Author Topic: how does one preserve waxies and/or spikes for long term?  (Read 3605 times)

Offline logicallycompromised

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hello good sirs and possible misses!
assuming one has access to huge quantities of each and wants to limit the time invested how would you recommend preserving them?
mineral oil, some form of alcohol then freeze/fridge?

the goal is to harvest a couple thousand and then treat them in some solution which will limit the rate of decay and allow one to fish with them for about a year; repeat these steps ounce a year.

i know some colored mummified waxies have a shelf life similar and longer then i am inquiring about; does anyone have any insight what process they may use?

has anyone tried to preserve their bait with any success?  what method did you choose and what may you change if you did it again?

i am not interested in babysitting smaller batches of live larva for a 6-8 weeks i would prefer to kill them and try to maintain similar levels of suppleness and bouncy as the live versions.  i suspect the process of killing needs to be quick as to limit cellular damage.  keeping them in some form of oil postmortem should help limit decay and maintain the characteristics which make the baits successful.

what say you?
do what they do, get what they get.
refinement reflects understanding...the more you know, they less you need.
science is love, science is life.
i enjoy fishing and happy to help others find similar or greater levels of joy and success; just need to reach out to me.
peace and long life!

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Offline Mr.Seaguar

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Re: how does one preserve waxies and/or spikes for long term?
« Reply #1 on: Jan 22, 2018, 02:42 PM »
You can have 500 maggots shipped to your door for $15.
Every plastics manufacturer claims plastics outfish livebait. So now I use livebait just for the increased challenge.

Offline Kevin23

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Re: how does one preserve waxies and/or spikes for long term?
« Reply #2 on: Jan 22, 2018, 04:48 PM »
Whatever you use to preserve them will limit your success. Those preserved worms at the store aren't worth a penny. The plastic gulp maggots are better than the preserved ones. The only way you are going to preserve the bait is in a, well, embalming fluid. Not worth the time.
EYECONICFISHING

Offline logicallycompromised

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Re: how does one preserve waxies and/or spikes for long term?
« Reply #3 on: Jan 22, 2018, 05:50 PM »
in my research i found people have been successful with blanching for 15 seconds, drying off and freezing the larva; they will keep for many months.  i will give this a go in the future and report back with my results.

after reflecting upon the qualities which make these larva successful and combining it with other random experiences i stumbled onto the holly grail.  i was driving back from a butcher shop, no music, and broke down the problem at hand for 15 minutes.  what variables do we want to keep and what do we want to improve.  i came up with one solution and after more thought refined it further.  i have since done research and others have reached a similar conclusion.  if you ask the right questions the answers are out there.  sorry to be a tease but there are enough hints here that if you think about it for a handful of minutes you should be able to figure it out.  if not just keep using the larva they work very well.
do what they do, get what they get.
refinement reflects understanding...the more you know, they less you need.
science is love, science is life.
i enjoy fishing and happy to help others find similar or greater levels of joy and success; just need to reach out to me.
peace and long life!

https://www.instagram.com/logicallycompromised/

Offline Kevin23

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Re: how does one preserve waxies and/or spikes for long term?
« Reply #4 on: Jan 22, 2018, 06:24 PM »
There's not much chance you (or I) can come up with something that hasnt already been thought of when it comes to fishing bait. And we are still buying spikes, that should tell you something. I'll stick with my $10/1000 live spikes that last me the entire ice season.  ;)
EYECONICFISHING

Offline Iceassin

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Re: how does one preserve waxies and/or spikes for long term?
« Reply #5 on: Oct 17, 2018, 12:05 PM »
There's not much chance you (or I) can come up with something that hasnt already been thought of when it comes to fishing bait. And we are still buying spikes, that should tell you something. I'll stick with my $10/1000 live spikes that last me the entire ice season.  ;)


So, thinking of going the bulk route this winter (1000). I know keeping spikes in the "warmer" areas of fridge (door, butter compartment, top shelf front, etc. is best. My question is...and I have heard/read...that if you have any left that you took fishing for the day, they should NOT be put back in the bulk container due to the possibility of contaminating the ones that are in said container. So either keep them in the smaller one you took to the ice or toss them out. Can anyone verify this?
"Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice."
 


