best way to preserve and prepare left over bait?

[smoothound54]

no need to answer all - just the odd tip from experience...


black lug - what steps are needed - starting at beach when you have that unopened pack left over and an hours drive facing you - salt before freezing? microwave from freezer? use frozen on hook?

yellow tail? same points

snakey(sorry rag) freeze? salt?

peeler - frezze alive? shell first? freeze whole?

fish bait - gut? cut up fresh first? freeze whole?

squid - frezze in a block - separate?

mussels - open and freeze - in the shell? light boil first?



what works well for you? - step by step -

[Carver3689]

very interesting thread...i cant help you as im no expert on bait preservation but i look forward to the replies :)

[paid4]

Sorry m8 I can't help either, I just leave them in the back of the Landy in winter, the only things that don't seem to like the treatment are blow Lug - everything else is OK at least for a couple of days;)

[Ian_Montrose]

Mussels - salt for a couple of hours then freeze.
Fish (mackeral, herring etc) - gut and cut into strips, salt and freeze

[mick.p]

Only baits i keep/freeze are Peelers.

Kill
Prepare
Wash
Wrap
Freeze

[billfish]

no need to answer all - just the odd tip from experience...


black lug - what steps are needed - starting at beach when you have that unopened pack left over and an hours drive facing you - salt before freezing? microwave from freezer? use frozen on hook?

yellow tail? same points

snakey(sorry rag) freeze? salt?

peeler - frezze alive? shell first? freeze whole?

fish bait - gut? cut up fresh first? freeze whole?

squid - frezze in a block - separate?

mussels - open and freeze - in the shell? light boil first?



what works well for you? - step by step -

blacks = use fresh keep them in tanks until i have 2 freeze them, gut & salt,
then shake off salt & repeat the salting again then wrap in newspaper & freeze.
or i have even left blacks whole in a sealed tub in the fridge salted, the worms go 2 mush but u end up with all the juice. i have a tub in my fridge now & its still
fresh smell, had them in there for 2 months now.

yellows = i keep in just enough sea water so there backs r out of the water in trays in the fridge, keep a bottle of sea water in the fridge 2, so same temp.

whites = same way, of 4 to keep them longer-for months i keep mine in a inch
of coal dust & sea water just covering the coal dust, same keep water in fridge
so same temp.

peelers = if fresh keep in fridge damp with sea water, use a spay gun. in the fridge it will hault them popping. 2 freeze- shell them take out lungs, wash under
the tap & wrap in clingfilm & freeze fast (fast freeze) or between 2 steel plates freezes them fast & stops them from crystlizing.

fish baits= i freeze whole or cut in2 fillets.

squid = i split into 3,wrap & freeze.

mussel = i keep fresh for aslong as i can then if not used i freeze up in bags, enough 4 a trip out.

[Pelamid]

Had a load of black lug, muscles, razor fish, peeler crab left over. Stinking stuff but still good bait in stormy weather. From previous experience of binding cocktails to hooks/traces and freezing for the next trip I did not relish an hour of mess and stinking hands for the next week. So I came up with this idea:

Sheet of aluminium foil folded to have 2cm deep corrugations
Lay corrugated sheet on metal baking tray
Form cocktails of bait in each corrugation. Leave gap between hook sized baits.
Freeze

Frozen the bait sized blocks are not messy to bind to hooks prior to a trip. Kept in a food flask you have a solid bait to cast that quickly defrosts to give plenty of scent.

Sounds time consuming but is really something that can be done in relative comfort and save a lot of time on the beach. Better than wasting that old bait.

[DanCcooke]

how do you gut Lug/Rag, I have a load left over and looks like this weather isn't going to ease up on my days off. don't want to waste it, money wise and just wasting stuff annoys me.

