brined herring

[allen]

How long do you guys keep brined herring?  I brine in Mike's Brite & Tight & used to discard all the unused at the end of the day.  Then I started keeping them for a few days up to a week, noticing they were firmer if brined longer.  It seems if you take 10 or 12 you'll have 8 left over but if you take 5 or 6 you'll run out (you lose one on a mini take-down, one just won't roll right & you step on one)  Right now I've got a few in brine for 5 days & a few more that are a couple weeks old, what are thoughts on using them?

[h20hunter]

I keep any old "bait" for the crab pot.

[blackpowderhunter]

I keep any old "bait" for the crab pot.

same.
i have a tough time tossing it for that reason...just toss it in the freezer and mix it in with some salmon backbones for crab season.
for salmon...ill re use maybe once.  like if i brine for a monday, and go fish tuesday as well..but if i wont be fishing until the following week, any leftovers goes to crab bait.

[Stein]

I use them for a week or so, sometimes longer if it is just for strips for hoochies.  They can get burned after a while, but I haven't seen a difference in catch rates.  I have seen a difference between fresh and brined, but not brined today and brined a couple days ago.

[dilleytech]

When I fish herring I use pautzki nectar. They are ready to fish after two days . But work better after a week. I have kept them up to a month still catching fish on them. We use so much salt nothing is going to “go bad” in the brine. In general I have never found fresh brined bait as good as something that’s been brining for at least a few days. With shrimp more like over a year.

[Skillet]

For what it's worth, I've settled on a 48-60 hour brine as the sweet spot for red and green label herring.  Under 48, not tough enough.  Over 60, they start to get too tough and I don't believe they catch as well.  If the skin has deep wrinkles it guess into my prawn bait box. I think over brined baits lose too much of the scent and fluids that disperse from fresher baits.  I mix in as much fine salt as the brine will take, tho, and refresh the salt with each batch.  The quicker you can take them from fresh to cured, the better.

For purple and black label, I think I'd bump it up to a minimum 60 max 72.

Just my 

[allen]

Thanks everybody, appreciate the info & opinions.
Went to the Willamette today with a batch two weeks old & a batch 5 days old.  Had a takedown on a 5 day one, nothing doing on the older one.  Discarded it when I left.
Gonna try Drano Friday with a fresh batch (but I use mostly coon shrimp & brads up there)

[WSU]

For what it's worth, I've settled on a 48-60 hour brine as the sweet spot for red and green label herring.  Under 48, not tough enough.  Over 60, they start to get too tough and I don't believe they catch as well.  If the skin has deep wrinkles it guess into my prawn bait box. I think over brined baits lose too much of the scent and fluids that disperse from fresher baits.  I mix in as much fine salt as the brine will take, tho, and refresh the salt with each batch.  The quicker you can take them from fresh to cured, the better.

For purple and black label, I think I'd bump it up to a minimum 60 max 72.

Just my 

Do you always brine fresh bait?  I've had good luck just chopping their heads off and feeding them to the fishes.

[Skillet]

I do.  Basically I have to hook it up and send it down for about an hour (at least) of being drug around at 3 kts.  I've tried using herring right off the tray, and it catches- but I'm much more frequently hauling back baits that are torn, blown out, or missing.  Salting toughens them up for the abuse I put them through.

I started dying some of my baits with procure UV last year, and I don't think it has helped a bunch - but it definitely hasn't hurt.

[WSU]

I meant fresh as in never frozen.  Frozen baits off a tray I always brine for the reasons you mention.  Otherwise they are too soft.  With that fast of trolling and wanting to fish them that long, do you fish whole baits?  That would seem like the best solution to getting them to stay together.

[Skillet]

I've never fished true fresh baits commercially, I'd give them a whirl if they were easy to deal with and I could get them consistently.  I like Jerry's baits only because I buy by the case for a deep discount and keep them in a small chest freezer on the boat.  Easy, consistent sized baits.

Last few years I switched to anchovy helmets for my winter king bait fishing.  Game changer in terms of bait durability. 

[WSU]

I've never fished true fresh baits commercially, I'd give them a whirl if they were easy to deal with and I could get them consistently.  I like Jerry's baits only because I buy by the case for a deep discount and keep them in a small chest freezer on the boat.  Easy, consistent sized baits.

Last few years I switched to anchovy helmets for my winter king bait fishing.  Game changer in terms of bait durability.

Whole herring is the same way.  Half the time I throw it away so I can change bait for my own peace of mind. 

It may be blasphemy, but I think it often doesn't matter.  If the fish are feeding, they'll eat a cut plug, a whole herring, or a whole chovie.  Put it in front of a biter and they bite!

[h20hunter]

Want a bait fished ruined before it hits the water just hand it over and I'll cut plug it for you. Want it fishable....those helmet thing a mag jigs are the ticket.

[Skillet]

WSU - Agree 100%.  As fishermen, we definitely tend to overthink things.  There's an entire industry depending upon us "needing" the latest and greatest.

No lure has ever caught a fish, without having first caught a fisherman.

[h20hunter]

 

I love me a flashy new sparkly lure!