Salted Bait

[Luc42]

Does anyone use salted baits in the surf ? I’ve tried salting my own to preserve and save money but it doesn’t seem to get bit. I used non ionized salt with shrimp, squid, muscles, ect. but no luck. Does anyone sell salted baits here in SD ?

[Carpkiller]

I have used frozen salted anchovies that I got at Dana and other bait shops.
They stay on the hooks a little better than frozen anchovies...but the fish don't really seem to like either of those very much. Fresh always works better.
You might look into "curing" bait (like the people who use egg skeins in the Pacific Northwest)....or blanching then freezing sand crabs or ghosties (I think that makes 'em a bit tougher, not sure how much longer they last in storage. As I understand it, blanching involved boiling very briefly....

[Mike M]

Butch, aka @Midnightpass is an expert at curing bloodworms.

[Midnightpass]

Butch, aka @Midnightpass is an expert at curing bloodworms.

Mike I’m not much of an expert on anything… But I do save and cure my blood worms.. I believe they usually work about as well as fresh.. I lay them on a piece of newspaper, salt them with non-iodized salt and let them dry overnight in the garage… Next day I put them I’m a baggy with a little salt and toss them in the freezer… Sometimes they pop some of the blood, when salting… I’ve heard guys put them in the freezer prior to salting, maybe that’s to prevent them from popping, but I’ve never done that.. They look and feel like a leather shoe string, and are a pain to hook until they soak in the water for a bit… I just put a hook in them, and fish until they soften, then rehook them better… Even when rehydrated, they last on the hook better than fresh blood worms, and sometimes last through more than a 1/2 dozen catches… They are by far the least messy bait you can use…. No smell like Gulp, no blood and guts.. I’ve forgotten to replace my bait in the freezer, after taking a bag of them fishing and they lasted just fine for a week in the summer in the garage.. Only down side is hooking them before rehydration… Lately if been taking a prescription pill bottle and putting a little ocean water in it when I get to the beach, and dropping a worm in it to hydrate, while I fish with the previous worm..
Butch

[Gotfish?]

Cabelas sent me a jar of borax based powder for curing salmon eggs for bait by mistake, they said to just keep it. I would be happy to give it to you to try if we ever cross paths on the water. Not sure if it would work for other baits or not.

[bendopolo 44+]

Squidco has Bait. Splurge on the Ghost Shrimp, you only live once, you might as well spend it out your rod bent.

[twin22s]

I only fish fresh/frozen bait or Gulp!. Never had any "luck" with soaking salted baits, we all used to make fun of anyone that bought a bag of salted chovies at the pier. The bloodworms seem to be the exception, but I'd imagine that live or fresh dead would still be more appealing to the fish.

[Midnightpass]

The one advantage of salted, dried and frozen blood worms is that they are tough.. I’ve had one worm last a session, with catching multiple fish.. Also, they are no trouble to use.. No stink, no mess, no special packaging.. They will sit in your pocket for a week and be as good as the day you pulled them out of the freezer.. Tough to hook, yea… But about as good as alive…. Will I use fresh.. Yes, if I can get them.. Right now, i can’t.. My supplier (Big Fish, In Seal Beach) isn’t buying any… And my stash of frozen/dried worms is getting old…
Butch

[AnExcuseToGetOut]