Offline hardwater diehard

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Re: how does one preserve waxies and/or spikes for long term?
« Reply #6 on: Oct 17, 2018, 12:14 PM »

So, thinking of going the bulk route this winter (1000). I know keeping spikes in the "warmer" areas of fridge (door, butter compartment, top shelf front, etc. is best. My question is...and I have heard/read...that if you have any left that you took fishing for the day, they should NOT be put back in the bulk container due to the possibility of contaminating the ones that are in said container. So either keep them in the smaller one you took to the ice or toss them out. Can anyone verify this?

Scroll down for storage tips ..great price/product which includes shipping ...I keep them in a puck in my parka/bibs down in a unheated basement between trips ...cull the dead ones .

 https://www.ja-dabait.com/index.php/store/waxworms
Give a man a fish he eats for a day .Teach a man to ice fish he has an obsession for a lifetime

Offline RyanW

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Re: how does one preserve waxies and/or spikes for long term?
« Reply #7 on: Oct 17, 2018, 04:18 PM »

So, thinking of going the bulk route this winter (1000). I know keeping spikes in the "warmer" areas of fridge (door, butter compartment, top shelf front, etc. is best. My question is...and I have heard/read...that if you have any left that you took fishing for the day, they should NOT be put back in the bulk container due to the possibility of contaminating the ones that are in said container. So either keep them in the smaller one you took to the ice or toss them out. Can anyone verify this?

Air tight container. Bottom, back of the fridge. After ice out, I put about 3 dozen spikes in those conditions in my fridge in February of this year. They lasted until I remembered them in August. Out of the 3 dozen, they may have been half a dozen dead ones. Prior to the unintended storage, I got 12 dozen spikes at the beginning of the ice season (2017) and dumped them all into a UV resistant (cobalt blue) 4oz cosmetics container (I make lip balms and beard care products and already had the container). I only used half of the saw dust. I took the entire container with me every time (about the size of a BaitPuck). Several outings each week until ice out. In and out of my pockets, sitting on the ice, these guys experienced temp fluctuations every time out.

I found as long as the container was sealed airtight (even when warm in my pocket, shack, and car) they would last and they lasted very well. Quality bait to begin with helps a lot too. I was very surprised when I found 3 dozen, healthy, alive spikes still in my fridge lol. I used them up that day.

During ice season, I would take some out and put them back sometimes too (sharing with buddies and getting the extra back) and as long as they weren’t wet from snow, oozy from being ruptured, or already dead, they transferred pretty well. I never noticed any “cross contamination” issues.  Moisture and access to air seems to be the demise of the spike (well, for bait purposes anyway).

My fridge is around 40*.
“When the fish are biting, it really doesn’t matter what you’re using. When the fish aren’t biting, it really doesn’t matter what you’re using” - Uncle Dave

Offline Iceassin

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Re: how does one preserve waxies and/or spikes for long term?
« Reply #8 on: Oct 17, 2018, 04:24 PM »
Air tight container. Bottom, back of the fridge. After ice out, I put about 3 dozen spikes in those conditions in my fridge in February of this year. They lasted until I remembered them in August. Out of the 3 dozen, they may have been half a dozen dead ones. Prior to the unintended storage, I got 12 dozen spikes at the beginning of the ice season (2017) and dumped them all into a UV resistant (cobalt blue) 4oz cosmetics container (I make lip balms and beard care products and already had the container). I only used half of the saw dust. I took the entire container with me every time (about the size of a BaitPuck). Several outings each week until ice out. In and out of my pockets, sitting on the ice, these guys experienced temp fluctuations every time out.

I found as long as the container was sealed airtight (even when warm in my pocket, shack, and car) they would last and they lasted very well. Quality bait to begin with helps a lot too. I was very surprised when I found 3 dozen, healthy, alive spikes still in my fridge lol. I used them up that day.

During ice season, I would take some out and put them back sometimes too (sharing with buddies and getting the extra back) and as long as they weren’t wet from snow, oozy from being ruptured, or already dead, they transferred pretty well. I never noticed any “cross contamination” issues.  Moisture and access to air seems to be the demise of the spike (well, for bait purposes anyway).

My fridge is around 40*.

Good stuff Ryan...Thanks
"Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice."
 


 



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