# Frozen bait 2 part question



## piscesman (Apr 18, 2009)

PART 1 - I salted and froze unused shrimp left over from last year in May. It has been in a standard chest freezer. Never really froze solid because of salt. Is it any good to use??When you buy cut bait from stores you don't know how old it is.
PART 2 - Last Sept on vacation there we were given mullet from the surf. Froze that in water and no salt. Still good to use next month while fishing there?? Should it be salted?? Thanks for any help...
Kim


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## The Skink (Mar 9, 2009)

Salting baits helps to keep them from getting soggy after you thaw it. Thats all it does. I have used salted shrimp and it worked just fine. Salting has been used as a food preservative before we had refrigerators. when food freezes, it expands. salting removes alot of the water and helps retain the integrity(toughens) of the meat. I recommend salting when a vacuum sealer is not being used and the bait is stored for a prolonged period of time. I would recommend a non-iodized salt. Salting is a personal preference. Offshore fishermen use a brining technique on trolling baits to keep them from washing out.(decomposing) and disintegrating. I have cooked unsalted shrimp and fish that was over a year old, it was vacuum sealed, and it tasted fresh as the day it was caught.


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## piscesman (Apr 18, 2009)

Thanks for the help. We have a food saver vacuum sealer and used it on the bait. Bought coarse sea salt on the shrimp. Worked ok last year but that week the bite wasn't quite there yet. the piers and surf reported less than good bites. 5 more weeks, can't wait.
Kim :fishing:


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## Fatback (Aug 6, 2003)

Kim,

Frozen and or salted left over bait from last year? Man, I would toss it out, and go get some fresh bait, it's not worth your time. Fresh bait is and always will be far superior to old frozen bait regardless if it was salted or vacuumed sealed or whatever. You are thinking of using bait that experienced fisherman would never use or consider. Give it the ol' heave ho and think about it, its only is worth a few dollars anyway. Go and get some fresh quality bait, take the old frozen stuff with you on your next fishing trip and pitch it in the water.

But, to answer your specific question, yes, salted/frozen shrimp from last year may catch fish.
And, frozen Mullet from last year will most likely be unusable for bait based on the fact that Mullet tends to be too mushy to stay on the hook after being frozen with the possible exception of using whole.

Better to start new than mess with the old.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

Fatback said:


> Frozen and or salted left over bait from last year? Man, I would toss it out, and go get some fresh bait, it's not worth your time.


Don't throw it out . . . Grind it up and use it for Chum . . . Make your own PVC Chum Pot !

In the second video, I would prefer to use smaller diameter holes to make the chum last longer.


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## Fatback (Aug 6, 2003)

Cool video ez2cdave, thanks for sharing.


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## piscesman (Apr 18, 2009)

Great looking video. Do MB Piers allow chumming from them. Don't want to attract sharks or get into trouble. Can we chum from shore?? ( I think I know the answer) Maybe at MI from boat or kayak in the flounder or Blues areas. As far as fresh bait, where would you get fresh mullet in MB area?? Have been to the fish monger but never had them. I know a Chinese store up here has them on ice but not all the time. Missed them by 2 days last year.....
Kim :fishing:


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