For years I’ve always used minnows straight out of the tub after buying them from the store. Unsalted minnows were fine for the first day but after freezing and unthawing, the minnows definitely lost lots of durability. Buying salted minnows worked sometimes but some suppliers definitely packed too much salt in the tubs, reducing the number of minnows available.
Over time I realized that I needed to make my minnows last longer and stay on the hooks better. This is pretty critical when you deal with short striking fish that steal baits or if you’re fishing where there are weeds.
So I came up with a system that would give my unsalted minnows extra value. Overall it’s a very simple process and doesn’t cost very much to do.
What You Will Need
- Tubs of unsalted minnows
- Pickling salt
- Paper towels
- One bowl
- Rectangular foil pan (or any small rectangular box)
Defrosting
Assuming that your minnows are frozen, leave your minnows in the refrigerator to defrost. Typically I leave them defrosting for several hours. By the time they are defrosted you should be able to separate the minnows without too much effort. If they are hard to separate, defrost them longer until they separate easily. Trying to separate frozen minnows can result in minnows being ripped.
Salting and Layering
Lay a few paper towels on the foil pan. Take your pickling salt and pour some into a bowl. Now comes the hard work.
Take a minnow from the tub and rub it into the pickling salt so that both sides of the minnow are covered in some salt. Then place it on the paper towels in the pan. Repeat the process for each individual minnow. Try to ensure that minnows are all side by side and not overlapping. This ensures maximum surface area for absorption. While this process may seem slow, it minimizes the amount of salt wasted. Replenish the salt in the bowl as needed.
Once the entire pan is covered in minnows, take a few paper towels and place it on top of the first layer of minnows. Then continue laying minnows on the newly laid layer of paper towels. After all the minnows are laid out, place a final layer of paper towels on top. This ensures that each layer of minnows is in contact with paper towels on each side.
Drying and Storing
Take your pan and place it in the refrigerator. I personally leave the minnows in the refrigerator for about 12 hours. The salt and paper towels will absorb the moisture from the minnows. It’s important to ensure that not all the moisture is absorbed otherwise the minnows become too brittle.
Take the minnows from the pan and pack them back in their tubs. Place your minnows in the freezer for the next fishing trip. When you discard your paper towels, you’ll be quite surprised as to how much moisture you can squeeze out of them.
Final Words
Really consider increasing the durability of your minnows. It’s incredible how much of a difference it makes.
If you have any suggestions on preserving minnows, let us know in the comments. Definitely many ways to do this and perhaps other people have better methods than I do.
