How To Preserve Bait
By Capt. Ray Lewis
“The Frugal Fisherman”
How many times have you caught live bait for a day of fishing? Most serious fisherman have because they know it's the best bait they can use. Usually you catch more bait than you need for the day. So you end up releasing the extra bait, giving it away, or freezing it for future trips when we can't get live bait. Here are some tips acquired over the years on how to preserve bait. This way your bait will look as good in a few weeks or months as it did when you caught it.
First you need to get together a few common and inexpensive items.
The first item is kosher salt. Buy it in the 3 Lb. box, it costs about $1.60 a box. 2 or 3 boxes of kosher salt should be enough. It's better to have more than you think you might need. The salt will also toughen the bait so it's a little rubbery.
The next items you need are freezer bags, 1 qt. size with a zip lock closure for smaller baits and 1 gal. size for larger baits. Get what you think you'll need and a few extras. It's a shame to waste good bait.
Next you'll need a cooler, a 48qt. cooler for the Mullet, Squid, Peanut Bunker or other small baits. If you're going to preserve Boston Mackerel, adult Mossbunker, Spanish Mackerel, or baits of this size you might need a larger cooler that will accommodate the amount of bait you'll be catching.
The last item you'll need is a lot of ice, use blocks of ice mixed with cube ice. You can make the ice in your freezer just for this purpose. The cube ice will cool the water faster and the block ice will maintain the water at a very cold temperature, perfect for preserving bait.
Don't forget you're going to need a freezer or space in a freezer to keep the bait.
Ok, now you're out on your boat or on the surf. You just caught a net load of bait, now what? Just pour some water from where you are fishing into the 48 qt cooler, that you filled ½ way with block and cube ice before you left your home. 4 to 5 inches of water in your cooler is enough to start. Now pour in a 3 lb. box of kosher salt and mix it well until most of it has dissolved. The salt brine is ready for your bait. Just add the freshly caught bait and slowly stir it down into the salt brine until all the bait is covered. Be careful not to damage the bait while stirring it into the salt brine. If you have more room or want to preserve more bait keep adding it into the salt brine until you have what you need. You may need to add some more water so your bait is always completely covered.
Don't forget you'll be putting this in your freezer so only take what you can use and pack away for future fishing trips. By catching and preserving bait for future fishing trips you'll not only prevent wasting a natural resource but also have excellent bait to catch the big fish you want.
Now that you've caught enough bait to last you for a few fishing trips it's time to pack it out. Wait until you get home to do this and make sure you have plenty of ice in the salt brine to keep the bait very cold. The salt brine the bait is soaking in is preserving them and the ice is keeping them in perfect condition. Treat the bait like expensive raw food and never let it get warm. The better the condition the bait is in when you preserve it, the better it will look when you use it.
Now it's time to pack out your bait. This is how to pack out small baits; you can adapt this system for larger baits. The easiest way to pack it out is to do it outside in the shade on a table with 2 people. The best way is to put 2 dozen baits in each bag so you will know how much bait you are taking with you on a fishing trip. Put ½ of the bait in the bag and then a ¼ cup of salt on it, then the other ½ of the bait and another ¼ cup of salt. You can also use this method to pack out bait purchased at a tackle shop. Don't skimp on the salt because this will preserve the bait in the best condition possible.
When each bag has the proper amount of bait and salt in it, make sure to remove as much air as possible and zip it closed. Be careful not to get salt in the zip lock grooves and don't stuff the bag to the top with bait; leave a little room in the top so it's easy to close. Now gently shake the bag to straighten out the bait and mix the salt around with the bait. Keep repeating this process until you've packed out all your bait.
Now lay out all the bags of bait on a cardboard box and put it in the freezer so they all freeze quickly and evenly. Later, after they are frozen, rearrange the frozen bags of bait so they take up the least amount of freezer space.
You're now all set with excellent bait for your next fishing trip. Just grab the number of bags that you'll need, put them in a small cooler with some ice and go fishing.
While fishing it is best to leave the bait in the small cooler and take it from there to bait your hook. If your baits are not straight, gently straighten it out by moving the backbone from side to side until it flexes a little. This will keep your bait from spinning and twisting your leader. By leaving it in the cooler you can refreeze it when you get home and use the rest on your next fishing trip. The salt you used when packing it out will keep the bait in good shape even though you thawed it out.
Best of luck on your next fishing trip and catch a lot of big fish with the fresh bait that you preserved.