Save your money make your own- so easy and customizable. What you need: these ingredients are very cheap, readily avail at grocery stores & last multiple seasons. Distilled water (or tap left out overnight so chlorine dissipates) rock salt, pickling salt, any salt WITHOUT iodine, powdered milk - dirt cheap at grocery store, Mrs. Stewarts bluing (fabric brightener) maybe 5.00 at Ace or grocery, pure anise oil (optional). Salt toughens, milk powder and bluing brighten your bait to very bright and shiny. I will experiment w chartreuse powdered dye (procure) this season. Nice thing w this recipe is you can make enough for just 1 or 2 tray bait or even make the recipe then divide it for 1 color in half and 1 color in other half or even scents. Bloody tuna in 1 and anise or krill in other - you get the point. Ratios: per 1/2 gal water - 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup milk powder, 1 Tbsp Mrs. Stewarts, last - scent (if scenting whole recipe.) Pierce traybait BEFORE thawing. I just throw frozen whole bait into brine. If plug cutting do so 1st, while 1/2 thawed for clean cuts and ez gutting. Brine overnight in refrigerator. Keep in cooler out of sun - gd all day. I think I payed 8 or 9 $ for the fire brine (1qt) - a good product. I spent 15 on above ingredients which as I said I can customize and will last a few yrs. Makes your bait crazy bright. Have fun out there.
What do you do with your bait after 12-24 hours in the brine? Do you keep it in the brine? Do you just refrigerate it? Do you dry it and keep it in plastic in a cool, dark place? Please help!
Mick leaves it in the brine in the fridge. It needs to remain cold or it will get mushy and soft. To keep the bait tough it's important to store it in the fridge. Thomas said he keeps them in the fridge for a month - as long as they are kept cold.
After they have been removed from the brine and placed in a container, is it possible to refrigerate or freeze them for long range use, like two or more weeks, or is the usable shelf life just a couple days. I would be using these on a bottom rig off of a pier in Lake Michigan.
