Brined Baits

[DSRTEGL]

I wet brined a BUNCH of herring months ago.......Because I am heading to Washington in a few days I took some of it out of the fridge so I can air dry it and vacuum seal it for my trip......IT IS IN GREAT SHAPE.......and once it is dried and vacuum sealed......It will need minimal refrigeration...........VERY happy with the results

 

[DSRTEGL]

Wet brined some clams and mussels to got with the slated herring I still have left for my trip to Trinidad Pier.......Fresh bait is not always available up there and when it is......IT IS DAMN EXPENSIVE

 

[Skyhook]

I wet brined a BUNCH of herring months ago.......Because I am heading to Washington in a few days I took some of it out of the fridge so I can air dry it and vacuum seal it for my trip......IT IS IN GREAT SHAPE.......and once it is dried and vacuum sealed......It will need minimal refrigeration...........VERY happy with the results

Did you buy one of the brining products? Bought some Pro-Cure brine a couple of years ago, but it's not cheap. If you have your own brining recipe, can you post it? Herring should be showing up soon, and I'd like to brine some as bait for next spring.

 

[DSRTEGL]

I just followed recipes I found on Youtube........Commercial Preps are just to damn expensive.....I DID LEARN......that trying to dye baits with standard food coloring does not work on herring and other fin fish

 

[Ken Jones]

I generally salt down any leftover bait whether it be fish, mussels, shrimp or worms. As with most things, I keep it very simple and what I do is probably not as good as what a top notch recipe would do. I simply put the bait in a bowl, make sure it is thoroughly covered with salt (regular or rock salt) and then I put it in a Ziplock bag, again making sure the bait is thoroughly covered with salt. It then goes into the freezer.

Lately I've begun taking any mackerel I've kept for bait and sugar-cured it. I fillet the mackerel, lay it skin-side down and sprinkle sugar on to the meat portion making sure it is thoroughly covered. I put salt into a Ziplock bag and layer the mackerel fillets one on top of each other with salt being added to each fillet before the next fillet is put on top. I usually use about 2-1, salt to sugar portions. Each Ziplock bag goes into the freezer.

As said there's probbably a better way of doing it but I've been very pleased with the results and given the price of bait today (especially pile worms and blood worms) it's good to be able to use what was left over.