Thread: Salted bait

I've been salting bait over the last few years. It's saved me a whole load of expense and hassle. It's an easy process, if slightly time consuming. Take bait fish fillets, place on rack over a drip tray, cover in salt and place in fridge. You will need to top up the salt three times over two to three days and you're away. The bait should be stable at room temperature, but I store it long term in a fridge. It will be very tough, especially with the skin on and definitely catches fish. The saving comes from not having a whole load of stinky bait at the end of a fishing trip which most likely will get dumped.

The irony is that I don't do a lot of bait fishing. I use it to catch livebaits or when I take kids out on the boat. However, lure fishermen take note, a small slither of salted bait on jig hooks can really turn things around on a slow day.

Koheru fillets in the final stage of salting. This will be my supply for the next year.

Interesting......I just bought some salted burley to keep where I don't have any refrigeration. I haven't used it yet but am interested in results. Like you, I don't use a lot of bait but that's a good idea as I enjoy catching it too. Do you vacuum pack it too?

Originally Posted by Shearer

Interesting......I just bought some salted burley to keep where I don't have any refrigeration. I haven't used it yet but am interested in results. Like you, I don't use a lot of bait but that's a good idea as I enjoy catching it too. Do you vacuum pack it too?

I think the greatest saving is for people that don't use much bait. I also enjoy catching livebait! Anchor, burley out, catch livebait, first one goes on the hook for a kingfish under a float. Continue to catch more livebait while the kingfish rod does its own thing. I don't vacuum pack it, haven't found the need, but that would be next level.

Great info, back when I was divorced and broke I tried salting cutta fillets, the drip tray is what I did not do ..so mine went soggy and rubbish ..

Just a thought when you have the first bait out as a lively the second should be bleed then chummed in bits and pieces ..yes lures are great but right now with the water being green ,

a trickle of fresh oily tit bits and perhaps a large pilchard or side of Kawahai straylined ..might see you into a beast, Tasman Bay is overflowing with very very respectable fish.

Originally Posted by stingray

Great info, back when I was divorced and broke I tried salting cutta fillets, the drip tray is what I did not do ..so mine went soggy and rubbish ..

Just a thought when you have the first bait out as a lively the second should be bleed then chummed in bits and pieces ..yes lures are great but right now with the water being green ,

a trickle of fresh oily tit bits and perhaps a large pilchard or side of Kawahai straylined ..might see you into a beast, Tasman Bay is overflowing with very very respectable fish.

It is amazing what turns up in the burley trail, even right up to the surface. Kingfish, trevally, snapper and kahawai, plus the baitfish species. When I start getting busted off with my 6lb baitfish leader and size 14 hook, I'll step up to 15lb leader and a size 4 hook or just flick a softbait out. This happened this other day in the circumstances you describe.

Originally Posted by MB

It is amazing what turns up in the burley trail, even right up to the surface. Kingfish, trevally, snapper and kahawai, plus the baitfish species. When I start getting busted off with my 6lb baitfish leader and size 14 hook, I'll step up to 15lb leader and a size 4 hook or just flick a softbait out. This happened this other day in the circumstances you describe.

Great fish.

Any tips for salt supply?
Pool salt?
I had a 20 kilo bag a few years back.....I think I used about half of it and the rest has diffused into the soil under the house ��

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Any tips for salt supply?
Pool salt?
I had a 20 kilo bag a few years back.....I think I used about half of it and the rest has diffused into the soil under the house ��

Farmlands. You can get fine or coarse.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Any tips for salt supply?
Pool salt?
I had a 20 kilo bag a few years back.....I think I used about half of it and the rest has diffused into the soil under the house ��

My production is so small that a 1kg bag of salt from the supermarket goes a long way. I have heard of people using pool salt.

https://www.fishing.net.nz/fishing-a...salting-baits/

Salted mussels work really well in the sounds, plus they stay on the hook longer

Originally Posted by mikee

Salted mussels work really well in the sounds, plus they stay on the hook longer

Stuff the fish, I'd be eating the mussels!

Originally Posted by MB

Stuff the fish, I'd be eating the mussels!

There's a pretty good supply of them in the Sounds. Plenty for both.

I've been told not to use iodised salt

Pool salt is $15 for 20KG at mitre10

If anyone is interested I have a shit load of salted bait and salted berley...I have an ongoing supply of fish for both...originally I was doing it for a family member who fished a lot, but he got too sick to fish...the baits include mullet, salmon, trevally, mackerel, flounder, even chicken...salted down by layer of fish pieces and covered with salt and repeat...some is in 2 litre icecream containers, some in 10 litre buckets...the berley is salted down the same way and is mainly in 10 litre buckets although am now using those Mitre 10 buckets...some idea of how much is there, I am on my 5th or 6th bag of 20 kg salt.