Why would anyone want to go to the trouble to make their own salties when they are inexpensive and readily available in your local bait and tackles? There are a couple of reasons. First, it is a good way to save extra bait that you might have left over from some other fishing trip. Secondly, salties are usually only available in the spring for the first few weeks of trout season. When they are gone they won't be reordered till the following year. Lastly, fresh is best, there is no argument, a freshly salted minnow will out perform a dried out one any day. Plus, when you make your own you can select the size minnow you want to salt. I'm sure after you all read this
there will be a lot of alternate methods, but this how I do it.
I gather the minnows to be salted into a large minnow net and let them drip dry for 15 or 20 minutes. Next, I sprinkle kosher salt over them liberally. After, shaking them up good, I sprinkle on some more salt and let them sit somewhere that they can drip overnight. The next day I put them into a zip lok bag and add more salt. These keep nicely for months. I do hold them in my refrigerator and this helps them stay fresh. I use them for trout in the spring and again in the fall. They are deadly on browns; even the big guys can't seem to resist these tasty morsels. There have been a couple reports on the ice fishing board about other fish taking a liking to salted baits so give them a try next time you have a couple dozen baits left over.
FM
Why would anyone want to go to the trouble to make their own salties when they are inexpensive and readily available in your local bait and tackles? There are a couple of reasons. First, it is a good way to save extra bait that you might have left over from some other fishing trip. Secondly, salties are usually only available in the spring for the first few weeks of trout season. When they are gone they won't be reordered till the following year. Lastly, fresh is best, there is no argument, a freshly salted minnow will out perform a dried out one any day. Plus, when you make your own you can select the size minnow you want to salt. I'm sure after you all read this
there will be a lot of alternate methods, but this how I do it.
I gather the minnows to be salted into a large minnow net and let them drip dry for 15 or 20 minutes. Next, I sprinkle kosher salt over them liberally. After, shaking them up good, I sprinkle on some more salt and let them sit somewhere that they can drip overnight. The next day I put them into a zip lok bag and add more salt. These keep nicely for months. I do hold them in my refrigerator and this helps them stay fresh. I use them for trout in the spring and again in the fall. They are deadly on browns; even the big guys can't seem to resist these tasty morsels. There have been a couple reports on the ice fishing board about other fish taking a liking to salted baits so give them a try next time you have a couple dozen baits left over.
FM
