Fishing Forum

Ok, let's see if we can do this with the minimun of ignorant interuptions - we're talking bait here.

I am interested in finding out how folks prepare and store the baits they use - especially minnows(DEAD), but cut baits, wax/meal worms and crawlers etc. could also be included and would be appreciated.

I currently have a freezer full of different kinds of baits that I gathered through out the year. Normally, I use most of them up before the ice season and seldom have any left over for the next fishing season, but this year I plan on doing more ice fishing. I know it's probably too late for the stuff I have stored up, but would like to know for future reference some more techniques.

So, to give you all some idea of what I am looking for here are some of the places to start. I am talking from the moment of gathering the bait, all the way through final storage, and actual useage. Pick your favorite or the one you do most often.

Wax/meal worms - I buy them kind of infrequently during the ice season and never keep them more than a month - so any info is appreciated that would help me keep them around for the whole season.

Crawlers - I get them in the spring and put them in a spot under one of my trees and dig them up when I need them - sometimes they last quite a while - but never make it into winter fishing.

Cut baits - If I can I keep the fish whole and freeze it that way untill needed, I do. Otherwise, I scale it and cut it up and put it in a baggie with water and freeze it into a block of ice in my freezer - results are OK for the current season, but never really stay satisfactory over the full winter.

Minnows - I really want to know this info mostly ! (DEAD ones - we all know it's a no-no to do anything with live fish as bait in Utah, so let's just stay on the dead bait topic if we can - thanx). In the past, I catch them, put them in a baggie immeditately, and then on ice untill I get home. Then, I throw a little crushed rock salt in the baggie and put them in the freezer without additional water. The results have been OK but not great. Some times they come out kind of mushy.

What has worked for you ? Vacuum sealing ? Dry ice ? Freeze dried ? I don't have any special equipment at this point, but, if needed I could get or make it if it weren't too expensive to do so. What do you do with them from the moment you catch them untill they are used ?
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Immediately after netting my minnows I put them on ice. I use frozen milk jugs for ice, and put them in small plastic bags so they are not swimming in ice water all day. When I get home I cure them in inexpensive styrofoam ice chests. I first put a layer of course dry salt on the bottom of the ice chest (use plain salt that doesn't have any added ingredients). then I put a layer of minnows on top of the salt. I cover the minnows with a layer of course dry salt, and repeat this process for several layers. I then place a frozen milk jug on top and put the lid on the ice chest. I let them cure over night. When I open the ice chest there is lots of water in it that has been sucked out of the fish by the salt. I quickly rinse the salt off (I do this because I don't want to get salt on my hands when I cut up the fish) in cold water and lay them out to dry for a few minutes in the sun. I then lay them on a cookie sheet that has a layer of plastic on it. I freeze them for about 30 minutes and then vacuum seal them. The minnows are not mushy when they thaw out, and the fish seem to like the salty taste.
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I usually just vacuum seal the cisco I get every year and they hold up well but Kent's way of storage sounds good. One of the problems that I have with the cisco is that they get mushy if I wait to long to cut them up when they a thawing out. After I catch the cisco, this is in January so it is already cold, I put them in a ziplock bag and put them in a cooler for the ride home. At home I just rinse them off and vacuum seal them, three at a time for use at a later date. I think I might try Kents method this year on at least part of my bait before I vacuum seal them. It might make the bait stay on the hook better and maybe the Macks will like the salty taste.
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Not to swerve to far off my own topic, but, what recommendations to you guys have for a vacuum sealer as far as where to get them and a good and/or cheap brand(if there is such a thing) ? I would only be using it for bait - maybe for smoked fish.
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I bought my last vacuum sealer on the Home Shopping network for $50.00, I think that included shipping and a lot of extra bagging material(4 rolls). The brand name was Rival but I have also owned a Foodsaver brand sealer.
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i put my minnows in the freezer while they are still alive.. keep them nice and ferm and fresh.. and they done go mushy as fast.. i never add salt i just put them in a bag while they are still kicking and throw them in...
and before all you yahoo's out there start up on the live fish thing again Don't..
if i'm not in my RV that has a good freezer in it and right next to the water.. or i take some dryice with.. or if i'm close to where i'm getting the minnows i just put them on ice tell i get home.. and yes alot of the time they are still alive but only tell they hit the freezer..
the river is 1 min from my house so when i check the trap i just put them in a bag no water and just run them home as fast as i can and get them in the freezer as fast as i can.. fresh is best!!
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Fishhound,

I have a Foodsaver, works very well. I bought it at Walmart.
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Hey Kent,

I like the results of your method when we used them on Strawberry - they were not mushy at all and stayed on the hook a lot better than mine do.

Do you rinse them off before you put them on salt - like WH2 does with his ciscos ? Or do they go straight in the salt ?
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Straight to the salt.
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Hey fuzzyfisher,

I try to put the minnows on ice as soon as I get them out of the net or trap too. Most often they are still flopping in the baggie when I do.

About how many minnows do you put in each baggie ? The reason I ask is that I think I have notice that when I put quite a few in a baggie and they get bunched up in the bottom, the minnows that end up in the middle of all the bunch in the baggie, are the ones that get the most mushy. Do you just put enough minnows in a baggie so that they are in only one layer ?

Also, how often do you use the dry ice technique ? And how do you handle/avoid the tendency of things to stick to the dry ice ?
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i put about 24 minnows per bag.. that should keep me fishing for 1/2 the day.. then i have 2 more bages on ice incase the fishing gets hot..i put the minnows on ice when i'm fishing with them to.. i try and keep them in as good of shape as long as i can.. keeping them frozen as long as i can seems to work better for me.. they go mushy any way you look at it if they thaw out fast or for a long time.. keeping them frozen keeps them better.. and that is what the dry ice is for.. put some in the cooler and you got a freezer to go..
or put your bait (minnows) in baggs and put them in he cooler with the dry ice it work about as well as a freezer.. when you get home put them in the deep freez and you get great bait 6 to 8 months..
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