A local fishery has banned shelf life bait now, even spoken to some well know bait companies who have said they wouldn't reccomend shelf life and only use frozen! With the advance in bait technology, are shelf life's really that bad? I know from the days of rock hard starmer baits things have improved dramatically.
The argument is it's bad for the water quality and poor fish growth
The argument is it's bad for the water quality and poor fish growth
In reply to Post #1
Enzymes?
I think you mean preservatives
Enzymes?
I think you mean preservatives
In reply to Post #1
Chuck your shelfies in the freezer, and they´ll be frozen in no time 
Nowadays most companies substitute the word shelflife for stabilized
Chuck your shelfies in the freezer, and they´ll be frozen in no time
Nowadays most companies substitute the word shelflife for stabilized
In reply to Post #4
Or chuck your shelflifes in a bucket of water the night before and wash them out a little
Or chuck your shelflifes in a bucket of water the night before and wash them out a little
yes they are that bad
In reply to Post #6
Based on what did you say that?
Based on what did you say that?
Read not so long ago that shelf baits have improved so much that they are as good as frozen (think I got it right), but I don't eat them so who knows.
In reply to Post #5
Or chuck them in the bin and grab a bag of frozen.👍
Or chuck them in the bin and grab a bag of frozen.👍
In reply to Post #1
A respected bait maker said that a surprising number of baits in the freezer of a Tackle shop are shelf life. They can keep them in a regular warehouse and the retailer puts them in the freezer so they look higher quality. Sunny Delight used the same trick with the fridges in supermarkets!
A respected bait maker said that a surprising number of baits in the freezer of a Tackle shop are shelf life. They can keep them in a regular warehouse and the retailer puts them in the freezer so they look higher quality. Sunny Delight used the same trick with the fridges in supermarkets!
In reply to Post #1
. . .whatever the current quality of shelf-lifes they must have some kind of preservative in them that frozen perhaps don't . . .on this basis I'll be sticking with frozen
. . .whatever the current quality of shelf-lifes they must have some kind of preservative in them that frozen perhaps don't . . .on this basis I'll be sticking with frozen
In reply to Post #1
I think the amounts and in some cases types / ways of preserving have changed from the awful shelf-life baits from years ago.
Pretty sure I read Gary Bayes feeds his fish a mix 50/50 shelf-life and fresh and they seem to thrive.
Although I have chosen to use shelf-life baits I use very little and if I'm honest and it was my lake then I'd prefer that only fresh / frozen baits were used.
I think the amounts and in some cases types / ways of preserving have changed from the awful shelf-life baits from years ago.
Pretty sure I read Gary Bayes feeds his fish a mix 50/50 shelf-life and fresh and they seem to thrive.
Although I have chosen to use shelf-life baits I use very little and if I'm honest and it was my lake then I'd prefer that only fresh / frozen baits were used.
In reply to Post #12
Totally agree.
I keep saying this, but in many food source frozen and shelf life baits now, the base mix is the same, the only difference occurs after drying.
Freezer baits into the freezer, shelf life baits into a glycerol/sugar syrup dip and then dried again.
The glycerol preservation process MAY make the shelf life baits more instantly attractive, whereas the enzyme/sugars coming to the surface from frozen baits on day 2/3 may improve their attraction.
Both have their merits.
Totally agree.
I keep saying this, but in many food source frozen and shelf life baits now, the base mix is the same, the only difference occurs after drying.
Freezer baits into the freezer, shelf life baits into a glycerol/sugar syrup dip and then dried again.
The glycerol preservation process MAY make the shelf life baits more instantly attractive, whereas the enzyme/sugars coming to the surface from frozen baits on day 2/3 may improve their attraction.
Both have their merits.
In reply to Post #13
Not all shelf life have it added after boiling - some have glycerol/sorbate added at the “wet” stage
Not all shelf life have it added after boiling - some have glycerol/sorbate added at the “wet” stage
In reply to Post #14
Mpg is the biggest U.K. preserver. The difference in the preservation is down to what grade of preserver people use and how much of it they use. You either preserve the living **** out of it and your baits will be mould free for years but taste like battery acid or you use a much lower percentage and run the risk of your bait turning in warm weather. A high grade preserve in low amounts alongside a roller who knows how to adjust his liquids to compensate the awful taste will be the best option for shelf life users. Very few go to that trouble. To test the theory just nibble a nut based shelf life and taste it. Fishmeal baits hide the poor preserve taste but in a nut bait it's easily detectable. I wish the public would go for freezer bait more or at least buy preserved bait but with low level preserver and just use the bait within two months.
Mpg is the biggest U.K. preserver. The difference in the preservation is down to what grade of preserver people use and how much of it they use. You either preserve the living **** out of it and your baits will be mould free for years but taste like battery acid or you use a much lower percentage and run the risk of your bait turning in warm weather. A high grade preserve in low amounts alongside a roller who knows how to adjust his liquids to compensate the awful taste will be the best option for shelf life users. Very few go to that trouble. To test the theory just nibble a nut based shelf life and taste it. Fishmeal baits hide the poor preserve taste but in a nut bait it's easily detectable. I wish the public would go for freezer bait more or at least buy preserved bait but with low level preserver and just use the bait within two months.
In reply to Post #15
....and then there's the MPG vs Sorbate arguments...... 😂
....and then there's the MPG vs Sorbate arguments...... 😂