[thebigman]

I always leave fish baits whole (but gutted) for 2 reasons. Firstly-the head is as good a bait as the fillets and secondly, ive found that the fillets stay firmer when they are cut from a defrosted fish then they do from frozen fillets

[billfish]

how do you gut Lug/Rag, I have a load left over and looks like this weather isn't going to ease up on my days off. don't want to waste it, money wise and just wasting stuff annoys me.

i dont gut rag m8t, rag just dose'nt freeze it goes 2 mush same with lug.
unless they r fresh blacks. 2 gut the blacks just nip the head & squeeze out
the insides done:) the blacks r fine as they have a thick skin.

[Arctechnic]

Fish (mackeral, herring etc) - gut and cut into strips, salt and freeze

I have never salted anything before, but am hoping to do some macky this summer, so......

When salting, what amounts of salt are we looking at using?
Is it a light covering/sprinkling or do I bury them in the stuff?
Is sea salt the stuff to use?

Any help appreciated.

[smoothound54]

for this u need a microwave in a garage or where smell won"t offend (like me wellies for example) - corse you could call round yer mates house and sneak inna kitchen - but leave direct!!!!!

black lug plump up if you zap em in microwave straight from freezer for a few seconds - medium power - clump packs together - no more than one and a half mins on about 600watts - depends on amount of lug

outer ones are frazzled - but inner ones lush and hooktastic!

PS don,t bin the burnt ones - helmans was made for em

Al

[Ian_Montrose]

I have never salted anything before, but am hoping to do some macky this summer, so......

When salting, what amounts of salt are we looking at using?
Is it a light covering/sprinkling or do I bury them in the stuff?
Is sea salt the stuff to use?

Any help appreciated.


Regular salt will do just fine. No rocket science, just bung your fillets/strips in a tub smother them in salt and give them a mix up. Leave overnight, dust off and freeze. The salt kills bacteria and also sucks most of the moisture out of the flesh leaving it very tough and easy to hook up, though it quickly rehydrates when in the sea.

[Arctechnic]

Regular salt will do just fine. No rocket science, just bung your fillets/strips in a tub smother them in salt and give them a mix up. Leave overnight, dust off and freeze. The salt kills bacteria and also sucks most of the moisture out of the flesh leaving it very tough and easy to hook up, though it quickly rehydrates when in the sea.

Thanks Ian,
Just got to wait for a while now until they(macky) come in.

[John Mason]

One thing I've started doing is bringing the odds & ends of bait left over - mackerel heads, guts, squid that have started to pong a bit, razorfish shells etc back home and it all goes in a big bag in the freezer. Once there's a fair amount accumulated I put it, still frozen, through an old mincer, chuck the minced stuff into a plastic ice-cream box, pour a load of cheapo Lidls cooking oil over it, leave to stand a few hours then refreeze. Warning - potentially messy job LOL!

The accumulating groundbait thus made is going to be very useful at a couple of marks I want to fish this summer :)

Cheers - John

[smoothound54]

One thing I've started doing is bringing the odds & ends of bait left over - mackerel heads, guts, squid that have started to pong a bit, razorfish shells etc back home and it all goes in a big bag in the freezer. Once there's a fair amount accumulated I put it, still frozen, through an old mincer, chuck the minced stuff into a plastic ice-cream box, pour a load of cheapo Lidls cooking oil over it, leave to stand a few hours then refreeze. Warning - potentially messy job LOL!

The accumulating groundbait thus made is going to be very useful at a couple of marks I want to fish this summer :)

Cheers - John

nice one john - HMMMMM.... :g: i think this would work in a swim feeder - maybe make a few home made feeders and pack-em - then freeze em - take in freezer box - cast frozen - slow release :secret:

[GrumpyBloke]

If you have a few big rag left , roll them in newspaper , like the black lug comes , and freeze.When thawed they go to mush but are just firm enough to thread onto a size two hook.Don't know about the rest of the country but around here the shore rockling go absolutely mental for them.

[lostsoul32]

i always refreeze my leftovers if you dont use it up defrost it and stick it threw a blender with a bag of ground halibut pellet powder from the coarse section in most tackle shops add some fish oil and give it a good mix and wollaar ! youve got a good ground bait to add to your arsnel !