How to Brine Fish Baits

Almost every saltwater sport fish eats ballyhoo and cigar minnows. For that reason, to offshore anglers, ballyhoo and cigar minnows are the two top baits of choice. Because of their high demand, the quantity of these two bait fish is decreasing and, in turn, that is making the price of ballyhoo and cigars extremely high. To preserve your baits and save a lot of money, you should try to make your bait last the whole day. The best way to do this is to brine your baits. Brining baits helps preserve their natural color, texture, and it also toughens them up. Brining your baits also keeps you from having to change out your waterlogged baits every few hours.

To brine your baits you will need one 48-quart cooler with a drain plug, water (either salt or fresh), two bags of ice, a container of Kosher salt, a cap-full of Clorox, your baits of choice, and wax paper.

To begin with, when brining ballyhoo and cigar minnows, it's a good idea to break off their "beaks" as well as take out their eyes and squeeze out the feces. Now, pour the ice into your cooler. Then add enough water to cover the ice. Stir the icy water until it is mixed well. Pour in half or 3/4 of the carton of Kosher salt. Note-you can not use iodized salt because it turns baits brown. Stir the salt together with the ice water. Let it all sit for 2 to 3 minutes. When the mix has settled, put your hand in the water. The water is just right for adding baits to when you can only keep your hand in the water for a few seconds. When you try it, you will know what I mean. Add your thawed bait into the cooler mixture. Stir your bait and mix, and then let sit for about 15 minutes with the cooler lid closed.