best way to preserve and prepare left over bait?

**smoothound54** · 04-03-2007, 18:58

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** · 04-03-2007, 22:49

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

**paid4** · 04-03-2007, 22:58

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** · 05-03-2007, 08:54

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

**mick.p** · 05-03-2007, 09:04

Only baits i keep/freeze are Peelers.

Kill
Prepare
Wash
Wrap
Freeze

**billfish** · 05-03-2007, 20:46

Originally Posted by 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 -

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** · 05-03-2007, 21:36

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** · 06-03-2007, 02:15

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** · 06-03-2007, 10:34

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** · 06-03-2007, 13:14

Originally Posted by 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.

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.