02-07-2010, 01:25 PM
[quote zman1]what is your opinion on fresh minnows vs store minnows is there a differance im talking dead of coruse[/quote]
[cool][#0000ff]My opinion is that fresh dead minnows are just about always better than some that have been frozen...or even some that have been in the refrigerator a few days before using...or some that have been left unrefrigerated for even a couple of hours.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Freshly caught minnows still have all the natural slime and scent of natural food. Once they die and are soaked in water or frozen, a lot of the "good stuff" comes off but there is usually plenty of flavor left for the predators. And you can improve that by sticking a few small holes in the minnows with an ice pick or point of a small sharp knife.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Another advantage of fresh minnows is that they usually nice and firm. The longer after a minnow croaks the mushier it gets. Chubs are not as bad as redside shiners but almost all minnows lose firmness once frozen. Some guys use salt on their minnows before freezing both to add flavor and to suck out some of the moisture and firm them up a bit. Another trick is to keep minnows frozen until you hit the water and use them just as they start to thaw. Easier to cut them when partially frozen without smashing them and they stay on the hook better. They finish thawing quickly in the water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In years past, it was possible to take minnow traps or cast nets to Strawberry and get a day's supply of minnows within a few minutes. Those fresh redsides and chubs were super bait for da Berry. Since the slot limits and more cutts have been put in, the minnow population has taken a dive and it is tough to get minnows there. But, if you can catch some somewhere else, the day before a trip...and keep them chilled...it is almost as good.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Ditto for Scofield. Until a couple of years ago you could score bajillions of minnows next to shore on spring fishing trips...and throughout much of the year. The tigers and larger cutts (slot limits) have seen a drop in the number of small minnows...especially redsides.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Electric Lake still has lots of redsides, and most knowledgeable E-Lakers plan to harvest their own bait when they hit the water. Good plan. The tigers and the cutties love fresh ones. But, there are reports of a declining minnow population since the tigers got a good finhold.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Not many other lakes that have a big enough minnow population that you can rely on catching bait on every trip. Better to find a good minnow hole, catch a bunch and then freeze them up for your own use in the future. If you freeze them right and thaw them right, they are almost as good as fresh dead...and much better than fishing without them on many waters.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The minnows sold in some places are simply frozen on a meat tray with plastic wrap over the top. That may be okay for a short time but they quickly start to dehydrate and develop "freezer burn" once frozen. That affects both the texture and the scent of the minnows. Freezer burn causes molecular changes, especially in the fatty tissues, and they start to turn rancid in the presence of air. Much better to either use a vacuum bag or freeze them in a little water...with the air squeezed out...to prevent the problems of freezing on a tray, in the presence of air.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]My opinion is that fresh dead minnows are just about always better than some that have been frozen...or even some that have been in the refrigerator a few days before using...or some that have been left unrefrigerated for even a couple of hours.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Freshly caught minnows still have all the natural slime and scent of natural food. Once they die and are soaked in water or frozen, a lot of the "good stuff" comes off but there is usually plenty of flavor left for the predators. And you can improve that by sticking a few small holes in the minnows with an ice pick or point of a small sharp knife.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Another advantage of fresh minnows is that they usually nice and firm. The longer after a minnow croaks the mushier it gets. Chubs are not as bad as redside shiners but almost all minnows lose firmness once frozen. Some guys use salt on their minnows before freezing both to add flavor and to suck out some of the moisture and firm them up a bit. Another trick is to keep minnows frozen until you hit the water and use them just as they start to thaw. Easier to cut them when partially frozen without smashing them and they stay on the hook better. They finish thawing quickly in the water.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In years past, it was possible to take minnow traps or cast nets to Strawberry and get a day's supply of minnows within a few minutes. Those fresh redsides and chubs were super bait for da Berry. Since the slot limits and more cutts have been put in, the minnow population has taken a dive and it is tough to get minnows there. But, if you can catch some somewhere else, the day before a trip...and keep them chilled...it is almost as good.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Ditto for Scofield. Until a couple of years ago you could score bajillions of minnows next to shore on spring fishing trips...and throughout much of the year. The tigers and larger cutts (slot limits) have seen a drop in the number of small minnows...especially redsides.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Electric Lake still has lots of redsides, and most knowledgeable E-Lakers plan to harvest their own bait when they hit the water. Good plan. The tigers and the cutties love fresh ones. But, there are reports of a declining minnow population since the tigers got a good finhold.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Not many other lakes that have a big enough minnow population that you can rely on catching bait on every trip. Better to find a good minnow hole, catch a bunch and then freeze them up for your own use in the future. If you freeze them right and thaw them right, they are almost as good as fresh dead...and much better than fishing without them on many waters.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The minnows sold in some places are simply frozen on a meat tray with plastic wrap over the top. That may be okay for a short time but they quickly start to dehydrate and develop "freezer burn" once frozen. That affects both the texture and the scent of the minnows. Freezer burn causes molecular changes, especially in the fatty tissues, and they start to turn rancid in the presence of air. Much better to either use a vacuum bag or freeze them in a little water...with the air squeezed out...to prevent the problems of freezing on a tray, in the presence of air.[/#0000ff]
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