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!