Bait management

[AKmud]

Just wondering what clever/cool ideas everyone has come up with for keeping bait (especially for halibut/trolling herring) fresh yet convienient to get to. I have been keeping mine in a small cooler in the stern, but sometimes it is a pain stumbling over it.

Also, what do you do with the left over thawed herring at the end of the day? Do you re-freeze and use it again or is it shot? I have had mixed results with re-freezing it.

 

[AKmud]

Anyone??........

Anyone??........

59 views and no opinions...that has to be a record on this forum! Maybe this is an area which holds untold secrets that have been passed from generation to generation with an understanding that they never be revealed!

Or, maybe there is no good way of keeping bait fresh.......

 

[Michael Strahan]

okay, here goes-

okay, here goes-

Sounds like you're doing it right; the only thing I might add is that you can recycle used bait (thawed bait) by chopping it into chum and lowering it in a paper sack with your anchor. Another method if you're anchored for halibut is to put it in a paper sack, rubber-band it to a sinker and gently lower it to the bottom, then jerk the line a few times to open the bag. This will strew fish chunks all over the bottom where you are fishing. I've seen it done many times on charter boats and it works.

-Mike

 

[Muskie]

What I do

What I do

I put my bait in a soft cooler and shove it in my fish box, works ok until you start catching a bunch of fish then it ends up on the deck. As for the old bait I take it home and freeze it until I get enough to make my shrimp bait.
I use a hamburger grinder to grind them up, make's great shrimp bait or chum.

Dave

 

[AKBighorn]

I was told from a friend that when she used to be a deckhand they would resalt any unused bait and then refreeze it. I guess I am to lazy and I just refreeze it.

 

[AKmud]

Brining...

Brining...

Speaking of salt... Do any of you "brine" your herring? I think this was brought up in another thread on the old forum. I researched it some and found differing views. I guess it would be more for trolling herring (since it firms up the fish) than soaking for halibut.