Fresh fish at these temperatures never make it home not frozen! Fresh fish when they can be had are indeed better. Seems to me though that if I can find walleyes I can find more than I can eat at one sitting so the vacuum sealer keeps them nicely in the freezer for me for as long as I like. I will say this though: Walleyes out of cold water are about as good eating as they come. The only fish I have had that's better than them is specks out of Nipigon and native redfin lakers out of Nipigon or Superior. I could kill myself eating any of them fresh out of the lake.