Quote:
Originally Posted by EZM
Salt water keeps flesh firm - I have a buddy who soaks our freshwater fillets in cold salted water for at least 45 min before patting them down with a paper towel and freezing them. Same Idea as salting your minnows I guess.
And as mentioned, the Salt also helps keep any bacteria down.
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I did a little reading about it after he asked me the question and yes that’s the other reason. Their cells absorb fresh water and makes the flesh mushier which is why you don’t put fresh water on fish.
Salting your bait is to draw the water out of their cells before it freezes. If it’s not done before they are frozen the water in the cells expands and ruptures the cells which leads to mushy bait. I brine all of my saltwater caught baits in a heavy salt/sodium bicarbonate solution. The baking soda sets the scales, preserves the colour and kills bacteria. The salt draws the moisture out of the baitfish to firm them up and keep them firm even after freezing.
Salting your mushy minnows after they’ve been frozen doesn’t help much because the cells are already damaged. Unless you put them in straight salt and practically mummify them.