I know this question has probably been asked before but I'm new to the forum so just asking for people advice. Has anyone used both and seen a big difference in catch rates? I fish day tickets only and I can't really be bothered with messing about with the freezer baits so I just coat my shelf life in a oil/liquid then a powder and leave them. Would I benefit from changing over to freezer baits? Or are the shelf life baits ok for what I'm doing? Cheers 👍🏽
In reply to Post #1
Am sure if you fish well the shelf life baits will be fine.
Am sure if you fish well the shelf life baits will be fine.
Biggest thing with shelf life is break down times in my opinion. Some preservatives can lock the bait up for a while slowing the release. I've tried both side to side in water at room temp and outside in cold water, shelf life is usually around 6 hours longer to get to the same point. So in theory day sessions the freezer bait should be releasing attractors quicker and be more effective but in reality you likely see no difference if there feeding.
In reply to Post #1
If you use a quality shelf life then I can't see it making much difference. A simple test would be, once water temps warm up, split your baits into two buckets. Take one batch prepared as you have suggested, but presoak the other baits for say 12 hrs before preparing in your usual manner. Fish two spots close to each other and see if on your waters you get bites quicker.
If you use a quality shelf life then I can't see it making much difference. A simple test would be, once water temps warm up, split your baits into two buckets. Take one batch prepared as you have suggested, but presoak the other baits for say 12 hrs before preparing in your usual manner. Fish two spots close to each other and see if on your waters you get bites quicker.
In reply to Post #4
Cheers guys, I've only just got back into carp fishing and stick to the shelf life baits as not really confident on what to do with the freezer baits 🤔
Cheers guys, I've only just got back into carp fishing and stick to the shelf life baits as not really confident on what to do with the freezer baits 🤔
In reply to Post #5
The simple answer is take out of the freezer what you think you need.
Any leftovers stick in a air dry bag until next time.
From there you can pimp the baits back to softness by soaking in liquids and water to soften them as they would be from fresh.
My only issue as a mainline user is the active enzymes in the bait and they always smell terrible once air dry.
Also ask yourself about your own food..... would you eat a sandwich that had been left in the open for 3 weeks and then softened again in water?
Would you hell.
All this has made me think shelf life's are an easier work around as it also helps with bag mixes not going off as the only thing in bag mixes is the boile that can go off.
Thoughts?
The simple answer is take out of the freezer what you think you need.
Any leftovers stick in a air dry bag until next time.
From there you can pimp the baits back to softness by soaking in liquids and water to soften them as they would be from fresh.
My only issue as a mainline user is the active enzymes in the bait and they always smell terrible once air dry.
Also ask yourself about your own food..... would you eat a sandwich that had been left in the open for 3 weeks and then softened again in water?
Would you hell.
All this has made me think shelf life's are an easier work around as it also helps with bag mixes not going off as the only thing in bag mixes is the boile that can go off.
Thoughts?
In reply to Post #1
Some shelf life are OK, some are terrible. Which brand/type do you plan to use?
For what you are currently fishing a good shelf life will be fine, as long as it is a good one. If I had to use shelf life (and I have at times) then The A Bait, Baitworks, CC Moore, Essential Baits or DNA all seem OK.
Some shelf life are OK, some are terrible. Which brand/type do you plan to use?
For what you are currently fishing a good shelf life will be fine, as long as it is a good one. If I had to use shelf life (and I have at times) then The A Bait, Baitworks, CC Moore, Essential Baits or DNA all seem OK.
In reply to Post #7
Hi all i will follow this tread with interest i myself use freezer baits for quick overnight sessions and shelf life for a few days on the bank
Hi all i will follow this tread with interest i myself use freezer baits for quick overnight sessions and shelf life for a few days on the bank
In reply to Post #1
I used to mix shelf life and freezer baits.
So when I was fishing Trigga, I had a few shelf lifes in with my freebies and normally a shelfy on the hair on at least one rod. (Earith was a mix of frozen and air dried made at home).
I did the same with Solar Tunamino and Red Herring.
On many occasions the shelf life bait was taken first, whereas the frozen bait was often better after a couple of days.
If I was fishing a water regularly I would prebait with mostly frozen baits. If it was a one off trip, or a day ticket water, I normally preferred to fish a shelf life.
You don't normally need to bait heavily with shelf life baits, sometimes just one or two freebies is enough.
I used to mix shelf life and freezer baits.
So when I was fishing Trigga, I had a few shelf lifes in with my freebies and normally a shelfy on the hair on at least one rod. (Earith was a mix of frozen and air dried made at home).
I did the same with Solar Tunamino and Red Herring.
On many occasions the shelf life bait was taken first, whereas the frozen bait was often better after a couple of days.
If I was fishing a water regularly I would prebait with mostly frozen baits. If it was a one off trip, or a day ticket water, I normally preferred to fish a shelf life.
You don't normally need to bait heavily with shelf life baits, sometimes just one or two freebies is enough.
In reply to Post #9
So if I was to buy freezer baits, what would be the best way to prepare them? Do I have to let them defrost then dry?
So if I was to buy freezer baits, what would be the best way to prepare them? Do I have to let them defrost then dry?
In reply to Post #10
Take out of freezer, throw in lake.
Take out of freezer, throw in lake.
In reply to Post #11
As easy as that? With my shelf life like I said before I coat with a liquid then add powders
As easy as that? With my shelf life like I said before I coat with a liquid then add powders
In reply to Post #12
You could do that if you want 🤷🏻♀️
Gets expensive though, and if you've got a decent bait you shouldn't need to. I'd rather have the extra attraction around the hookbait, lots of soluble/liquids in a stick mix.
You could do that if you want 🤷🏻♀️
Gets expensive though, and if you've got a decent bait you shouldn't need to. I'd rather have the extra attraction around the hookbait, lots of soluble/liquids in a stick mix.
In reply to Post #13
Yeah I get what you mean, thanks for that mate 👍🏽
Yeah I get what you mean, thanks for that mate 👍🏽
In reply to Post #1
I went solely over to shelf lifes about 3 years ago and haven't looked back. I can keep a load of spare bait in the car for when they are having it with zero waste or having to air dry (never been a fan of using air dried bait).
A lot of my angling, i dont really know how much bait i am going to use in session until at the lake so i keep 10kg in the car along with pellets and a few jars of particle so im never left short. Ii know that's caught me extra fish as if i was on freezer baits i wouldnt take that much bait for fear of it going off. It also allows me to carry different sizes of bait so im covered for any situation.
I have never found its hindered my results at all. Ive mainly used DNA shelfies but was playing around a bit with Blakes HNV pro last year and found that just as good.
I went solely over to shelf lifes about 3 years ago and haven't looked back. I can keep a load of spare bait in the car for when they are having it with zero waste or having to air dry (never been a fan of using air dried bait).
A lot of my angling, i dont really know how much bait i am going to use in session until at the lake so i keep 10kg in the car along with pellets and a few jars of particle so im never left short. Ii know that's caught me extra fish as if i was on freezer baits i wouldnt take that much bait for fear of it going off. It also allows me to carry different sizes of bait so im covered for any situation.
I have never found its hindered my results at all. Ive mainly used DNA shelfies but was playing around a bit with Blakes HNV pro last year and found that just as good.