How Tasty Is Your Bait?

[The Jackel]

Mine taste and smell like herring, i cut open a tray of semi frozen herring, cut the head off hook it up with a single hook and Bob's your uncle, works good for me

 

[Stizzla]

Scents/colors etc can be a pretty personal thing and lot's of time/comparison's on the water you'll find yourself leaning certain ways with what color's/scents work best for you where you are fishing.
But saying that there is a desired "texture" of bait that will hold on to your hooks and keep it's shape much longer than poorly or not cured bait does. And that's a "leathery/rubbery" texture.
To get that texture you will want to start to cure your bait a couple days (2 to 4 days) ahead of time. after adding your color to the bait layer the bait in a container with rock salt below, on top, and around every piece with paper towels between each layer. Stacking in even layers. Every 12 hrs or so remove the bait and see how wet the paper towels and rock salt has gotten. Then re pack and re stack the bait with new paper towel and the rock salt. After repeating this a few times you will find that even the rock salt will need to be changed out cause even though the paper towel gets wet the rock salt will also become heavy and saturated as well. This will slow down the full ability of the rock salt to continue pulling the moisture out as effectively as it was doing when you put it in fresh. So after the first day and half or so I also replace all the rock salt and re stack with new paper towel and new rock salt then continue to do this till you find the rock salt and paper towel isn't holding any more moisture. You keep checking the bait till you get the perfect texture. Then when you reach that point you wanna make sure if you have a lot of bait and will be using it over a couple days that you don't continue to keep it in too much rock salt or it will become too dry and can crack the skin of the bait and actually dull the look of the bait over time. So If I am gonna be using it on a longer few day trip I keep it in the fridge or cooler with just very little rock salt in paper towel after I have fully cured it. Once it looks like it may get too dry you can keep them hydrated by rolling them in moist paper towel. I keep bait perfect like this for a month at a time.

Thanks for the response, but I was looking fo more detail

 

[Aces]

Just some coarse salt in a dry brine.

I more concentrate and presenting different rolls and leader lengths for different times of year than adding all the value added, after market stuff

 

[Waterwolf2230]

Any of you guys use Mrs. Stewarts bluing agent? That's another that I haven't tried...some guys just add the bluing agent to their coarse salt to add a tinge of blue to it.

 

[Stizzla]

Any of you guys use Mrs. Stewarts bluing agent? That's another that I haven't tried...some guys just add the bluing agent to their coarse salt to add a tinge of blue to it.

I’ve used the pro cure blue colouring. It doesnt really turn the bait blue like the chartreuse I tried yesterday as per your suggestion. The blue does seem to add a nice shine though.

 

[AndrewH]

When I fish bait I use the Pro-Cure Complete in Chartreuse Glow and coarse salt. They are so bright they are like radioactive lol. They last several days if kept cold as well. I’ll take a picture next time and show you how bright they are in the water. I also prefer the Oki JDF heads for Anchovies. If you see the color ‘Limon’ pick it up as it’s a proven bait head for big springs.

WW

Might seem like a obvious question but I'll ask anyway. How long do you keep the Pro-Cure for? Can I keep in the 'bait fridge' in a container and add anchovies as the summer goes on?

 

[Waterwolf2230]

Might seem like a obvious question but I'll ask anyway. How long do you keep the Pro-Cure for? Can I keep in the 'bait fridge' in a container and add anchovies as the summer goes on?

Someone can correct me but if you are using it in conjunction with coarse or rock salt and more for color then you can just keep topping up, adding salt, adding color. If you are using straight liquid Pro Cure Complete brine the strength will weaken over time. For me adding the Pro Cure to the salt to make a bit of a slurry lasts a fair time but all summer I'm not going to say you'll have luck with that...

 

[redman210]

WOW! Sure sounds like an awful lot of Master Baiters on this thread..... LOL... could not resist!

 

[trophywife]

i like drying mine out to a stiff leather, rig em, break the tail/backbone to the inside, smear a lil blue or green on it....you wanna see a bullet roll!!!

 

[Waterwolf2230]

i like drying mine out to a stiff leather, rig em, break the tail/backbone to the inside, smear a lil blue or green on it....you wanna see a bullet roll!!!

I agree, that's why mine is mostly a dry brine with enough Pro Cure to give it that Chernobyl look. Next time I'm out I'll try and take an underwater pic of how bright that green is.

