Moss 4/9 Success!!

J,


Nothing is impossible I think you lower your chances greatly with bad bait. I would only use tray bait.  I feel a good clean chovie makes to world of a difference. I have been on a boat with a guy who went back to HMB harbor to buy new bait because of red eyes.

Jason

I agree with Jason....a chovie with nice bright shiny scales ROCK 

Does anyone here brine their bait?

-Allen

I always soak my bait with liquid krill the night before a trip
http://www.pautzke.com/xprod_liquid_krill.php

Mooch, you paid Allen to ask you that, right?????

How about something like this?  http://www.salmonuniversity.com/ol_brining_herring.html

I've used it before and it works great to toughen up the bait and brighten it up as well.

-Allen

Last year I got all the way out to Dux opened up my premium tray bait and it was mush, apex saved the day

so you can't always trust tray bait as is

always good to have a "Plan B" 

I actually bring a tiny cooler to keep my bait frozen....it also keeps my snicker energy bar looking edible 

A brined bait can last 2-3 days at air temp.

-Allen

Yes, it uses Bluing ... Mrs. Stuart's Liquid Bluing, and salt, and powdered milk.

And you can add other scents like garlic and anise (or Joel's krill scent!!!)

A LOT of people brine cure their tray bait up in WA.  I've done it a few times.  It works.

-Allen

Needless to say, many stores in Seattle carry it.  I think last time I bought it in the laundry soap section at the local grocery store.

I've also used commercial product like Pro Cure Brine 'N Bite.  Pro Cure also has a Bait Brite product that is just bluing.

-Allen

You're welcome bluekayak,

Let me know if you can't find it and if I get a chance, I'll grab a bottle and mail it to you.  The bluing is not requireed to brine bait.  Salt and powdered milk work good too.  The bluing just make the bait that much more brighter.

-Allen

Congrats guys and thanks for giving us hope before June!   Mooch is strangely silent - must have worn his booty out paddling that nice salmon back in.
   Bayside at SC Harbor has those dental rubber bands.    I'd like to know what Mooch was using - at least his head, finding the bait seems to be the key.  I'm going to throw all the gear off my yak and replace it with big piles of lead!

Awesome job BOYZ!!!!

.    I'd like to know what Mooch was using

I was using 2o # power pro braided main line and had 10 ft. of 15# seaguar flouro carbon on top and then 4 ft. of 15# fluorocarbon leader. Had a 6 ounce ball sinker on a slider and using a 6 inch herring (marinated with liquid krill) as bait.

 

Allen,
SalmonU, I like it.

Never tried brining bait, but it sounds interesting.  I'm curious how much tougher the bait is and how much more shine it gets.

They way they rig their plug herring was similar to how I rigged on Sunday.  I cut my chovie the same way, removing the guts, but used a single hook and fished it backwards because the drift was so slow.  Hook it near the front, bend the bait slightly and run 2 half hitches around the tail and tighten.  Fished backwards bait spins a lot more, and works better on days with a slow drift.  If you do the same thing with whole chovies, you probably want to use rubber bands prevent the gills from flaring.

Blue,
sundried chovies.  yumm.  
I've got 2 gripes about bag bait.  
#1 I've noticed their belly's get soft and often split.  I heard they "starve" tray bait to prevent this from happening.
#2 I like my anchovies to have scales and tails on them  

You must have been a big fan of the Meatball Bait Co.  I wonder whatever happened to them?

Joel,
Marinating your bait, you are truly possessed!!!!!

Stuart