Simple Match Fishing Forum

Now the winter is really here frosts snow and dropping temperatures whats the best way to keep your bait in tip top condition .
pinkies maggots caster i have no problems with extra maze is a wonderful thing
its worms and dandy i have the most trouble with Ive even taken to bring them to worm
joker is easy for me as the babblers take care of them as long as you look after them as soon as you back from fishing
bloodworm on the other hand is perhaps the hardest bait to look after i now separate my bloodworm into small bait pots this i find better because once something is wrong they all die and at least you have a couple more chances of keeping the rest
it seams daft but i use bottled water to keep bloodworm in and always take a small bottle to the bank to swim them .even so sometimes they dont keep very long at tall 3 weeks is about the longest ive kept it

Its easy Joff....... buy them fresh from your local tackle shop each week!

Its easy Joff....... buy them fresh from your local tackle shop each week!

i do mate i'm just trying to field test and research the best ways of keep the stuff

I keep mine in a shallow cat litter tray in the fridge under about half an inch of tap water and riddle it off every two days and change the water. It tends to keep for about a month doing it this way but its far easier just to buy some each week as its only about 3 quid!! Worms are really easy to keep as long as you get good fresh worms, I.e the worm farm, they will keep for months in cold weather being put on the shed or garage floor with a cardboard box over them to make sure it's dark. It's heat they don't like :( another way somebody told me to keep bloodworm was to put it in a large container underneath a dripping tap, never tried this but if it works for Sam wildsmith then it must work!

i do exactly the same lee bloodworm in cat litter tray fridge and change water every two days and keeps well as long as you dont try and keep to much in one tray

crappity smacking how big are your fridges you two have cat litter trays 
i use the old white trays out the deli counter
funny they live in all the crap in it own environment yet if you leave in crap it dies
dripping tap  can't see the tank commander liking that in the kitchen 

spoke to chris marks today about keeping bloodworm and he puts his in a bubbler and said it keeps well

did chris tell you that his bubbler is a garden hose running into a bucket

If it is any good to any crappity smack I used to keep mine in cat litter trays with just enough water to cover the bait. Used to change the water every two or three days when they were also riddled.

If you find the bait still dies it is all to do with the water you are using. Can't remember which way round it is but people live in hard water and soft water areas. To combat this I used to boil some water then just let it go cold again; it was OK then. Like I said I ain't no crappity smack Scintist (can't even spell the crappity smack word) but this worked every time if you lived in a 'wrong' water area.

Another way of keeping bloodworm is to keep it in plain and simple in wet spagnum moss. I don't know whether they still do but the Belgians used to keep it for ages in this fashion, they used to take as much as they needed to the bank in little tins and pick it directly off the moss. This worked very well but you still may have to get the water right before you wet the moss, - it is much cleaner and less time consuming this way as well.

I just can't remember if it was soft or hard water that destroyed the bait quickly. Hope this helps.

You can also keep it in dry peat for quite a long time but it does shrink and becomes less active after a while.

As for worms as long as they are fresh they should easily keep for at least two months in the bottom of the fridge. Keep turning the bag over and add a bit of food, egg shells, spud peelings occasionally and they will live longer. If they die after a couple of weeks in the fridge, they are just too cold (unlikely) or you have been sold worms that are a lot older than you think they are, (very likely).
If you are sold squatts that are mushy wet they will not last long either. They look right and are OK to fish with but as soon as they start to dry they die. This was always a quick fix to extend the selling ability of them.
All my opinion of course but I did look after bait in a shop for over ten years.
Casters that are dark can be made to look bright again with icing sugar or that liquid they stick in wine making. They also sink but will go green/brown/grey in a short time. If you have had any of these you have also been 'had.' unless that is what you want.

DeBAIT over

Used to keep my Joker in a Cat litter tray and cover it with water then bubble it. Changed the water every 2 days and riddled out the dead ones too. Managed to keep it a good while like that. Kept it in the garage on my work bench.

My old bait fridge is now a beer fridge so that can't be bad can it.......

crappity smacking how big are your fridges you two have cat litter trays 
i use the old white trays out the deli counter
funny they live in all the crap in it own environment yet if you leave in crap it dies
dripping tap  can't see the tank commander liking that in the kitchen 

Just buy it mate, or ask Scotty really nicely to do it for you, his shed is like the bloodworm equivalent of the ritz! Think they even have there own rooms now he's moved house and got a bigger shed!!

did chris tell you that his bubbler is a garden hose running into a bucket

More than likely!! Going back a bit now to the early Leicester days when chris very kindly used to pick me up.... I always remember his van having more bait on the floor than in the tubs!! Still owe him and his dad more than they know for teaching me so much, great people...

lee 'shhhhh' you no what will happen,pete can i have some hookers,can you look after my worm for me,i will spend most of the winter looking after bait for folk,saying that the lads will have good bait for the semi and after all what you have done for me you can have hookers when ever you want pal just ask.as for ivan and chris being good to you lee your the same type of person mate your a good sort.

bloodworm is a little harder to keep then joker,i find taking the dead of every day or two giving it a bubble for half an hour and and then putting it in CLEAN AND NOT TO WET PAPER (damp dirty seems to kill it) is as good as any thing.also you carn't beat fresh bloodworm as no matter how hard you try and keep it you will have all on trying to get it to move like fresh bubbled blood worm,i only try to keep it to add to my feed for the next week.p.s. I have a water butt and use the rain water from there tap water as to many chemicals in and I am sure this does no good

Now winters here what's the best way to keep your bait in tip top condition  what about. your toes and finger scrappity smack the bait.

.as for ivan and chris being good to you lee your the same type of person mate your a good sort.

Thanks pal! Your another that's taught me loads too, especially about bloodworm fishing still got loads to learn though, don't think you ever stop in this game, which is why I love it so much!!

lee iv had a few years at the game now pal and had anglers like swino,barker,godfrey,bicko, to learn of and fished with trentmen for 10 yrs with some good worm and joker anglers plus I use to work for pat mac when he did all the bait before sam and loads would come in talking methods and how to do this and that and you carn't help but pick things up,If I could help any one I would pal carn't think of ever being told to do one when iv ask any one for info around our way.any way who put me on the right path with my choppy fishing,so thanks to you pal.lots of love on this site at the momment are we all going soft.

baits doing great bubbling away Scottie got the hook bait sorted and Godfrey's got the plans nicks got a new window robs got Sunday out the way harry's got a stiff neck  mark russells got the tools Pete marlow a haircut roger well rogers is rog lee's still in hiding gaz is working out  mark Eustace is still gloating after beating me by a ounce aaron is still looking in the mirror at how good he is  ::) ::)so things are going spot on   

i think the teams coming together nicely

And I think I am going to be sick

And I think I am going to be sick 

toooo right