The Answer: Yes, you can! Before fishing, you can pre-mix and freeze groundbait. It’s a great strategy to maintain the freshness of unused bait, reduce wastage, and manage your resources efficiently for future fishing trips. However, it’s crucial to understand the correct methods to freeze, defrost, and rejuvenate groundbait to ensure its effectiveness.
Why Freeze Groundbait?
- Cost-Effectiveness: With the cost of living consistently rising, anglers often search for ways to make their hobby more economical, and bait isn’t cheap. If there’s leftover bait after each fishing session, freezing the surplus offers an intelligent way to reuse it rather than discard it.
- Reducing Wastage: Freezing groundbait prevents unnecessary wastage, making it a more environmentally friendly option.
Is Frozen Groundbait As Effective?
Generally, the answer is yes, though there might be a slight difference in consistency. Once the groundbait has been defrosted, you might need to add some water and give it a good mix to revive it. While it might not be as fresh as before, its efficacy in attracting fish is not significantly affected.
Tips for Freezing Groundbait
- Preparation: Before you freeze groundbait, it’s crucial to sieve out any other baits such as maggots or casters.
- Packaging: Place the groundbait in a double-bagged black bin bag to prevent conflict with other freezer items. Mark the bag clearly with the contents for easy identification later.
- Freezing Process: Freeze the groundbait as soon as you get home to prevent fermentation caused by the yeast in the groundbait.
Thawing and Reusing Frozen Groundbait
- Defrosting: Take out the frozen groundbait from the freezer the night before you intend to fish, allowing ample time to defrost.
- Rejuvenation: Once defrosted, riddle it thoroughly. You might need to stiffen it with more crumb as it may be wetter than when it went in. Adding some liquid additive could put some ‘kick’ back into the groundbait.
- Mixing: Mix the defrosted groundbait 50/50 with fresh stuff. This helps balance out any loss in the quality of the frozen portion and ensures optimal effectiveness.
Note on Repeated Freezing
While you can freeze groundbait, defrost, and refreeze it, remember that the quality might deteriorate each time slightly. Limiting the freeze-thaw process to a maximum of two times is suggested.
In conclusion, freezing groundbait offers a viable solution to cost-effectively maintain your bait without compromising on its efficiency.
