How to Brine?

[Sea Draggin]

If your gonna put salt on the bellies after the fact just use alittle.

So True.......Very good advice. I was just telling someone exactly the same thing the other day. They are just starting out and from what they were telling me, they were completely coating the entire bait.

I explained the same thing to them. All you should need to do with good bait is put a little sprinkle on the 2" area where the hook will exit.

[Glenn W]

So All you should need to do with good bait is put a little sprinkle on the 2" area where the hook will exit.

While I agree with this generally regarding "GOOD" baits, a little common sense is required for varying circumtances. For the weekend warriors north of OI there are often two things confronted: First the bait is often not thawed until on the way out to the fishing grounds; and these guys can't always get "good" bait.
I have fished with friends in Virginia in the late summer and the ballyhoo purchased locally was softer than a bunker that laid in the sun for a day. In these circmstances, a liberal dosing of salt was needed the entire time they were in the cooler. Similarly, in Hatteras, they were selling some BS brand of ballyhoo from South America a couple years ago (at one marina only) that was cured so hard the bait was like dried out leather when thawed (rumor was that this garbage was over cooked with formaldahyde).
Point is, common sense should prevail and inspect each bag before deciding on how long and the amount of salt to use in the cooler. If the bellies are wrinkled at all, chances are they are a bit over brined to begin with. If you squeeze the ballyhoo to separate the ribs from meat and it feels like mush, well cover the bellies in salt as best you can.
Finally, as the season and summer wears on, the ballyhoo purhased tends to become softer and softer, hense I use more salt for a longer period.

[FASTWATER]

Just one note to all about brining for novices that hasn't been mentioned is if you are just starting pay attention to your salt to water measurements!!! To much salt will burn your bait not enough will soften your bait it is definetely a art to it to really get a perfect preserved bait I will try to find my exact brine recipe for you guys to try it is used by alot of people out on the left coast and I like powdered milk instead of baking soda actually a better flushing agent I feel!!!PEACE

[obxfish]

With Macs and most fresh marlin bait I:
use very salty cold icy water (brine salt but I prefer kosher)
Handling the macs as little as possible
When they die I gut with a very short blade so I never cut into meat.
When I return to dock I replace the "slurry" with another icy SALTY brine but I add that embalming stuff (sometime formaldayde sometimes that pink orangy stuff) after a couple of hours I add baking soda
Next day I remove and wrap in foil. If I have to freeze I vaccum pack it.


With just sqiud (not tourney bait) I tend to only use salt and backing soda. I first wash it (rinse it well). I only buy that longline squid it's real white, little ink, very strong, and has lots of smell... I believe some guys call it Japenese Squid. We get it locally from Ethridge's


I have picked up a few steps throughout the years from different people but the mac recipe has been used and won in several tourneys. I was told by Butch Cox that he pulled one of my baits for the enitre big rock. He won it that year on ours.
It may be doing too much but I wanna know it gonna be good. Thrawed one yesterday from last year and it feels like it's fresh.

I have some formaldehyde and wanted to try brining some Spanish this spring; how much formaldehyde do you use and for how long in your above recipe?

[reel fool]

I have seen ballyhoo rigged and on bait tray's (on top of ice in coolers). How do you brine these after there rigged???

good question. the original question was directed at freshly caught bait, not purchased, frozen bait.

[h2orowe]

I have some formaldehyde and wanted to try brining some Spanish this spring; how much formaldehyde do you use and for how long in your above recipe?

We just add by eye sight. I'm sorry I can't give you an exact, but maybe someone else can. It really depends on how much and how big of a cooler. I make sure all my baits are covered. But not with all formaldehyde (just the mixture of everything)
Honestly not sure how much baking soda really helps, but it's part of my routine... When I clean my cooler I always have a pasteat the end.

I leave mine over night, but make sure it's cold enough to stay over night. I know some people that don't like leaving over night.

One thing I didn't say earlier was I start out with ocean saltwater. I then add the kosher salt, and lots of ice.

[OffTheHookB&T]

This is a great thread, not much too add but I agree brining is the answer for keeping bait fresh. Just remember the decomposition process starts as soon as the fish dies, so the quicker you brine the bait the better. Another reason I like the slurry, it covers the entire bait in cold, if you have alot of bait in cooler anywhere the touching can become a hotspot. Also, it prevent bruising.

One tip for the guys planning on using alot of salt, you can buy Mix-N-Fine salt at feed stores in 40lb bags cheap, and its just as good as anything else.

[Mike15]

Big misconception here. It's just my opinion but I've found formaldahyde to be a little too aggresive. I like my baits to wiggle as much as possible and have found that a little salt gets me better results.

[scrumcenter]

It was by Peter Wright and detailed how he handled brining baits which was to my memory a ice slurry of kosher salt, baking soda and formaldyhde. which is what alot of people have said here already. As far as squid go I would assume the same brine would work just load up on salt as freshwater we all know ruins them

Cheers

Phil