Smelt Question

[Pepito]

I was just curious. What is the best method for freezing smelt so they will last (ie. vacuum seal, or pack in water)? Thanks in advance..

[rainrshine]

I havent had a problem with vac packing them just make sure you have a good seal and you should be good!!!!

[Fish Hawg]

Last year we took a live well up diping, when we got home we started vacuum packing them. They were still floping in the bags, they don't get any fresher than that :grin:

[rainrshine]

Fishhawg....... [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Pepito]

Thanks for the info...maybe too much from you Fishhawg :smile:

[blacktail519]

I have used smelt this year that was 3 years old that was vaccum packed, And still work and are as bloody as they were when i dipped them. It;s the only way to go!!

[TonTo]

I like to just zip em with a little water,preferably the water out of the smelt bucket with the roe and milt in it, or if ya got acess to the juice out of a tuna canner they ,the gators luv that,But I like to zip em in a bucket of water,put the bag in the water just up to the zipper,it forces out all the air,kinda like a poor mans vacume packer.I hate waisting my vacume bags on smelt. :tongue:

[ 01-08-2004, 02:13 AM: Message edited by: TonTo ]

[Herring Impaired]

I have some pretty good sized GLAD containers that hold about 20-30 smelt, then pour in some cowlitz river water, (That I brought home in a 5 gallon bucket with a bucket seat lid on it). Make sure there is as little air as possible when placing the lid, and throw it in the freezer. This is usually enough for a day at Astoria for 2-3 rods. Reusable and stackable.

[greenbuttskunk]

I vaccume pack or freeze in zip locks with the bucket water. Both seem to work great!

[Kruechief]

Last year I laid out all 50lbs on borrowed cookie sheets. I hand selected out the females and fatties laid them on wax paper then placed another sheet of wax paper over the top. I stacked them up in my chest freezer that way. After flash freezing them, I put them in individual trip size vacuum bags, packed and sealed them. It only takes a short time in the freezer to prevent juices being extracted out and into the sealer.

Krue

[Troller]

I with kruechief. Pre freeze them first then you will get a good seal. I have not done smelt but have done many herring. I usally brine the herring first to toughen them up for fishing. So it takes longer to freeze them so the juices wont come out when sealing.

[TonTo]

I've also been known to freeze em in empty milk jugs when I get tired of packing bags and am looking at another bucket of smelt.I just top the jug with water,slap the cap on and there ya go ready for the chest freezer.This works good if you plan on using a lot of smelt,just cut off the top and ya got a ready made bait buccket.I've got jugs full of anchovy and fingerling shad ,packed with the bloody bucket water, too.Just nock some holes in the jug and slip it in the ol'crab pot.

[ 01-08-2004, 04:30 PM: Message edited by: TonTo ]