freezing bait?

[cheferson]

I was looking for advice/tips on freezing bait so it lasts a while and doesnt dry out or get freezer burn.
Thanks

[Van]

It's kinda like the beer thing....How do i keep my beer from going bad in the fridge?? DRINK IT FASTER !!!!

Same with the bait..

I know I am a wise@$$.....But seriously I have some frozen bait from last season, which I will use for chum this season and bait the hook with the new stuff.

I don't do anything special.

[thefishingfreak]

brine em'

holds the color better, toughens em up, and keeps them fresher.

during the herring run, i'll take any fish that didn't make it and throw them into a cooler full of ice water, 1 cup kosher salt, 1/2 box of baking soda and let them sit overnight.
then i'll ziplock em, and then freeze em.

there tougher than the live ones
the mix can be kept for about a weekwith fresh ice, before it gets too slimy
mike

[cheferson]

Thanks Fishingfreak

[basswipe]

One of them home vacuum pack sealer machines is the way to go.They're dirt cheap these days and can be found at the local
Wal-fart.Your bait will last forever when vacuum packed.

[Notaro]

thanks for the accurate brining recipe for the baits. How about herring and other species?

[Bliz]

Fishingfreak,

You need to change your screen name to McGuiver!...

You seem to know alot about many things!, and you have a way to solve just about anything!...

[MikeToole]

I brine herring and bunker, mackerel I just freeze them.

I salt the bunker and herring and then put them in freezer bags making sure all of the air is out of the bag. I usually put two or three fish in a bag.

For mackerel, my primary chunk bait, I first wrap them individually in plastic wrap then in tin foil. The main thing is to keep them iced down and freeze them as soon as possible after catching them. When you put them in the freezer don't stack them on top of each other. Put them in single layers so that they freeze quickly. Once their frozen I then put them covered plastic tubes in the freezer. Keep them frozen right up until you need them and then de-frost them in water just before you use them if possible.

[thefishingfreak]

lol blitz "mikeguiver"
my grandfather always said
"share your knowledge, and you will learn 10 fold"

it's better if you have a deep freeze freezer, to keep the bait frozen solid.
frost free freezers thaw out regularly, to keep the frost buildup away.
plus the wife likes that all the bait is in the basement and not next to her meatballs

[Mr. Sandman]

Van is right. Fresh is best. Frozen is for chum. esp with bunker and herring.
You need FRESH dead or live. This is why chunkers are so bummed these days...its hard to get real fresh bunker anymore. Like a few hours old packed on crushed ice that drains the water away from the bait. The bait can not be touching each other. The difference is amazing. Fresh bait can out catch frozen 10:1.

I use the vacume pack for bait and it works well but there is a difference. It is far better then just dropping it in a ziploc and tossing next to the meatballs but it is still not as good as fresh.

Maybe if we had a chryogenic freezer that used liquid nitrogen as a working fluid it would get close but nothing beats fresh IMO. (In fact I will not buy frozen bunker. They have to be fresh caught, eyes clear and no slime or glaze on the bait. Last year I did not see ANY like that. I will pay 1.50 -2 bucks a piece for large bunker that are in this condition.

[striprman]

Frozen pogies and macs will catch fish if you can't get fresh.

[RickBomba]

If you're going to freeze anything, also make sureit's as dry as possible. Gonna try the brine thing with my leftover sand eels this year, always seems like I bring a few bags home; I never used to freeze them (just give'em away) but this year the remnants probably saved me and Mikey more than once, but definately didn't save the marriage.
The ex hated those things in the freezer.
Oh well.
More fishing time for me now.
Later,
Rick