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I'll admit it, I have too many soggy minnows. I fish most of the time with red shiner minnows and occasionally chub minnows (I know red shiners are also in the chub family). I put my fresh minnows in zip log bags and then freeze them. I have tried no water, lots of water, just a little water -- and as far as I can tell it has made little difference -- they still come out soft and mushy when they are thawed out. Do I need to purchase one of those vacuum sealers to end up with quality minnows to fish with?
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[cool][size 2]Hey, Kent, I think the basic problem is not HOW you freeze, them, but just the freezing itself. Many fish species have flesh that suffers from cellular breakdown during freezing. The cells actually split...like a container of liquid frozen in the refrigerator.[/size]
[size 2]You might try either soaking them in strong brine, before freezing, or covering them with salt for awhile prior to vacuum sealing. Either way, the salt draws moisture out of the cells and leaves them less likely to explode during the freezing process. [/size]
[size 2]The resulting salty flavor is not a deterrent to the fish. To the contrary, in conjunction with some shad or anchovy oil, it actually enhances the smell attraction...and stimulates some fish to hold on a bit longer. Many plastic lure manufacturers these days are adding salt to their plastics. [/size]
[size 2]Most members of the minnow family share the tendency to get mushy when frozen. Even carp flesh gets softer. That's why some carp smoking fans prefer to brine and smoke the carp meat after it has been frozen. It takes up the seasonings and smoke flavor better, and is not quite so coarse.[/size]
[size 2]There are a few bait companies now that are freeze-drying minnows too. You can buy them and rehydrate them before using. They keep almost indefinitely without refrigeration and they seem to be very firm. Lots of midwestern ice fishermen keep them in the tackle box in case they run out of the live stuff. Oh yeah, they can use live bait in other states.[/size]
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