How to make freezer baits last longer

Question

How do I make my freezer baits last longer when on the bank? Luke, Blake, Barnet

Says Alex Grice: “Fresh bait or freezer bait as it has commonly known, requires very simple treatment in order to make sure that your bait is kept in the best condition with optimum attraction whilst on the bank. With a few very simple procedures you will enable your bait to stay fresh and full of goodness from the moment you take your bait from the freezer.

“Firstly, you should always remove your bait from the bag when taken from the freezer, allowing your bait to technically ‘breathe’ will mean that it will remain fresh and not go off. It is important that you do not leave your baits sealed in bags, buckets or tubs as this will mean they are susceptible to going off and they will not last as long. The best way for the freezer baits to receive lots of air is to place your baits straight from the freezer bag into an air-dry or mesh type bag; this will allow air to circulate throughout the baits whilst on the bank. It is important for the baits to receive as much fresh air as possible when on the bank, so keep moving the baits about within the air-dry bag so they receive as much air as possible. On short sessions this is perfect, as the baits will still remain fresh and fairly soft for use within your fishing and perfect for the carp to eat.

“To make your baits last longer whilst on the bank for longer periods of time, it is still important to air-dry your baits, letting them receive as much air as possible. Air-drying will make your baits last up to a few weeks whilst on the bank, but the longer they are being air-dried, more moisture is being removed and you will notice the baits becoming harder and smaller. These baits are still perfectly okay to use but will not be as instantly attractive to the fish compared to baits that have been air-drying for fewer days once removed from the freezer.

“Freezer baits that have become harder through longer periods of air-drying can be brought ‘back to life’ through a process called rehydration. This is a simple process that will mean your harder, less attractive baits will be re-fuelled with all the attraction they had when taken from the freezer, creating a bait that will catch you a carp a lot quicker than a bait which has been air-drying for a period of time.

“To do this is very simple: a few hours before you come to bait up, remove the required amount of freezer baits from the air dry bags. These baits then need to be placed into a bag ready to apply your liquids your have chosen to use to rehydrate the baits. Add just enough of your chosen liquid to lightly coat your baits in the bag. Don’t add too much liquid because you don’t want the freezer baits glugged, you just want enough so all the baits have a thin coating around them. Next, seal the bag and give it a good shake to disperse the liquid evenly over all of the baits. Feedstim XP from CC Moore is my personal choice due to its thin, watery makeup lending itself perfectly for rehydrating air-dried freezer baits.

“Leave these baits for a few hours before baiting up with the bag opened and the liquid dispersed over the baits. You will notice that after a few hours the liquid coated baits will have absorbed all that goodness and now will be full of attraction again just like fresh baits straight from the freezer.”