# Preserving Mullet for Bait



## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

What does everyone do with their mullet they catch during the mullet runs? I have heard that it doesn't salt very well since its so much water in the fillets. To me that leaves freezing whole and hoping for the best which leaves mushy bait or brining and then keeping it in the freezer. I need a good amount for a trip late October and don't expect them to be easily available so I'm going to net a bunch soon. I was considering netting them and dropping them straight into a brine then either freezing them like that (though they don't really freeze) or brining them, cutting fillets off and bagging them up and bagging some heads as well. 
Thoughts?


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## Kingfish258 (Jun 30, 2010)

I target cob size mullet, after netting them i sort of clean them by deheading and cut tail off and slit up thru the belly and rack the guts out. Then i rub them down with a 50/50 mixture of sea salt and baking soda, bag then in ziplocks and freeze. The baking soda keeps the salt from turning them to leather! I have been doing this for years, i only catch bait once a year and it lasts thru the rest, and as far as does the fish like it just check out my albums!


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## savfish (Mar 10, 2005)

Ideally you start with high quality mullet - cob size ocean caught and iced right away. Pre freeze for an hour - lay them out on something like a baking sheet and put in freezer. Pull out 4 and lay them out side to side - VACUUM PACK them. Throw back in freezer and repeat. While I don't have to use frozen often, I have used fall caught cobs to catch drum the following spring. The heads will be beautiful and stay on as good as fresh. I don't know how the body sections hold up though.


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## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

some have started just choppin the heads off throwin em in ziplocks and having quart sized ready to fish bags of heads only....works for them. i usually vacume seal whole mullets, no prefreeze, but roll a papertowel up and place in front of the bait before sealing...absorbs the juice so it doesnt ruin the seal.. works for me...have caught many a drum on frozen baits prepped that way, and have seen alot caught on the freezerburnt heads in a ziplock bag way....


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Been doing this for a few years now,and catching big drum,alongside others with fresh bait,and having decent results.. Saw a freind years ago outcatching my fresh along with others,could have had something to do with he could cast fourty miles,but the frozen mullet heads catching that well were an eye opener.. Like Chris said,I just lop the heads off,put into vacume seal freezer bags and throw the bodies into a big garbage bag and save it in the freezer for cobia chum for the meat grinder the next summer... Reason is because I can fit more heads in the bag than bodies with heads on,and ya don't have to worry about a fin sticking through the bag and screwing up the seal.. Have used heads 2yrs old and caught big drum with them,so they store well that way.. Those folks that use bodies,that brining then freezing sounds like it would work well,and that would keep them on a hook good too..


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## Plug (Feb 5, 2004)

I also cut the heads off. I like to cut them off about 1" longer than I do if I'm using the head fresh. Then when I thaw and use I cut that extra inch off and have a fresh end. May or may not work better but it looks better.

Vacuum sealers are nice but you really don't need one. By good zip locks, the kind with a double seal not the kind with a slider. The double seals are more air tight. Get a hard plastic drinking straw. Not a disposable straw they collapse. Lay the bag flat on your work surface and put the heads in one layer deep, no more. Leave a little room around each head. I put a dozen in a gallon bag. Close the bag all but one corner. Stick the straw in the opening and finish closing the bag around it as tight as possible. Now suck the air out of the bag. Keep sucking as you withdraw the straw and as soon as that straw exits the bag finish sliding the seal closed. If you don't get a good seal just start over. Works better than sticking the bag in water and IMO works as good if not better than most home model vacuum sealers.

If you are worried about sucking in fish juice prefreeze the heads on a cookie sheet just until they set up. Me, I just do them unfrozen and rarely suck any juice in. But I should add I rinse out the black crap and blot dry the heads on newspaper. If I do take in some juice I just spit it out and take a slug of brown liquor for sanitary purposes. Ain't killed me yet.


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## DANtheJDMan (Aug 29, 2012)

This sounds like a great idea, just the heads. Freeze some and maybe salt some. I am a beginner fisherman but I have caught some nice reds on just the head of a corn cob size mulet. One day we hired a guide for the whole day and we were back at the dock by 11:00 with our limit. Fished live, cut heads and bellies but caught every fish on a head. Went to a pier that afternoon and bought a bag of old freezer burned mulet cut the head off threw it out and caught a 24" Speck. 

I will keep this in mind if I can ever learn how to throw a cast net.

Live way to far from the ocean and only fish while on vacation.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I really like this forum.

Give me a fish I'll say thankyou. Teach me something about fishing I'll help dig the sand out from under your truck and hook the strap.


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## Mark H. (Nov 26, 2005)

Plug;747925
If you are worried about sucking in fish juice prefreeze the heads on a cookie sheet just until they set up. Me said:


> Spoken from a true FHB. Cheers Plug


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## Plug (Feb 5, 2004)

Put 30 cob heads in the freezer tonight. Netted them hoping the rain would start today and I could bag work and go fishing. Sunny all day so I worked until 7. Tomorrow it's supposed to gust 40+ so into the freezer they went.


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## jlentz (Sep 11, 2005)

For me live netted baits go directly from the net into a cooler filled with a slurry of seawater, ice, kosher salt and baking soda. I use a method close to what the bait processors use for offshore trolling baits. The solution should be cold enough that you can only keep your hand in it for a very short time. Ice and brine are added as the ice melts. I keep the bait whole and prefer to vacuum seal them. If I know I will be using them within a week or two fresh/live baits will go straight into the freezer after bagging. Using this method you must not put too many in the freezer at once as you will want them to freeze quickly.

John


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