I have fished with quite a few salted bits. I’ve done a share of surf fishing with them using a very coarse salt. Fishing in the surf has gone better than the inshore with them. Maybe a bit better than fish bites in my opinion. I fish very dark waters in inshore and they do the trick. Easy to keep in your bag if you’re a big lure guy and it’s way too mucky to get out with some lure. Whiting, jack, pompano on salted shrimp. Blues, catfish, rays on salted shrimp. Bonnet head, whiting, tarpon, snook, rays, catfish, mackerel, blues on salted mullet. Salted clams seem like a good one for I’ve been recommended but never tried. Reuse the salt. Dry the salt well in sunlight when done. Saturation of all the bait juices helps it not suck too much out of it. Keeping the good stuff and kicking out the water. Bit nasty in idea but in practice a 5 gal bucket is perfect. Small holes in the bottom wouldn’t hurt. Lot of salt so it doesn’t get too wet. Drys out nice. Need to pick it with something every once and awhile or it’ll get very hard. Digging in it with your hand stings. Etc. An amazing tool as someone who’s always moving spots and figuring out locations and correlating conditions. Also something to do instead of refreezing a bait as it further breaks down with multiple freezes. Last bit. I’ve fished this bit of murk my whole life. Couple inches of vis on a good day. None on a bad day. Now it’s quiet. Loud poppers get ignored. Then mostly missed. Swim baits need to basically hit the fish. But a 1 ounce weight and a small bobber with a bit of salted mullet a foot off the bottom? Had 4 foot tarpon hookups in a creek but 5 feet deep. Only person that ever catches anything there. Blows my mind it took me years to Figure that one. But best of luck, bags of salt are cheap and it’s easy and worth it to experiment! Makes having a bag of bait on you always a viable option. Oh and shrimp need to be peeled. Mullet need to be cut or their inside stuffed with salt. Or it’ll rot out from the center real quick. Plus non iodized salt only. Keep some salt in the bag with them to soak up any extra moisture from humidity/water/ wet hands. Can experiment with batches. Shorter cures have lower shelf life but more juice. Longer cures can be kept anywhere for a LONG time.

[Nelson 1]

The one advantage of salted, dried and frozen blood worms is that they are tough.. I’ve had one worm last a session, with catching multiple fish.. Also, they are no trouble to use.. No stink, no mess, no special packaging.. They will sit in your pocket for a week and be as good as the day you pulled them out of the freezer.. Tough to hook, yea… But about as good as alive…. Will I use fresh.. Yes, if I can get them.. Right now, i can’t.. My supplier (Big Fish, In Seal Beach) isn’t buying any… And my stash of frozen/dried worms is getting old…
Butch

What about live lugworms They sale up there in OC.

[Midnightpass]

What about live lugworms They sale up there in OC.

I've had luck with live lug worms, but I like live or dried blood worms better.. Much tougher, and seem to be "meatier"... A couple of fishing buddies use the commercial dried lug worms, and like them... I haven't bought any yet, but probably will, as my stash of dried blood worms is drying up, and there is no place local to get live ones...
Butch

[jwacky]

I have just enough experience at this point to feel comfortable sharing what has worked for me, but still take it with a grain of... salt. Sorry, couldn't resist.

I've tried some of the salted baits online, specifically clams and squid. Hey Skipper is the brand. They've worked OK. Not great, better in a pinch than nothing at all and certainly less messy, but not ideal (at least in our waters). I've also tried salting my own clam and results were the same, just OK.

For me, ranking baits that have worked (or not) over the past year:

1) Mussels
2) Sand crabs
3) Dried lug worms
4) Gulp worms (camo better than blood)
5) Squid
.
.
.
.
.
.
6) Salted baits
7) Fish bites. These really haven't worked at all for me, couple nibbles here and there but all of the above work significantly better.

The first three are almost interchangeable and depend on the day/season. I would think that sand crabs are significantly better in summer, but I haven't compared directly with mussels since I didn't switch off of the crabs last season until they disappeared. And I'm talking about hookups in addition to bites. Seems like the fish really go for mussel, whereas they seem more apt to nibble away at the crabs. No scientific research or tracking on my part, just what it has felt like.

[Nelson 1]

What about live lugworms They sale up there in OC.

I've had luck with live lug worms, but I like live or dried blood worms better.. Much tougher, and seem to be "meatier"... A couple of fishing buddies use the commercial dried lug worms, and like them... I haven't bought any yet, but probably will, as my stash of dried blood worms is drying up, and there is no place local to get live ones...
Butch

The reason why I asked was because I saw a video where people were catching Sargo off the piers in OC. They were using live lugworms. I don't like to dry lugworms. I Might have to try the blood worms.

[Midnightpass]

The reason why I asked was because I saw a video where people were catching Sargo off the piers in OC. They were using live lugworms. I don't like to dry lugworms. I Might have to try the blood worms.

Nelson... If you find the blood worms in the OC, could you post where you found them... My dried supply is getting thin..
Butch