Herring bait

Can you re-freeze herring after brining them, or will they just turn to mush if you do that?

I was planning a trip to Lake Chelan to fish for macks with the new downrigger, but other equipment problems are scuppering that plan.  I'd bought some herring for bait and got them brining before I realized I'd have to call off the trip.  Do I re-freeze until I can use them, or toss them?

Sumpnz, I have caught a salmon in the Nehalem River on a recycled refrozen and thawed herring cut with a borrowed knife 30 seconds after I dropped it in the water, I didn't even peddle 20yards yet...... just ask spot I can still hear him cussing me out from here! . Sorry Mark gotta rub it in as the opportunity arises.   

salt mixed with powdered milk will firm them back up, then refreeze them.

If you have brined them well enough they won't be frozen even at 0°F in the freezer. My brined troll herring and smelt remain flexible but stiff at that temp.  And even my scad can be poked with my finger and leave a dent in the fish.  Salt brine preservation doesn't require freezing and the process toughens the meat and skin. So they shouldn't turn to mush unless they are under-cured.  You can leave them in the fridge if your wife don't mind. If you do put them in the freezer its best to add a bit of brine solution to the baggie before you roll them up. If you bag them in a "dry" condition over time the salt will start leaching out and the fish start getting dehydrated and are not very effective except as expensive halibut and bottomfish bait.

I leave my brining baits in solution in the fridge (or outside in the winter) for up to two weeks before taking them out for processing and packaging. They smell like fresh. I have two containers of shrimp in the brine for ten days now and smell like I just took them out of the store package. I'll be infusing them with UV shrimp/krill gel scents as well as adding some dyes for color before storing just to give them some added appeal. Hopefully!!

I've salted chicken skins to add to my jigs for winter lake trout fishing and a year later they were still the same. (Lost track of the bag in the fridge!)