Freezing Fiddlers in FISHING CHATTER Forum

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Freezing Fiddlers

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saltykayak	Freezing Fiddlers		Lead	[-]
Captain's Mate Posts: 721 12/05/10 08:01 AM	Tags : shrimping, ponce, volusia, oak hill, fishing, mosquito lagoon, capt lee noga, edgewater, titusville, brevard, shrimplight, led, greenie, oakhill, haulover, florida, shrimp light, lights, recreational shrimping, cast net, dipping shrimp, shrimp trap, cast net shrimp, frame net, box net, shrimplights, callops, ledgreemie led greenie shrimp, white shrimp, brown shrimp, summer shrimping Anyone have experience with freezing their unused fiddlers? The last couple trips out for Sheeps, I have come home with several dozen fiddlers. I put them in the freezer and will add to them each trip when I come back with unused ones. I am thinking of using them during the cold Jan/Feb days when they are hard to get. Any members have experience with previously frozen fiddlers for catching Sheepshead? Do they 'fall apart' once frozen and thawed? << There Is a Reason >> Last Edited By: CaptLeeNoga 12/05/10 01:10 PM. Edited 1 time.
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RobbieDaniels		#1	[url]	[-]
Capt's Pet Posts: 389 12/05/10 09:32 AM - 04 Limits 2012 - 13 Limits 2011	Never tried it. Call me. Three 8 Six 7 Eight 92725. Might go for some sheepsheads Tue. am. Need to be there on the tide change(falling).
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CaptLeeNoga		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 7778 12/05/10 10:42 AM Captain USCG Licensed NEW SMYRNA DELTONA	saltykayak wrote: Anyone have experience with freezing their unused fiddlers? The last couple trips out for Sheeps, I have come home with several dozen fiddlers. I put them in the freezer and will add to them each trip when I come back with unused ones. I am thinking of using them during the cold Jan/Feb days when they are hard to get. Any members have experience with previously frozen fiddlers for catching Sheepshead? Do they 'fall apart' once frozen and thawed? I don't think the issue is whether they freeze well or not. Just like blue crab. You can buy frozen blue crab to entice the bull reds. You can section the crab into quarters and hope a red hits it before the pin fish clean the cartlidge clean. Where the problem lies, is the bait is "dead", part of the predatory strike on live bait is the movement of the bait. Yes, you can get fish with dead bait but the response to dead bait vs live bait favors live bait. If the fish are hungry, and your fiddler looks appetizing, the fish will strike. But, the lack of leg/claw movement now relies on the "scent" vs. the movement. This to me cuts down the efficiency of the bait due to the lack of movement. The #1 tip for fishing is "Sight - Sound - Scent" to maximize a potential strike. Movement produces sight and sound. Having said this, I think Sheeps will hit anything crustacean, but action is greatly improved with live bait. Can I land a bull red on frozen blue crab at $.50 cents a crab? Yes. Higher burn rate due to pin fish clean outs. Can I land a bull red on live blue crab with claws removed and major leg action for $1 a crab? Yes, reds cannot resist the leg action movements. Less bait burn rate, live crabs soak longer. WEBSITE T-SHIRT Store $UPPORT this site - BUY A SHIRT/CLICK HERE Last Edited By: CaptLeeNoga 12/05/10 10:46 AM. Edited 2 times.
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anglermanagment		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2021 12/05/10 01:12 PM - 4 Limits 2011	It might work but I gotta agree with Lee. I use a lot of blue crabs for reds and you can always tell when you have a sure fire bait, because the legs are going a million miles and hour. But at the very least you could probally crush them up a bit and make your self one mean sheepy chum! Edgewater
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saltykayak		#4	[url]	[-]
Captain's Mate Posts: 721 12/05/10 04:56 PM	anglermanagment wrote: It might work but I gotta agree with Lee. I use a lot of blue crabs for reds and you can always tell when you have a sure fire bait, because the legs are going a million miles and hour. But at the very least you could probally crush them up a bit and make your self one mean sheepy chum! That's what my 2nd choice was..as chum. I'll keep collecting them and see the outcome in a month or 2. << There Is a Reason >>
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saltykayak		#5	[url]	[-]
Captain's Mate Posts: 721 12/05/10 05:08 PM	RobbieDaniels wrote: Never tried it. Call me. Three 8 Six 7 Eight 92725. Might go for some sheepsheads Tue. am. Need to be there on the tide change(falling). Hi Robbie, I'll give you a shout tomorrow afternoon/evening. I think slack tide is about 10 to 11 AM. I'll call and we'll go shake the sheep-trees and see what falls out. << There Is a Reason >>
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RobbieDaniels		#6	[url]	[-]
Capt's Pet Posts: 389 12/05/10 05:22 PM - 04 Limits 2012 - 13 Limits 2011	Good deal.
