Pickled Fish for bait?

[Crawlerman]

Pickled fish, like Herring: A. Is it legal and B. Does it work? I know cutbait is great for cats; but it's sorta a one use only; what you don't use on one trip gets thrown away or else you risk stinking up the house no matter how well it is sealed (except maybe vacum packing-- but that would be a hassle and would be expensive.) Pickled fillets on the otherhand can be preserved for months if kept cold. I was wondering if it's legal to use pickled herring or whitefish for bait and how well it works.

[DARK30]

Thats a new one!...I never caught a fish with bad breath before. Maybe it works, I don't know but let us know what happens.

.....Then theres the old secret bait...Oscar Meyer Weiners too! Good Luck!

WET NETS!

------------------
cast,cast,cast,cast......

[Guest]

If it pickled herring was in my boat I would run out of bait fast even when the fish were not biting!
I don't know how it would work.It might work for small channels because they eat just about anything.
I think you would be better off with salting your bait to preserve it.
If you are using fresh cutbait(cutting up live suckers/etc.Just take what you have left over put them in a zip loc and throw them in the freezer.Fresh frozen bait works well too.I have tried to refreeze frozen bait but it does not stay on the hook well after the second freeze.

[Guest]

Crawlerman - whoa! I for one would eat my bait [usually do when I take hot dogs along] - Anyway freeze your cut bait - with scales on to preserve moisture and refreeze after use. The bait will retain a lot of it's natural scent. I freeze and re-freeze whole suckers and smelt. With the smelt slit the belly when you use them. If they're smaller in size 6" or under, place 2-or-3 on your hook. Hook them through the eye-sockets as the bone there will hold them on the hook better. It's an interesting question however - give it a try and post a report. Although I think it would be a warm 'water bait' and water the here in WI is cooling fast.

Seize the moments and tight-lines <")))><

BB-LDF

[Crawlerman]

Thanks all. I thought about freezing them before but I was worried that they wouldn't be fresh enough when they thawed out-- that they'd lose a lot of their scent and taste the kitties like so much. I might have to try something different like pickled fish or cheese; but like you said it's prally best to experiment with those kind of baits mid summer when the cats are the most active.