Help with Pilchards

[James Quillan]

Hey guys,

a couple of days ago i went fishing and used frozen pilchards as my bait, and they went well for probably the first hour. After that hour they went really soft and i couldnt even really place them on the hook. I was wondering if anyone had any techniques for preserving the pilchards to keep them from softening up?

Thanks, James Quillan

[Guest]

place them in rock salt for a few days before you go and they will be great

[reese]

if you cant be bothered doing that then buy the "salted Pilchards" i have had a packof the for the last 3 trips - left overs go backin the freezer -

[James Quillan]

place them in rock salt for a few days before you go and they will be great

Thanks heaps swordfisherman, will do. Cant wait to wet a line during the holidays!!!!

[James Quillan]

if you cant be bothered doing that then buy the "salted Pilchards" i have had a packof the for the last 3 trips - left overs go backin the freezer -

sure, can you just get them at local fishing shops?

[reese]

yeah mate - i normally get them at servos - i think its the tweed bait brand - so if they sell that they should have them..

[Volitan]

Other alternative is 'bait elastic'. Thin elastic thread that you wrap around and around pilchard and line and it keeps it there.

Get it at tackle shops.

Xheers

Arron

Edited June 28, 2015 by Volitan

[James Quillan]

Thanks Aaron, have a variety of options regarding pilchard preservation and will experiment with all of them to see what works best for me

[Gagafush]

I was told many years ago by an old sea dog that if you salt them down you should use sea salt. Not sure why but you can't argue with an old dog.

Cheers

[Fab1]

Just go to the big hardware and get a bag of pool salt or in my case the shed.

Last ya ages.

Cheers.

[Guest Guest123456789]

Keep them frozen until you need them. Can involve seperating them on the day and maybe packing one batch with an ice brick etc, depends on how long you're going for.

I have a bait holder attached to a belt where I normally load up 4 of them halved, with the remainder in my bag next to an ice brick. Means I can rerig without running back to my base camp all the time. When you run out get another 4 frozen and maybe dunk them in sea water for 30 seconds or so before you halve them and rig them up.

[kiwicraig]

place them in rock salt for a few days before you go and they will be great

I've heard of is but never tried it. Do you pack them in salt then put the back in the freezer? Or do you put them in the fridge to cure, then freeze them?

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[NaClH2OK9]

I haven't found I need to freeze any of my salted bait. Just use plentt of salt.

When you see fresh pillie at the supermarket. Stock up.

[GreyNurse]

I was told many years ago by an old sea dog that if you salt them down you should use sea salt. Not sure why but you can't argue with an old dog.

Cheers

Sea Salt = any good brand of table salt. Read the label. Some swear by rock salt, others use table salt. Best to experiment and see for yourself, I suppose. The end result is pretty well much the same. Pillies are firmer, last longer, can go in the fridge for a week a least (check with the other half) and I haven't met a fish that doesn't like 'em.

[James Quillan]

Thanks, just used woolies rock salt and has worked very well, thanks everyone for the tips

[pjbink]

It sounds like you just need an esky. Take out a few at a time and use them semi frozen and they should be firm enough.

Another way is to thaw them out overnight in the fridge spread out on and under a thick layer of newspaper (still take them out in an esky). Salting them is a bit extreme and likely to make them a less attractive bait.

[John'O']

OK this used to be my pet Hate untill i discovered salted pilchards.

I NEVER ever buy pilchards or blue bait that isnt salted anymore.

Now a days tweed bait actually sell salted pillies and bluebait.

otherwise good bait shops brine their own (brine being salted)

OR you can do what i do and arm yourself with a couple 4 litre icecream containers and a bag or rocksalt or plain salt if you can find it (not iodised salt) and follow these instructions.

• go to the fish shop and buy a few kilos (or however much you want) of pilchards or any other bait fish
• organise them onto some sort of airing device such as a wire rack and place out to dry (not in the direct sun)
• after they become 1/4-1/2 dryied then put a layer of salt on the bottom of the container ( not too much just about a few mm thick)
• place a layer of pillie down and salt again with no more than a few mm of salt and repeat this process although alternate the layout of the fish so they are not all lying the same way. do this per layer so one layer differs from the one below or above

now place in the freezer and VOOOLLAAAAAA done

[kiwicraig]

Thanks John'O' I will have to give that a go. I think storing them in the freezer will have a higher WAF (wife acceptance factor).

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[jeffb5.8]

OK this used to be my pet Hate untill i discovered salted pilchards.

I NEVER ever buy pilchards or blue bait that isnt salted anymore.

Now a days tweed bait actually sell salted pillies and bluebait.

otherwise good bait shops brine their own (brine being salted)

OR you can do what i do and arm yourself with a couple 4 litre icecream containers and a bag or rocksalt or plain salt if you can find it (not iodised salt) and follow these instructions.

• go to the fish shop and buy a few kilos (or however much you want) of pilchards or any other bait fish
• organise them onto some sort of airing device such as a wire rack and place out to dry (not in the direct sun)
• after they become 1/4-1/2 dryied then put a layer of salt on the bottom of the container ( not too much just about a few mm thick)
• place a layer of pillie down and salt again with no more than a few mm of salt and repeat this process although alternate the layout of the fish so they are not all lying the same way. do this per layer so one layer differs from the one below or above

now place in the freezer and VOOOLLAAAAAA done

That's how my father used to do them and he also did it that way with other bait fish.

[John'O']

yes and they store for a very very long time easily up to a year.

they don't fall apart when casting and they don't fall apart as soon as they get wet and the fish love them.

Beware:

Alot of bait shops will brine them which isn't quite the same as salted.

brineing involves keeping the pillies in a salted liquid until they become infused then they are dried and frozen.

still good but i find my way is better as when the fish bite into them they are not salted all the way through and this minimises your spit out rate

[antonywardle]

Where about would you have them when you are airing them?

Maybe in the garage so that the cat's don't get them?

Sounds like an easy thing to have a go at.

Would you be able to use the old servo pilchards and then convert them?

I've got a heap in the freezer that I can only really use for burley now.

[GreyNurse]

Where about would you have them when you are airing them?

Maybe in the garage so that the cat's don't get them?

Sounds like an easy thing to have a go at.

Would you be able to use the old servo pilchards and then convert them?

I've got a heap in the freezer that I can only really use for burley now.

That'd be the go. If you fluff it, you've still got burley. If you do it right, you've salvaged the pillies and have it down pat for the next batch. I have a neighborhood cat problem as well. But I also have a second floor balcony that's cat proof. So long as the bloody cockatoos stay clear, I should have some nice pillies for the Hairtail Social.

[NaClH2OK9]

If they have been frozen then the cell structure is already destroyed.

Freezing water expands and busts the cell membrane. Hence going mushy.

Keep your burley for burley.

You can't revive a stuffed bait by adding salt.

[kiwicraig]

I did this to some frozen one more to try out the process than anything else. I would not say it improved the bait but it did toughen it up.

I used some of these the other day putting a half pillie on a two hook gang behind the boat while drifting for flatties. It was tough enough that I could just leave it in the holder while I fished ahead of the drift with soft plastics. It was tough enough to survive between drifts it it didn't get hit and I caught 2 out of 3 flathead in just over an hour on it. One was undersized, but the other one was a decent fish nudging 50 cms.

Keen to try this on some fresh ones but have not found them anywhere.

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