Herring brine

Is it a bad idea to pre-plugcut the herring after brining or do most of you just cut them as you use them?

Most PB'ers swear that it has to be done on the water because the edges will get torn up, causing the herring to either not roll or break down more quickly.

Personally, I like to brine them for at least a day and then cut enough for my next trip.  After they're cut, I toss them back in the brine.  I firmly believe that this improves their rigidity and hook life.
Note:  Don't cut them more than week or so ahead of time.  The edges will swell to the point where spin is affected.

I've caught salmon on herring that were stored in the fridge (in brine) months after I put them in there.

Dang, this reminds me, I really need to start a batch of bait!

-Spot-

Mark for the ones you aren't cutting (post brining), are you freezing them or just letting them hang out in your fridge?

Mark for the ones you aren't cutting (post brining), are you freezing them or just letting them hang out in your fridge?

They go wherever the woman can't see them.

-Allen

Mark for the ones you aren't cutting (post brining), are you freezing them or just letting them hang out in your fridge?

They go wherever the woman can't see them.

-Allen

Ha!  That's a married man's problem. 

I keep them in the fridge in a large Gladware container.  When I fish, I transfer some of the fish and some of the brine to a small Gladware container.

-Spot-

I admit over the years I have caught 10 times more salmon on unbrined herring straight off the tray than my carefully brined herring.  BUT now that I am kayaking and looking at my gear closer (rather than just bringing everything including the kitchen sink) I believe there are several reasons you should brine your bait.

The most important reason for me is that I actually get to check my bait before I am on the water.  More than once I have gotten on the water to discover my bait was soft or otherwise just crappy.  You can save some by brining to firm them, but more importantly, you know whether you have good bait or not. 

I am getting so pissed off at the price of a tray of herring here in Alaska.  ($8 to $10 per tray!) I want to move to artificial.  Uhhh....not going to happen anytime soon but I keep dreaming.  Brining your bait which allows for longer refrigerated holding times but the re-using or re-freezing of the bait makes it worthwhile.

THese work, with or without SmellyJelly:


http://baitrix.com/fishing-products/whole-bait/

   Last forecer, no stink if you leave one in the boat, cost-effective.  The strip baits work very well!

Here's a picture of 6 month old brined herring from last fall that found tucked away in the bottom of my fridge today.  You can see that they're pretty bloated and the cut edges have deformed.  They smell good and are really firm so I'll probably cut a smooth bevell on them and fish them this weekend.

The image doesn't do justice to the luster of the scales on these baits.

Here's a picture of 6 month old brined herring from last fall that found tucked away in the bottom of my fridge today.  You can see that they're pretty bloated and the cut edges have deformed.  They smell good and are really firm so I'll probably cut a smooth bevell on them and fish them this weekend.

The image doesn't do justice to the luster of the scales on these baits.

Mark were those sitting in brine the entire 6 months in your fridge?

Yup, 6 months.  All scales in tact, smells good and firm as heck.  This really surprises me because these baits spent a day on the water with me before going back into the fridge.

-Spot-

That's crazy!  But when you think about it, it makes sense.  This is why salt has been used for centuries to preserve food.  It creates such a harsh environment for the kind of organisms that spoil food that they never have a chance to do what they do best.

Lewis and Clark's men were so tired of salted elk and salmon they begged to kill a horse for fresh meat. Salt works.

Just curious, will brining and/or plugcutting be part of springer seminar? I'm pretty new to this so would love to see how it's done...

Just curious, will brining and/or plugcutting be part of springer seminar? I'm pretty new to this so would love to see how it's done...

Sure.  I'll bring the ingredients and do a quick demo after the main seminar, kinda like I did after the estuary salmon seminar.  Only this time I'll make sure to put enough salt in the mix.... 

-Spot-