 

[Matsutake]

i like drying mine out to a stiff leather, rig em, break the tail/backbone to the inside, smear a lil blue or green on it....you wanna see a bullet roll!!!

Ever use wire to shape the roll? I thought I might try it when I get out there come August.

 

[Gear'n'beer!]

Any of you guys use Mrs. Stewarts bluing agent? That's another that I haven't tried...some guys just add the bluing agent to their coarse salt to add a tinge of blue to it.

I use mrs Stewart's......super cheap and effective at brightening the bait.
I have been using salmon universities brine method for years, cheap easy foolproof. I don't generally do the anise or garlic although I have tried them, don't really find they do much.
http://salmonuniversity.com/archives/313/5

Never considered brining Hali bait, learn something new everyday.....love that about this forum.

 

[Samnjoe]

Just some coarse salt in a dry brine.

I more concentrate and presenting different rolls and leader lengths for different times of year than adding all the value added, after market stuff

Same here.
Fancy brines are like pricey lures.......designed to catch fishermen IMHO.

 

[trophywife]

Ever use wire to shape the roll? I thought I might try it when I get out there come August.

too much fussin... i am happy with what i do..

 

[Islander57]

I like to use potent coarse salt/water brine, and add some Pro-Cure Bait Brite to the brine. I use a freezer ziplock and let them brine at least 24 hours in the fridge. I have a small cooler I use and add salted flake ice to keep them cold. Once I'm about ready to fish, I lay out enough bait to start with on one of the bait flats and cover the bait with coarse salt. My baits are always pretty leathery but have a nice shine to them from the Bait Brite. I have a few different ways of rigging them, including breaking the tail, slight curve, full curve. All produce for me. Sorry Stizzla, can't tell you how tasty they are. I'm not devoted enough to taste them.

 

[Chuck]

I use mrs smith laundry blue, add two tablespoons to a gal of good water and a cup of rock salt sometimes add a bit of powdered milk, really shines them up. Keep em cold and bait will last for 1-2 weeks easy. No need to waste ur cash on buying bait cures. THAT, is a rip off!! Just sayin..

Rock salt where I am at is more $$ at Bulk Barn than Walmart..

Recipe from Salmon Univ. A great resource.

 

[tubber]

Easiest method for me is to fill a giant mayonaisse jar from my big sack of Cdn Tire pool salt, squirt in a splooch of Mrs Smith's, shake it up and store it in a locker. An anchovy tray fits perfect in the bottom of my pink Bubblicious cooler. Cover in a layer of dry blue salt, put it under my seat, forget about it, and throw away on the way to the boat ramp.
They do work fine when I need them.

 

[TanTastic84]

I try to keep mine simple too. I buy a gallon of distilled water, rock salt and Mrs. Stewart's. Those are my three main ingredients.
Basic recipe:
~4 cups distilled water
1 cup rock salt
couple drops of Mrs. Stewart's (just enough to get a blue mist to the brine mixture)

I will then add one of the following if the mood catches me or if I remember before I add my herring/anchovies:
1/8 - 1/4 cup Pro-Cure Brine and Bite (the dry mix)
Pro-Cure Monster Bite
Pro-Cure Bloody Tuna powder
Krill Powder

If I want to color my baits, I add 1-2 teaspoons of the Pro-Cure Bad Azz chartreuse powder into my brine in place of Mrs. Stewart's.

I have kept bait in this brine for several days and have thrown leftover bait in the freezer. I have had no problem with bait "going bad" using this brine. Just keep everything cold! Cold is your friend!

Now that I look at this, it's a bit more complicated than I thought..... I need a bait fridge!

 

[cby]

Dry Brine all the way. I have been doing this for about 15 yrs after experiencing all the headaches with wet brine, colors etc. I do very well with Dry Brine. I have even converted alot of my friends. I have used up to 2 year old bait. I put my bait box right in the freezer after each use. About 2 days before I go. I put salt right onto the anchovy tray. Leave it for a couple days. Bait is like leather after about 1 week. Its last for every. I caught my biggest fish 32 lbs on 1 year old bait. I figured out after all these years that its all about the roll, leader length and speed and that if there is fish around they will eat just about anything.

Good luck to all the Master Baiters on here but DRY BRINE ALL THE WAY.

 

[Matthias]

I have yet to do a one for one comparison, but I throw in a small can of condensed milk into the brine. I find it makes the chovies shine extra bright!