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How my times have you taken a bag of cockles out for a session to then re-freeze most? Get them out for another trip and then repeat the process, only to find they have become the consistency of snot and fall of the hook?

 

Sure you could use them for burley or even chuck 'em in the bin. However with a bit of time and a bag of salt you can salt your own to further use as bait.

 

Why would you? They are much tougher holding on the hook more effectively, don't slime your fingers up and will last several re-freezes well. Plus you save a bit of money (cockles aren't cheap these days) and less wastage. They 'rehydrate' pretty quickly, so the fish don't seem to mind either.

 

1. Empty the cockles on to bunch of newspaper and leave to drain for a couple of hours (I do it on the laundry floor, depends on the temperature, flys, dogs, missus ect)

cockles1.jpg

 

2. Pull the 'meat' out of the shells and spread them out on fresh newspaper. Leave for a couple of hrs again.

cockles2.jpg

 

3. Pour granulated salt on fresh newspaper and roll the cockles until they are roughly coated and spread them out evenly and leave for several hours or overnight. This may take 1/2 to 1 cup or more salt. (im also trialing salted bloodworm in this pic, from last year's 'metho-ed' supply)

salt1.jpg

 

I use a granulated salt as opposed to a fine cooking salt or cheap pool salt.

saxa.jpg

 

4. Repeat 3 a couple of more times, with a couple of tablespoons of salt and leave for an hour or so.

salt2.jpg

 

5. By now they should be moist but firm, like a supple piece of leather. Either bag them up and freeze or dry them out further by spreading out on a tray and leaving uncovered in a frost-free freezer for a week or so and then bag up. Good luck with the latter, if the only frost-free one is in the kitchen (like mine)!

bagged.jpg

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A great DIY guide Underpants! I was going to ask about this as I helped out my mate with his bait salting last weekend.

 

First time we attempted it and we did it slightly differently so we will see how successful we are. We put the cockle meat on a piece of shade cloth to let drip dry a bit. We then added a layer of salt then a layer of cockle, then salt, cockle etc in a jar and filled it up. My mate did say the next day he needed to drain some of the juices out so I'm guessing we didn't drain for long enough. I'm guessing the newspaper method would have been helpful here drawing more of the moisture out.

 

Fingers cross ours turn out ok, it took aaaaaggggeeesss, there were quite a few cockles .

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I also put cockles in glass jars layering with salt then cockle then salt etc. I dont bother drying the cockle meat as they just sit in their juices in the jar. The jars are kept in the fridge only ready to go. They toughen up really well & find they last this way almost indefinately unless you use cockles alot!. Anyway to some of the jars I add aniseed, to another curry powder etc. This way I can take out a cocktail of cockle bait as well as fresh. They all work with some better then others on the day. Have been doing this for years. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

@ Fishing Guru. IMO strike rate not affected. You just need to work out what is best on the day. I also tend to use salted pilchards as well which in general have worked better than fresh plus they last longer on the hook. Just try it as the cockles do not go off & last for ages trip after trip. As you would be aware, with whiting fishing you should have a variety of baits anyway. (cockles, worms, squid, prawns, clickers, pilchards etc).

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