# Freezing, refreezing bait



## Wolfithius (Sep 8, 2013)

My last trip out we had quite a few cigar minnows and some squid left. Also we caught two Bonita. I cut the Bonita up as instructed and was told I could freeze it. I re-froze the cigar minnows, which were still cold, and the squid was still mostly frozen. I froze the Bonita, but I did not brine it, something I read about after the fact. 

How much of this will still be good to use for bait versus chum?


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

I don't brine my bonita bellies and they're fine for bait. I use my refrozen cigar minnows in the pinfish trap the next time.


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## Wolfithius (Sep 8, 2013)

MrFish said:


> I don't brine my bonita bellies and they're fine for bait. I use my refrozen cigar minnows in the pinfish trap the next time.


I do think cigs get mushy


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

I always have left over live bait, I freeze it and use it for chump next trip.


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## Catchemall (May 8, 2018)

If it thaws completely, it will get mushy if you refreeze it. I usually feed it to the fish on my last stop but if you've got a grinder, Boat Dude's got a good suggestion.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

You can get one heck of a chum line going if everything gets mushy. The bobo with the skin on at the very least will make some good strips.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

We caught 4 bonita last trip... It's ready to be smoked this weekend and made into fish dip!!! I keep bait frozen in the cooler and take out small amounts at a time. After refreezing, I will chunk it as chum fer the fishies!!!


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## gator75 (Aug 11, 2016)

I cast netted a couple hundred or so LYs for snapper season about 2 weeks ago. Immediately put them in ziplocks and got most of the air out and put them straight into the freezer. Hoping they’ll be fresher than what you buy at the store. Haven’t been impressed with store bought frozen menhaden. Always seem mushy. Anyone have luck doing that? Anything I should do different?


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## Wolfithius (Sep 8, 2013)

Jason said:


> We caught 4 bonita last trip... It's ready to be smoked this weekend and made into fish dip!!! I keep bait frozen in the cooler and take out small amounts at a time. After refreezing, I will chunk it as chum fer the fishies!!!




It turned out that when I used the refrozen cigar minnows and squid today, they were just fine. I guess the cigar minnows did not totally thought or get warm. Something hit a strip of Bonita-it ran and dove and I could not stop it. Put a little pressure on it and it was gone, along with my rig. It was on a Penn Squall 30 real and rod.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Catchemall (May 8, 2018)

gator75 said:


> I cast netted a couple hundred or so LYs for snapper season about 2 weeks ago. Immediately put them in ziplocks and got most of the air out and put them straight into the freezer. Hoping they’ll be fresher than what you buy at the store. Haven’t been impressed with store bought frozen menhaden. Always seem mushy. Anyone have luck doing that? Anything I should do different?


A little tip on the Pogies (LYs). Slush them in a super salty ice brine as soon as they hit the deck. It will super cool them instantly and make them keep a whole lot better.


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

^^^ yup preserves the flavor.


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## kingfish501 (Oct 7, 2007)

I put a lot of salt into bags of previously frozen bait to refreeze it. Toughens up the meat.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

If ya'll remember the old time Saturday Night Live skits, you remember the "Bassomatic". Well I bought a cheap blender from Amazon (23 bucks) and used it to make chum on the fly. I guess it's a "Chum-O-Matic". Works really well! Whole trash fish or a few old cigars become a slurry of chum in just a few seconds. Problem is it dissipates so fast. I think I need a bucket full of 1/4 inch holes to dump the chum in, to slow it's spread. But is works. (Disclaimer: I have a genny but an inverter would work too). I will keep all my old bait from now on for the Chum-O-Matic.


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