The title pretty much explains what i’m wanting to know.
I want a do it yourself process for preserving minnows for bait.
The process needs to be cheap.
It needs to be easy.
It needs to preserve the appearance of the fish.
The fish needs to be tough enough to stay on the hook.
and the ingredients need to be edible and appealing to big fish.
Umm. I don’t know all that much about fishing but what’s wrong with freezing them?
Are you proposing to pickle minnows for bait? Do people do that?
I’d simply salt them. It toughens the flesh. I’ve used salted anchovies for catfish bait and they work great.
Any idea how they process the anchovies?
Then you are working with frozen bait.
It takes a while to thaw out.
Lots of times I don’t know I’m going fishing until I go fishing.
Yeah I’m proposing pickling minnows. Sort of. just don’t know whats in the brine.
So far I’m thinking of salting them to draw out the moisture and re
“hydrating” them with something that won’t let it spoil as quickly.Something like anisette.
Only thing is I don’t want to have to evicerate the little critters.
Handful of minnows in a sandwich baggie, in the freezer. When you suddenly get the urge to fish, grab a baggie, or several baggies. By the time you get to the water, they’re thawed or at least thawed enough to put on a hook and throw in the water, where the minnow will thaw completely as soon as it hits the water.
Seems a whole lot easier than pickling, and you end up with something almost like a fresh minnow.