02-07-2010, 09:18 PM
"we filled the bags with water so that the shad weren't exposed to freezer burn. I think that might be a good way to keep red side shiners too."
[cool][#0000ff]I freeze my minnows in plastic bags with just enough water to eliminate air (see pic). I squeeze out the excess air before I seal them. Too much water can leach out "flavor" and also expands when frozen. That contributes to "mushiness" by smashing the minnows as it freezes.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I don't think there is ANY way to freeze redside shiners so that they are not soft when thawed. Believe me, I have been processing bait for many years and I have tried just about every know way to get a better end product with those things. Salting, partial dehydrating, vacuum sealing, flash freezing, etc. They still turn soft as soon as they are thawed. It does not seem to ruin their appeal to fish, but it does make it hard to keep them on the hook...especially if you have to cast them very far. About the best you can do sometimes is wrap them with some white cotton thread once you have them stuck on the hook. Not a universal solution but it adds to the durability a little. And sometimes the fish will whack the bait once and then return for the big gulp. If they knock the bait off the hook on the first "inquiry"...or if the jerk on the other end of the line does a power set and pulls the bait off...then there is no followup money munch.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Always fun to keep trying new things.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]I freeze my minnows in plastic bags with just enough water to eliminate air (see pic). I squeeze out the excess air before I seal them. Too much water can leach out "flavor" and also expands when frozen. That contributes to "mushiness" by smashing the minnows as it freezes.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I don't think there is ANY way to freeze redside shiners so that they are not soft when thawed. Believe me, I have been processing bait for many years and I have tried just about every know way to get a better end product with those things. Salting, partial dehydrating, vacuum sealing, flash freezing, etc. They still turn soft as soon as they are thawed. It does not seem to ruin their appeal to fish, but it does make it hard to keep them on the hook...especially if you have to cast them very far. About the best you can do sometimes is wrap them with some white cotton thread once you have them stuck on the hook. Not a universal solution but it adds to the durability a little. And sometimes the fish will whack the bait once and then return for the big gulp. If they knock the bait off the hook on the first "inquiry"...or if the jerk on the other end of the line does a power set and pulls the bait off...then there is no followup money munch.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Always fun to keep trying new things.[/#0000ff]
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