Cast netting

[SlugSlinger]

My wife actually went with me today to get some bait. I’m getting a little better with the cast net. And the granddaughter doesn’t mind the bait next to her popsicles.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Lol. Do they get soft and mushy when freezing like that?

 

[Cowbaby]

If you are going to freeze them you have to put them in cornmeal or fish won't bite them very good when they thaw out and will be softer.

Don't ask me why, I don't know. I just know what fish think about a thawed out frozen entree.

 

[SlugSlinger]

I thought I attached the pic when I posted. I vacuumed sealed them immediately, so there won’t be any extra smells from the freezer. Not sure if that will help.

And I’m not sure about them getting soft and falling apart. They are already very fragile right out of the water. I’m hoping the value sealing will help mold and hold them together tighter.

oh, and my wife wouldn’t let me bring the vacuum sealer back into the house. I guess I have a shop sealee now. Maybe I can test vacuums sealing wheel bearings with grease to see if that will saturate the bearings better than hand greasing them.

 

[Cowbaby]

You can salt them if you want them tougher. Not sure what that would do to them as bait. Yea wives. They are the ones that will suck down 20 dollar a pop sushi at a restaurant, but fillet a smallmouth bass and ask her if she wants to try that and oh that's gross.

 

[Hodrod]

My wife actually went with me today to get some bait. I’m getting a little better with the cast net. And the granddaughter doesn’t mind the bait next to her popsicles.

View attachment 207938

Kudos to your granddaughter.....I bet she's a fisherwoman too..........

 

[Oklahomabassin]

I always use fresh shad.

 

[SlugSlinger]

I always use fresh shad.

Hopeful to catch some fresh shad when I go out on the boat next weekend. I caught these to practice with the net and to have a backup if I don’t find any at the lake. These came out of the Verdigris river.

We are planning to go to Hudson lake next weekend.

 

[Deer Slayer]

Speaking from experience, if you take your fresh shad, as soon as you get them, roll in cornmeal, put in a ziplok for vacuum bag and fresh then they are good for at least a year. The test is when you thaw a bag and cut them in two the blood should still be red. If so then you are good to go. This works. I agree with Bassin fresh is better but when its the middle of December and the shad are at 20 feet and you want to drift for blues and cant catch shad. Second best beats nuttin. I have used this method for years successfully.

 

[dennishoddy]

I always use fresh shad.

In a couple years running jug lines, shad are the king, but found that after catching crappie, the head and body are pretty much good cut bait as well when baiting jugs or drifting.