Brining Chovies......frozen too long?
- Thread starter Pippen
- Start date
pescador
Well-Known Member
Pippen, I've come to the conslusion that brining is too much work. Call me lazy. I went to London Drugs and bought two perfectly sized containers to sit in my small Yehti cooler allowing for ice packs around them. I take the container and lay down a layer of course salt on the bottom then drop a package of Rhys Davis on top of the course salt. I cover it in another layer of course salt and lay down another package of Rhys's fine product and so on. Overall I can get 5 packages in a container. I always do this while they are frozen. Then, I throw it into the freezer till the night before my trip. The night before, the frozen container goes into the Yehti covered in ice packs. This causes a slow thaw over the night and for the chemistry to take its course. I find that over 24-48 hours that the hardening process gets better. Sometimes I use the same chovies for a week.
Pippen
Well-Known Member
Well.....they worked!! Good day out there!
Mind you.....the first 10 minutes and first fish were a **** show. Just putting the lines down and my buddy turns for some reason.....flasher mashed in the prop, rig gone, 1/4 of a flasher left, tip of my rod broken.
Then.....first fish which fought for 15 or so; had one of the handles of my Trophy reel go flying off......good times.
Mind you.....the first 10 minutes and first fish were a **** show. Just putting the lines down and my buddy turns for some reason.....flasher mashed in the prop, rig gone, 1/4 of a flasher left, tip of my rod broken.
Then.....first fish which fought for 15 or so; had one of the handles of my Trophy reel go flying off......good times.
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Nice work pippen been there done both (sort of).
This year boxed a nice 19lb white and while the fish is in the net I hear a CHUNK. Huh??? Aww faveorites flasher mashed in the prop just as you described. Luckily my rig was in the fishes mouth and the fish was in the net so only the flasher was lost.
A few years ago I had BOTH of my reel handles come off (cheap quantum reel) while fighting a 12lb coho. Still got the fish in!
Sounds like you've figured out the Rhys Davis chovies! Interesting what Pro said about wanting baits that have been frozen for at least a year.
This year boxed a nice 19lb white and while the fish is in the net I hear a CHUNK. Huh??? Aww faveorites flasher mashed in the prop just as you described. Luckily my rig was in the fishes mouth and the fish was in the net so only the flasher was lost.
A few years ago I had BOTH of my reel handles come off (cheap quantum reel) while fighting a 12lb coho. Still got the fish in!
Sounds like you've figured out the Rhys Davis chovies! Interesting what Pro said about wanting baits that have been frozen for at least a year.
Aces
Well-Known Member
I lift the whole layer out while frozen, lay a thin layer of coarse salt in the tray and then place the chovies back in the tray and then put a good layer of salt over them. I keep them in a small cooler in their trays and place the whole cooler in the freezer at night. They are good for a week easily
Fish Assassin
Crew Member
I never remove from tray till they are defrosted. In fact if they are loose at the store I don't buy them. If you pull them from the tray frozen you stand to leave some of their goodness behind on the tray I find. If I wet brine I let them float loose on their own then remove the tray.
You can tell if your anchovies have been recently killed and trayed if when you thaw them out there is a lot of blood staining on the tray. If so these are fresh and are more likely to need some kind of salting to toughen them up. Freezing draws out moisture and toughens them up. I find year old frozen bait is best and will easily remain good for an entire additional year in my freezer before starting to yellow up from freezer burn. I therfore only buy what I will use in one year. This year that was 6 cases. There are no 6 inch anchovies available right now which sucks because this means if they do get some this fall or winter, they will be on the fresh side for next summer and I may be salting for the first time in years.
dmurph
Well-Known Member
Have used both north king and Rhys. Usually buy a box of the 5.5 to. 6 inch north king pacum packed. They work pretty good, but have found the north kings have had soft heads or eyes lately. I believe Rhys is now vacuum packing. Of have tried all methods of brine, with mrs Stewart's and powder milk, but course salt right on the pack of bait may be best. This method will work pretty quick but will take the plump roundness out of the chovie to the point they thin card board like, but they still work great. I just keep my chovies brined in a small cooler for long periods until they are gone. Last year I even forgot the cooler tucked away under my deck at the end of the fall season and the chovies were fine in the spring, I know crazy but they worked fine, this was they salt water powder milk mix.
wolf
Well-Known Member
With anything to do with brining meats, veggies, bait, all rues apply best if thawed ...would you brine your smoke salmon frozen????one would hope not its still a "meat" product treat it like you would for any consumption and longer in a wet brine the better I personally like a good 14 to 20 hours.but on a tray with salt is fine also find a wet brine better (for me)
What I do is bring 2 packs down to the boat each day put in a spot to thaw and at the end of day take out the old bait put aside stir my brine again and again to dissolve the salt on the bottom then put the new in and the old on top of it . The key is to put in freezer and keep the brine COLD as possible again would you brine your salmon in warm water??? everything is better staying cold....
good luck Wolf
What I do is bring 2 packs down to the boat each day put in a spot to thaw and at the end of day take out the old bait put aside stir my brine again and again to dissolve the salt on the bottom then put the new in and the old on top of it . The key is to put in freezer and keep the brine COLD as possible again would you brine your salmon in warm water??? everything is better staying cold....
good luck Wolf
spring fever
Well-Known Member
I think wolf's suggestion of keeping the brine cold is the key. I notice on a 3 day trip my brine actually gets quite warm on the back deck even when it feels pretty chilly out. Got to get a container that fits more readily to the on deck ice chest.
