Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! > Northern Pike

Smelt...?

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Reelinrolly:
Hey...I heard this idea of taking all my smelt and soaking them in salt...apparently it is supposed to help for pike fishing...anyone ever tried this?

Barleydog:
I used to make a formula of 1/2 cup salt and 2 tbls. of powdered coffee creamer to about 1 quart of water.  Salt will help "firm" up the flesh and skin of the smelt.  Coffee creamer will help shine up the scales and assist in toughening up the bait.  I use this formula for toughening up herring when trolling with already frozen bait.  Good stuff!  -Barleydog

grumpymoe:
barleydog--do you leave the smelts (or herring in your case) in the mixture or do you freeze them. good tip-i used to use salt only and then freeze-when they were thawed out all i had was a stinking tub of bait >:( >:( >:(

Barleydog:
Moe, I get herring in bulk bags on the coast, then seperate, and vacuum seal them into bags of 10.  No water, and no air surrounding them.  I take them out the night before and place them in salt solution.  Key is keeping them ICE COLD!  They retain thier firmness, (as good as a frozen smelt or herring can!), if never brought to room temp.  Heat kills these oily fragile baits, so keep em' cold from the time they leave the water still floppin' until you get them home and into the freezer!  I have caught herring out of the salt water and put them straight into a cooler full of ice.  They never see temps above 40 degrees which keeps them super firm.  Good luck!

grumpymoe:
thanks for your recipe barleydog..a little off the subject but why would you be catching herring and not halibut or kingcrab  ::) ::) ::)

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