Frozen Suckers?

[BiggA]

I have heard of people using frozen smelt (which is not legal anymore I guess) so it got me thinking instead of throwing away the dead suckers that dont last till next trip why not freeze them. Anybody done this before? What kind of results did you get?

[JECAMERON]

I tossed some in the freezer once to use for catfish. Once they thawed out I had what could be explained as "sucker soup", it just turned to mush.

[Swany]

Shiners hold up a little better to the deep freeze.
JC, did you have them in water when you froze them?

[JECAMERON]

I don't recall. Should I have?

[Swany]

We have had good luck freezing them dry. Just pat dry them, get the air out of the zip lock bag, and then put them in either freezer paper or tinfoil to help ward off freezer burn. Plus then you can write on them so you don't think they are something that needs to thaw for supper...haha.

I would think a person could even vacuum seal some? Haven't gotten that adventurous yet...

[DDSBYDAY]

   There are a couple of good options for freezing minnows.  Freeze them in coke.  Put them in the coke alive.  Then freeze them.  They will thaw quicker and the coke seems to preserve the color and firmness.  The biggest problem with freezing is the cells expand and burst turning them in mush.  If you want to preserve some for a few days mix dead ones in with moist sawdust and keep them cool. (around 40 degrees)  This method you do not want them frozen.  You should be able to get 3 days out of them.    Freeze them in mineral oil.   The oil prevents the bait from freezing solid.  Sugar and salt- layer the bait on the mixture, pour more of the sugar and salt mixture on top and another layer of minnows.

       Lastly just blot them dry- freeze them individually on a platter.  Once frozen put them into the zip lock.   No matter what you do the bait will be more fragile   Trying to limit the mush factor is key.

[kenhuntin]

Frozen suckers do work well. I thaw them before fishing with them though.  They work best on northerns and lakers but will also work to an extent on walleye and bass and all fish. I use them when I am out of live bait. They hold up rather well compared to shiners which In my experience are the worst to keep on a hook after being frozen. If it saves you a half day trip to the nearest bait shop or a long portage it is worth your while to save the dead ones and at least keep them on ice or as cold as you can. You never know what can happen in the bush if it is raccoons getting into your bait buckets or a lost minnow pail. And just a question DDSBYDAY is that the soda kinda coke you refer to or the Sigmund Freud kind?

[DDSBYDAY]

       It' the kind of coke that if snorted up the nose with a straw the only way you will get high is from the endorphins kicking in from all the  burning.   

[MTCOMMER]

That must be the cheap stuff then.....   

Ive used frozen shiners, but thats only because the heat ran out in the house and they bait bucket froze.  They worked alright, still caught some fish, but they are a little soft, so a nibble/light bite would take them right off the hook.

[BiggA]

Great advice there guys. I usually fish pike with tip ups in the winter but am kinda cheap truthfully and hate throwing away minnows and buying more every trip out. I am definately gonna try some of these methods. I bought a cheap fish tank air pump to try and keep minnows alive longer in the bucket but that only gives you a couple extra days I still seem to throw away alot of minnows.

[DDSBYDAY]

    In the winter you should be able to keep them alive all winter.  They need to be cold.  Just above freezing. Shiners will last a lot longer too if you keep them cold.  When  you change the water 1x /week they(fatheads) live forever.  If a couple die scoop them out.  Do not use tap water unless you have a well.  Melt some snow.  Then cool the water.  You don't want temp swings.  Minnows are dirty little creatures.  If you want to see for yourself try to keep them alive in an aquarium.  Don't ask me how I know this  just don't do it.