Aces
Well-Known Member
Yes, i keep my bait box in my fish cooler on ice which helps preserve it a lot
greenhornet
Active Member
fellow fishers
Ive been fishing anchovies for twenty five years now.some really good tips in this forum it really is a preference of what type,wet or dry brine and little tricks the powdered milk,martha blueing all that good stuff....
The way Ive been using mine since seems like the beginning of time is to not use them for at least 5 days so its prep time is longer than most im reading but Ive always done it this way and Im confident on how they turn out.
I explained how I did them and hook them up for amazing success I dont feel like typeing my fingers off again so if you click on my name green hornet to bring up all the posts or tips Ive shared look for the brining techniques for anchovies and herring exact same for both..
I did get a bunch of pm soon after I posted this raveing about the success with this method is does take some extra time but is well worth it.. oh ya when I buy them I really look hard for scales to be perfect and the eyeballs white also I wont buy them if there is blood in the packageing like I find in the vaccum sealed north king not saying they don work but I find that the outside of the head and the sides of the boddies are not as shiney as he rye davis
I find that really interesting about buying them early in the season hmmm the jury is still out on that one..
Anyways I know that after mine are finished with the process I can have them in the fridge for long periods of time in a zip lock with salt of course and the day before im using them just take them out rinse them off apply some dry salt to them for the next day FISH ON...
Tight lines
Billydoo
Ive been fishing anchovies for twenty five years now.some really good tips in this forum it really is a preference of what type,wet or dry brine and little tricks the powdered milk,martha blueing all that good stuff....
The way Ive been using mine since seems like the beginning of time is to not use them for at least 5 days so its prep time is longer than most im reading but Ive always done it this way and Im confident on how they turn out.
I explained how I did them and hook them up for amazing success I dont feel like typeing my fingers off again so if you click on my name green hornet to bring up all the posts or tips Ive shared look for the brining techniques for anchovies and herring exact same for both..
I did get a bunch of pm soon after I posted this raveing about the success with this method is does take some extra time but is well worth it.. oh ya when I buy them I really look hard for scales to be perfect and the eyeballs white also I wont buy them if there is blood in the packageing like I find in the vaccum sealed north king not saying they don work but I find that the outside of the head and the sides of the boddies are not as shiney as he rye davis
I find that really interesting about buying them early in the season hmmm the jury is still out on that one..
Anyways I know that after mine are finished with the process I can have them in the fridge for long periods of time in a zip lock with salt of course and the day before im using them just take them out rinse them off apply some dry salt to them for the next day FISH ON...
Tight lines
Billydoo
Peahead
Well-Known Member
I use dry brine and wet brine. The dry rock salt brine does eventually dry the bait out so much it loses its cylindrical shape and becomes leathery and flat as Dave mentions above. I feel I can get a much tighter roll (for Chinook )if the bait retains its natural cylindrical shape. Interesting though because I know a lot of guys like this very thin leathery flat bait so I'd like to know why you like it ? I suppose its producing a wider roll but still effective. I find any more than 8-10 hours buried in rock salt and the bait gets too shriveled up to get the roll I like. I then pop it back in wet brine.
As I said before I avoid brine and salting by buying baits that are firmer to start with...mainly because my hands look like crap after a season of dipping into a brine to get baits. (cracks, more line cuts that stay open longer, rough skin) I never seem to have the proper time to keep my hands in better shape. What are the guys who fish everyday doing to prevent this?
Pippen
Well-Known Member
Hey....profisher, this stuff the "salve for cracked skin" is amazing. It's about $25 a tube but lasts a long time.
I think there is a dealer locator on the site as I found one 2 blocks from my house where the ladies go for a 'hoo-hoo' wax.
My hands and especially me feet crack badly and my gal who was a professional chef said this IS the stuff. Been using it 3 years on hands and feet......a 2 weeks of "brine hands" have nuthin on this stuff.
I think there is a dealer locator on the site as I found one 2 blocks from my house where the ladies go for a 'hoo-hoo' wax.
My hands and especially me feet crack badly and my gal who was a professional chef said this IS the stuff. Been using it 3 years on hands and feet......a 2 weeks of "brine hands" have nuthin on this stuff.
Pippen
Well-Known Member
Hahaha.......hey pro.....I am in a bit of a haze as I was at RiverRock watching Styx last night. Just got home and realized I didn't add the link in my above post.
This is the stuff.....it's amazing. The "salve for cracked skin" is the one you want.
http://www.gehwol.com/en/footcareproducts/gehwol_med.html
the fog ducker
Well-Known Member
not sure about the upside down trick lmao .... : )..... but... my buddys gal sleighed doin this a few years back , her rod was on fire , we didnt know why , until i inspected her technique , yup , upside down , she had no idea...i still here about it today , id say hornets post on bait is bang on ...as far as brine time and archived technique.... IT WORKS... great post....
fd
fd
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Deewar25
Well-Known Member
yep, i'm with Billy on this one
http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/showthread.php?16244-Salting-Anchovies&p=184049#post184049
Thats the method i adopted and I love it (and you can get bulk salt at bulk barn if you want as you use fair amount)...as said, keeping them in the fridge overnight and in cooler with ice pack while fishing, I find them fine still a good 3 weeks later (as good as first use actually) - its pretty pain free.
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