How to Preserve Shiner Minnows for Bait

In this video, I show the step-by-step process of how to preserve dead minnows to use at a later time.
0:00 - Intro - Explaining the Curing Method
1:41 - Step 1 - Coat Shiners in Borax and Pickling Salt
2:37 - Step 2 - Rinse the Shiners in Cold Water and Put in Curing Solution
5:18 - How to Store Cured Minnows
7:22 - How to Kill Live Minnows
8:28 - Outro - Summary
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[@michelleweckerle4534]

I’ll let you do all the dead minnow handling lol 😋

[@alanranda3844]

used a 50/50 on frozen smelt last year worked but fish do not seem to like smelt. Trying a different fish for bait this year. Great video.

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

Thanks! I like to use frozen smelt when I ice fish for northern pike. They seem to love it! But for open water, I just stick to shiners and minnows.

[@gtrapper3745]

Great video, got mine in salt and borax now, all 16 doz fatheads

[@shanehavenstrite993]

Great video man! I’m going to use this process to brine a bunch of bait to take into the boundary waters this fall. Have you ever attempted to take the brined bait out of the alcohol to then freeze? I think I’m going to try to brine then vac seal some in single layers to freeze and see how they keep

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

Thanks! I’ve never tried freezing them but it wouldn’t hurt to try. It would probably save space freezing them instead of keeping jars full of them. If it works out for you then let me know!

[@ptmfluidbeds7396]

Hi Jason. I could only get the anise extract locally. How much of it would I need to use in a quart jar with the alcohol ? Thanks

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

Just use a few drops of pure anise oil. Anise extract is a lot weaker smelling than Anise Oil, and it doesn’t last long as a scent usually washing off pretty quick. The Anise Oil is extremely strong smelling and sticks to the baits better as a scent, so just a few drops is needed. 5-10 drops is all you need of the oil in a jar of minnows. I ordered Anise Oil online because I couldn’t find it either around here in southern WI stores. I think my wife ordered it through Amazon. Hope this info helps. I’ve heard of guys using anise oil on soft plastics, salmon and trout eggs, and jarred minnows as you seen here in the video.

[@jamesmau9882]

I like to use the pautzke brine.

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

Yeah I have been hearing about using that for dead bait and all sorts of stuff but I haven’t tried it yet. This old school way is just a basic preserver that will make them last forever lol. You can just take them out and jig them whenever you want without refrigerating them.

[@JiggerzWithAttitude]

This video is absolutely gold! I will definitely try using pickling salt and borax because normal kosher salt doesn't keep the shine. Have you tried using anything other than anise extract? I might use some Berkely juice I have left and see if that makes a difference.

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

Thanks so much! I’m glad you found the video helpful. I like using anise the most but some people use garlic as well. The Berkley juice is a good idea! Let me know how that works for you if you try it.

[@hooked4]

Do you have to use pickling salt? Or will any non iodized coarse salt work fine?

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

I was taught to use the pickling salt. I’ve never tried any other kind of salt but I can’t imagine it would hurt. The pickling salt I know gives the minnows/shiners a nice shine/flash in the water and without it, they appear more dull. So I’d say give it a try, let me know how it works out for you!

[@billkurasz6108]

How long will they keep after putting them in the alcahol ? Also how much aniseed do you use

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

They last for years and years, I still have jars from 4 years ago that look brand new. The liquid coloration will turn brown tinted over time though but they work just as good now as they did 4 years ago. The shiners also get a lot more firm which helps them stay on the hook better. I prefer the anise oil over the extract and you only need 3-5 drops of it.

[@TW14137]

Great info, thanks for sharing! Would be easier to listen to you without the background music though.

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

Thank you, I’m glad you found the video helpful. This was one of my first KZbin videos and I was still learning how to edit and control volume levels, but I appreciate the feedback! Good luck fishing!

[@alanranda3844]

do you reuse the alcohol anise mix? If you have the mix left over drop live minnows in it before you use salt and borax. They die immediately.

