Last year I was outside the tackle stores at 7am when they opened waiting to get ballyhoo and some flats of butterfish. Made me late getting out. This year I would like to buy ballyhoo and butterfish in some bulk but would like some input as to how smart that is.
How long can I keep it frozen in a chest freezer and still have good bait?
Is menhaden better than butterfish?
Does your wife put one hand on her hip and start shaking the forefinger on her other hand when you load the freezer with bait? She just doesn't understand. Priorities...
Thanks

Make sure the ballyhoo you buy is in good shape...that it looks good; clear eyes, no to little blood and green poo(good sign) and blue/silver bodies not brownish. As long as it is not thawed and re-frozen it should last for a long time. It's the thawing and re-freezing thing that limits the life and the hardiness of the bait.

As far as menhaden/butterfish...I couldn't say one way or the other.

If you want bulk Hoo check this out, Tidalfish guys get together and buy bulk hoo for the season. This is some good stuff, I personally know alot of people who use this bait. Give Lou a ring

http://www.tidalfish.com/boards2/viewthrea...922115&id=78932

Eric

Also look at the Tip of the bills they should be bright orange thats the way I learned when I was a Mate.

try going to baitmasters.com - i have been buying my bait pre rigged- i just snip the top off and slide my skirt on the balley then re-crimp. I have real good results with them - in some cases we have trolled the same bait for all day (if we are not lucky) they also have bags of 12 unrigged. The baits are pre brined - I have nothing but good things to say - in fact we have had some in teh freezer for over a year - with the same results. I bought two bags locally in Richmond - the baits lasted all of about 5 minutes in teh water before they fell apart. Look them up- you will be happy.

Baitmasters.com is where the tidalfish guys get their bait, like jdyvaman said it last all day.

give Lou a shout and jump in on their big order.

I've used their spanish macks when I couldn't get fresh. Good stuff.

Dr Wright has some so old in his freezer I think they are evolving into a different life form! Course,we did not troll ballyhoo again this year,so I may throw 'em out next spring or use 'em to spice up the million dollar chum slick.

The general rule for me is I'll only keep them as long as I keep fish to eat, which is a year if the vacuum is intact on the package. After that they're in the chum bag. I do have a buddy who wraps the packaged 'hoos in newspaper. He says that it helps insulate and protect the fish from the defrost cycle of his freezer and increases the shelf life. I don't know. If I'm going to take the time, effort and money to run offshore, I want the freshest baits I can get. To me that doesn't include wondering if those 2 year old 'hoos are gonna wash out quickly.

I agree the only ones that make it to my Freezers are left overs.I usually get a few cases of the Central American ones that are blue colored.They are fresher and tougher.I heard the new restrictions in Florida have made it harder to supply fresh hoos all year.

Sometimes you can catch live ones at lynnhaven inlet with a cast net.

Ballyhoo in lynheaven Inlet? Thats a new on me but in August anything is possible.

I thought it was crazy too, but Mike (Rockin Robin) caught some in a cast net in front of Long Bay Pointe this past summer. Crazy, ain't it!!! How great would that be to have live ballyhoo offshore???

I have netted small ones in tidal pools around OI. First time I did it I thought I was seeing things.

All the warmer species are being pushed farther north,Glaciers are receeding,Ice caps are splitting.Thats a new excuse to tell the wife,I need to fish before we are all under water.

Hey that's a good one.. Mind if I write that one down?

its true, I caught them anywhere from 6 to about 11 or 12 inches how big do they get? I've heard they're more than one kind is that true these were blue with a big fleshy red part on the tip of they're extended bottom jaw

There is another species I think they are called Ballyo or somthing close.

Last winter I threw a dozen or so in the freezer, heavily salted in a tupperware container with a bad lid. By June they were just plain nasty - dry, all shrivelled up, tough as a shoe, strange odor, etc... and they worked just as good as the fresh ones....

Rich

If anyone is interested in buying bait for the upcoming offshore season please let me know and I will get you on the list. I organize a bulk order from Baitmasters and I am putting together an order for this January. If you haven't used their stuff before I can tell you their bait is the best out there. I use Tidalfish.com to put it together but I can certainly start something here as well. I anyone is interested please call me at 757 857 5812 home or 757 407 5812 cell or 757 534 0461 work I will be happy to give you all the details on how we get our bait.
Lou

Field tested the two or three year old balyhoo on last Saturday. Swam good all day. DID NOT WASH OUT.(Course,did not catch anything,either.)

I field tested my 45 year old back bone yesterday.I am gutting a bathroom and had to carry a toilet across the front yard to my trailer.It worked pretty good also!