Long time coming, I know...

Salting bait has a number of advantages. The bait will keep fresh a lot longer, even without refrigeration. The bait will be firmer and stay on the hook better. It is harder for small pecky fish to get the bait off the hook.

No matter what you are salting, the method is basically the same. Although some things with high water content take a little longer and will need a drip tray.

Salt is a drying agent. So salting bait or food is simply removing the water. If you are salting food, just remember that most foods will take on a strong salty flavor. 

Salting is a quick, cheap and effective way of getting the most out of your bait. It will even save you time and money because you are not throwing away bait that has gone off.

Salting cooked prawns -

You can salt prawns either with the shell on or off. Here I have removed the shell. Cooked prawns have a relatively low water content compared to raw prawns, so the whole process is fairly quick.

Starting with the heads. Here I have removed the shell as described in the Killer Bream Bait topic. I have also shelled the bodies at the same time.



Then simply shake on a thin layer of salt making sure they are fully covered.



As cooked prawn is already fairly dry, you only need some paper towel. For raw prawns or fish (with higher water content) you would use a plastic strainer with a bowl or bucket. I will show that next time when I salt some pilchards.

So simply put the slated prawns on a plate with some paper towel...



Then do the same with the prawn bodies...





After 3 to 4 hours the prawns can be stored in a plastic container or bag. They can be frozen if you want to keep them even longer or vacuum packed.

You can leave them on the paper (or in the strainer) longer if you want. Just remember that the salting process continues which means they get dryer. I have found that even 2 or 3 days on the paper is still good. But putting the salted bait into a bag, air tight container or vacuum pack will keep the remaining moisture in...If you let them dry out too much they will be too hard to put on the hook.

Once they are salted they will stay fresh and usable for a long time. At room temperature a good 4 to 6 weeks, maybe longer. In the fridge they will last at least 6 months even longer if vacuum packed. If you freeze them they will be good for several years. So you can make a big batch if you have the fridge or freezer space. If you have the freezer space and happen to get some cheap prawns you could make 4 or 5 years worth in one go, and the last pack will still be just as fresh as the first.