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

I wouldn’t personally reuse the alcohol anise mix after using all the bait because it gets pretty discolored. I’ve never tried it though. I usually just run hot to cold water on the shiners to kill them if they’re still alive, or just throw them right in the rubbing alcohol but then they go nuts splashing it everywhere. So I prefer the water method or just waiting for them to die in the minnow bucket.

[@stevesnag9814]

@@WeckerleOutdoors when you wait for them to die some are decomposing redy.when you catch them put in bucket salt,beforo you come home they are dead and salt prevent decomposing.

[@hooked4]

Also, will 70% rubbing alcohol suffice? That’s the highest potency I see near where I live

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

The stronger percentage the better, but if you only have 70% rubbing alcohol it will still preserve them. The length of time they stay preserved might decrease since there is a higher concentration of water. If the minnows start looking funny in the jars, then you could try to repeat the process with new rubbing alcohol. Good luck!

[@alanranda3844]

watched your video on rock bass last night, yes they taste good. I fished constantly in five Island lake in Iowa when younger caught a lot of rock bass, bluegills and sunfish. One thing you might try when cooking fish is adding 3 tablespoons of corn starch to your mix you dip your fillets in. Makes them crispier and shake your French fries in it too. Fries do not need a bath in milk and egg though. Gets everything crispier. Learned this from the Hillbilly kitchen on You Tube. Got an interesting story on how I started tying my own jigs for fishing back in the 50's. Now have incorporated a tesla type low frequency generator by use of copper or steel wire on hooks to generate a weak electric field similar to a bait fish. If you want to try a half dozen will give you some for free.

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

The panko breading I use is super crispy already, but I’ll have to give that corn starch a try sometime. The minnow baits you make sound really neat! Send me an email if you want to tell me more about it. I have my email address listed on my KZbin “About” page.

[@alanranda3844]

how much of pickle salt to borax? Have done 50/50

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

Yes 50/50 is what I do as well.

[@jeffjensen4073]

What the Mix ratio on the Rubbing alcohol and water?

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

I only add pure 90% rubbing alcohol to the jar. You can find packs of 2 at Sam’s Club. The jars I use take up a full bottle of it. Then I add scent to it like anise, but it works without scent too. I’d avoid adding water because you don’t want to dilute the solution, it keeps the bait fresh longer.

[@jeffjensen4073]

@@WeckerleOutdoors Thank you.

[@NYCE_Fishing]

I just tried alcohol to preserve grass shrimp. It seems to work nicely on them and it keeps the bodies firm. I haven’t fish with them yet. I’m afraid fish won’t like the smell of alcohol.

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

The smell of the alcohol literally evaporates off the bait so you don’t need to worry. I’ve even preserved them without scent products added. and the fish still eat them. Fish smell a lot of unpleasant smells when fisherman handle baits, everything from gasoline, scented lotions, tobacco, and a lot of unscented soft plastic baits smell like plastic chemicals . But fish still feed on them. I’m a big advocate on trying to keep human / human made scents to a minimum while fishing . But the alcohol is no worries because it evaporates like I said. And if you add anything like Anise oil, Krill shrimp oil, stuff like that to the baits, the alcohol scent is nonexistent on the live bait/dead baits even right out of the jar. Let me know how how the Grass Shrimp work for you. I never tried preserving anything other than shiner minnows and fathead minnows for jigging up Walleyes here in WI.

[@NYCE_Fishing]

@@WeckerleOutdoors Thank you for the reply. I’ll be sure to let you know how the shrimp worked out. I’m currently preserving them on a mix of 70% isopropyl alcohol and gulp alive juice. I can’t wait to try them out on the water.

[@thegreatpotatokitty8196]

now i want pistachios

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

They’re the best!

[@alanranda3844]

saw a post a guy used Vodka. Rubbing alcohol is cheaper.

[@WeckerleOutdoors]

Yeah that’s a weird/pricy alternative. Rubbing alcohol is far cheaper. At least you can drink the vodka when you’re done curing the shiners lol