Frozen or thawed

[Thundercatcher]

Just wondering do you guys use frozen smelts or thawed on your tipups?

[WayneChristie]

pretty hard to get the hooks right when they are frozen, but they thaw pretty quick once they are in the water anyways

[fish gunner]

frozen,they thaw out in 10 minutes down the hole then I pull them back up and fill the body cavity with scent.

[Thundercatcher]

I never heard of that method before, what kind of scent

[fish gunner]

Originally Posted by Thundercatcher

I never heard of that method before, what kind of scent

not telling but pilchard oil is a good start, we have done well with all the power bait products also

[Thundercatcher]

Cool, so you squirt it in the smelts mouth?

[fish gunner]

Originally Posted by Thundercatcher

Cool, so you squirt it in the smelts mouth?

yep or with a syringe if I was useing fish oil. be very careful if you uses syringe DO NOT hold in one hand and inject with the other place on ice,tackle box.be very sure of your movement and steady in you injection. I cannot stress this enough.an embolizim is a very serious injury.

[Monster Pike Man]

Originally Posted by Thundercatcher

Just wondering do you guys use frozen smelts or thawed on your tipups?

I use frozen. If they are thawed out alot then the herring may come off the hooks more or hard to get the perfect hook set. They do thaw out while down the hole so sometimes i just rotate bait and leave the old one of the ice to refreeze, then use again

[Geezle]

Typically thawed bait...nothing like trying to pry a herring off a fish brick!

[Dust1n]

I dip mine in the hole and bend the smelt it takes off the layer of ice/frost then it sinks to the bottom. You can do this right out of your freezer

[fish gunner]

Originally Posted by Fish Hunter7

I dip mine in the hole and bend the smelt it takes off the layer of ice/frost then it sinks to the bottom. You can do this right out of your freezer

I think you mean from frozen. iam terrible with my grammar also so no worries.the way you put it one would have there freezer on the ice.not being pickiy just reads funny.

[winger7mm]

Originally Posted by Monster Pike Man

I use frozen. If they are thawed out alot then the herring may come off the hooks more or hard to get the perfect hook set. They do thaw out while down the hole so sometimes i just rotate bait and leave the old one of the ice to refreeze, then use again

You must have to rotate the bait lots, missing out on alot of fishing time. I thaw them out in my hand so I can get the hook in and send it down hole. No point in worrying about thawed or frozen, they thaw out fully within a few minutes of being down hole

[mooseknuckle]

I find when my bait is frozen solid it doesnt sink. I like to stab mine a few times and sometimes run a blades and open the bottom up a little.

[Monster Pike Man]

Originally Posted by winger7mm

You must have to rotate the bait lots, missing out on alot of fishing time. I thaw them out in my hand so I can get the hook in and send it down hole. No point in worrying about thawed or frozen, they thaw out fully within a few minutes of being down hole

Not at all. I don't usually rotate the bait or change the herring until the stomach of the herring is screwed up and cant get the treble hooks to sit right. Frozen bait helps alot with this. U guys seriously cant get your hooks in a frozen herring? Wow.

[WayneChristie]

Originally Posted by Monster Pike Man

Not at all. I don't usually rotate the bait or change the herring until the stomach of the herring is screwed up and cant get the treble hooks to sit right. Frozen bait helps alot with this. U guys seriously cant get your hooks in a frozen herring? Wow.

you hook your herring in the belly? do you let it hang upside down?

[Monster Pike Man]

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

you hook your herring in the belly? do you let it hang upside down?

If your trying to be funny, it's not working. I use a pike rig and put the trebles on either side so the herring sits perfectly level. One treble at the head on one side and one treble by the tail on the other side. Been doing that for 30 years. Whats so weird about that?

[WayneChristie]

Originally Posted by Monster Pike Man

If your trying to be funny, it's not working. I use a pike rig and put the trebles on either side hooked in the belly so the herring sits perfectly level. One treble at the head on one side and one treble by the tail on the other side. Been doing that for 30 years. Whats so weird about that?

never said it was weird, just trying to picture how its belly would get messed up. I hook mine in the top of the head and top of the tail. only been ice fishing for pike for 3 years but it works for me, you stop smoking or something?

[npauls]

Originally Posted by Thundercatcher

I never heard of that method before, what kind of scent

Try procure bait scents.

They make a ton of different ones and are supposed to be the best on the market.

[Monster Pike Man]

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

never said it was weird, just trying to picture how its belly would get messed up. I hook mine in the top of the head and top of the tail. only been ice fishing for pike for 3 years but it works for me, you stop smoking or something?

Lol. My apologizes. No, but in a bad mood. I know the exact method u use. Some of my friends do that. I just call underneath the herring the belly. I find after a while when the herring thaws out it gets torn up pretty good after a while...the more times i put the hooks in the worse the bait gets when it thaws out... But pike will hit anything...

[New Hunter Okotoks]

I have a small cooler that I put the frozen baits into and then fill with water. By the time I get to the Lake,the baits are all thawed and ready for hooking.

I tried frozen before but found that they wouldn't sink and the hooks would tear through the bait easier. Most important to me though,(and it's just my experience) is that the Pike will take and hold the bait better when it's thawed. I believe that a thawed bait will feel more natural and keep their attention. I found that I would get flags going up,and then no more interest form the Pike with frozen baits.

[WayneChristie]

Originally Posted by Monster Pike Man

Lol. My apologizes. No, but in a bad mood. I know the exact method u use. Some of my friends do that. I just call underneath the herring the belly. I find after a while when the herring thaws out it gets torn up pretty good after a while...the more times i put the hooks in the worse the bait gets when it thaws out... But pike will hit anything...

no worries, Im just finished day 4 of 8 in a row, with no fishing inbetween and Im rather cranky too I usually put my bags of bait in the fridge the night before so they are thawed before I leave, and put notes everywhere so I dont forget them . I think the easier the hook comes out of the bait the easier it is to stick it in the fish.

[Monster Pike Man]

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

no worries, Im just finished day 4 of 8 in a row, with no fishing inbetween and Im rather cranky too I usually put my bags of bait in the fridge the night before so they are thawed before I leave, and put notes everywhere so I dont forget them . I think the easier the hook comes out of the bait the easier it is to stick it in the fish.

Maybe the reason i keep my bait frozen is so the wife doesnt freak out because theres nothing worse then a open bag of thawed bait brewing about haha... But like everyone knows, once the bait is down the hole it thaws out unless your in extreme cold temps.

[michael p]

I usually put the smelt on the hook(jig) and then push glup fish egg (I use red) over the hook onto the smelt head. Then I can jig and the smelt won't fall off.