Cigar minnow preservation

Over the last couple years I've been trying to figure out the best way to get the most time out of my bait once thawed and this is what I have come up with.Dry conditions and salt was the way to cure meat before refrigeration and is the best way to take care of bait that is used for trolling or in our case, snobbling.What happens to food left in a refrigerator uncovered?,it dries out.What happens to a piece of meat when cured in salt?,it gets tough.That's the kind of cig I like,a little shriveled up and rubbery. The only two things you need to round up is a plastic storage container approx.12x6x4''deep and some sort of platform to put in the bottom to keep the bait dry(I used a couple layers of a coragated plastic election sign cut a half inch smaller than the bottom of the container). Cut a couple holes about 1''x1'' in the lid to allow for air flow.Once your bait is thawed,use either a bait brine or kosher salt and salt them down and put them on the rack in the container to keep them from getting wet.The next day you will get a few more casts out of a bait and the next couple days you will see a big difference once the cigs has become fully cured.If you have any left over by day 4 you need to rinse them off and put them in a zip-lock because they are as "cooked" as they will get and on day 6 throw the rest away and start over if they start looking too rough.

I did that same exact same thing using a cookie sheet and a drying rack for it. Needless to say the wife was less than pleased when she noticed them in the fridge, but those were some of the best throwing cigs I have had in a long time.

Thanks for the Tip

Very cool write-up, thanks John. So when your drying it, do you have to keep it cold?

That's some good info!!

Thanks John

Thanks John G You are a walking encyclopedia when it come to fishing

What I need is a tip to make my cigar minnows disappear quicker into the mouth of fish. . .