipment arrives fully frozen. The shipping page has even more details.

Q: Where do the fish come from?
A: Most of our walleye, lake perch, bluegill, northern pike, lake trout and crappie are wild caught in pristine northern lakes of Canada using sustainable harvesting practices. Canada's lakes are well managed, unpolluted, and have an abundance of freshwater fish. There are some fish caught in the US and some few farm raised items, but each product shows the details.

Q: How are the fish caught and processed?
A: The majority of our fish is caught using gill nets on fishing boats in summer or through the ice in winter. The harvest is iced down and rushed to the packing plant. Facilities strategically located across the freshwater fishing region receive, grade, re-ice, pack and quickly freeze to lock in the flavor. They are then shipped across the border to our warehouse where it is stored in deep freeze at -18 degrees F.

Q: How are the fish shipped?
A: We have a centrally located facility in Nebraska to keep freight costs low. The fish fillets are in plastic bag or bags for vac pack inside a cardboard box. Then placed in an recylable insulated box with blocks of dry ice and then stored in a refrigerated area before handing off to the carrier.

Q: When you you ship?
A: It depends on a what do it is and when you want it. It's complicated because it's frozen so we need consecutive business days as the dry ice melts the same on business or weekend days. So that means we have to hold over the weekend. We do this so that the fish will never have to sit in a warehouse over the weekend or a holiday. We also need time to process the orders and get them ready for the shipper to pick up so our deadline is midnight the night before. For example, an order placed on Monday will ship on Tuesday, but an Economy order placed on Wednesday afternoon won't ship until the following Monday. However, exceptions do happen, please call if you need something different and I may be able to accommodate. We try to provide an estimated arrival date to give an idea.

Q: Can I get tracking information?
A: Yes, if you provided the correct email when you submitted your order, it will be sent to you automatically at the end of the day it ships. It does take a little bit, and if you still don't see it check your spam as these don't always make it to the inbox, or please send us an email.

Q: Do you have gift baskets?
A: Yes, we make a great unique gift item. We can create custom corporate gift baskets and can personalize and include any extras you can send us.

Q: What is your return policy?
A: Because it is a highly perishable food item, we do not accept returns. We are subject to FDA regulations and can't take back food that has been out of our control. Much like you wouldn't want a delivery that has been to a customer's place and back, we can't accept returns on highly perishable food either.

Q: What if it's late?
A: First, take a deep breath. Shipments are late ALL the time. 5% on a normal week are at least a day late. We plan ahead and add more dry ice and it can even make it over the weekend. 99% of the tiime everything is fine. Please just accept the delivery and see what the condition is. Then let us know in a nice calm voice and we'll handle it on a case by case basis. Almost everyone is satisfied if you give us a chance to make it right. If you think that yelling at Peggy, swearing and leaving nasty messages on social media help, it doesn't. Returning it via UPS/Fedex actually does nothing - it just makes it worse because we have to pay the to ship wet thawed out fish until they throw it away and claim it was lost. Just breathe, let us know and we'll take care of you. We have hundreds of positive reviews from customers who also had a late delivery because they gave us a chance.

Q: Do you have a local pickup location?
A: Sorry, no. We ship from a large distribution center with lots of trucks coming and going and no retail section.