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Frankk		#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 533 12/05/10 06:05 PM	Salty if you want to try freezing them I can tell you how we do it. For the crabs you already have frozen, just see how they do. If they aren't up to the job they will make good chum as someone has already mentioned. While fresh you first blanch them for 8 to 10 seconds. You do this by placing them in a wire fryer basket and dipping them in heavily salted boiling water. As soon as you take them out of the water, say 8 seconds, dump and spread them out on a piece of old carpet. (or some thing similar) The idea is to cool them and dry them as soon as possible. Now package them in zip lock freezer bags about a dozen to the bag. Now you can place them in a one gallon freezer bag and store them. The heat should stop the action of digestive enzymes (inside the crab) and kill enough bacteria that they won't smell when thawed. If they stink then blanch them a little longer next time. Best regards, Frankk
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anglermanagment		#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2021 12/05/10 06:29 PM - 4 Limits 2011	Hey Frank I've heard of doing that before but never tried it, thats what the surf guys do with sand fleas right? Edgewater
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anglermanagment		#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2021 12/05/10 06:32 PM - 4 Limits 2011	btw, Salty are you catching them those fiddlers yourself? Edgewater
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saltykayak		#10	[url]	[-]
Captain's Mate Posts: 721 12/05/10 08:36 PM	anglermanagment wrote: btw, Salty are you catching them those fiddlers yourself? Not yet but I have been thinking about a swing at it but I want to be able to keep them alive here at the house. It only costs $5 for a cup full and $10 for 2. That's an entire day of hard fishing for $10 worth of bait. If I were to drive to a place with lots of fiddlers, put out a couple traps, drive back home, go back the next day..well, $10 is the more sensible route to go as long as I can still get them at Cecils. If that source dries up, then it's plan B. << There Is a Reason >>
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saltykayak		#11	[url]	[-]
Captain's Mate Posts: 721 12/05/10 08:46 PM	Frankk wrote: Salty if you want to try freezing them I can tell you how we do it. For the crabs you already have frozen, just see how they do. If they aren't up to the job they will make good chum as someone has already mentioned. While fresh you first blanch them for 8 to 10 seconds. You do this by placing them in a wire fryer basket and dipping them in heavily salted boiling water. As soon as you take them out of the water, say 8 seconds, dump and spread them out on a piece of old carpet. (or some thing similar) The idea is to cool them and dry them as soon as possible. Now package them in zip lock freezer bags about a dozen to the bag. Now you can place them in a one gallon freezer bag and store them. The heat should stop the action of digestive enzymes (inside the crab) and kill enough bacteria that they won't smell when thawed. If they stink then blanch them a little longer next time. Best regards, Frankk Thanx for the advice and I may get a chance to try it tomorrow. I imagine that the heavy salt content and heat helps preserve them. << There Is a Reason >>
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shrimpcraz		#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3521 12/05/10 11:51 PM - 1 Limits 2012 - 4 Limits 2011	Hey salty, any area that is semi muddy at low tide is a good spot for digging (literally) up a bucketful of them!!!! New Smyrna Gone feeshin..... As often as I can, BUT not as much as I'd LIKE to!!!!
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fishboy		#13	[url]	[-]
Sea Worthy Posts: 22 12/06/10 05:43 PM	tried freezing them a coupl of weeks ago. wheen i used them on the next fishing trip they smelled like i had opened a bottle of amonia. they crumble realy easil when putting them on your hook but the sheephead love them that way. i had 12 live ones and a couple dozen frozen ones and caught only toad fish on the live ones but caught 4 sheephead on the frozen ones. one of the sheephead was 4 pounds. ive tried catching fiddler crabs around port canaveral with no success. if you guys have any spots feel free to share but right now ill stick to buying them.
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CaptLeeNoga		#14	[url]	[-]
Posts: 7778 12/06/10 06:46 PM Captain USCG Licensed NEW SMYRNA DELTONA	fishboy wrote: when i used them on the next fishing trip they smelled like i had opened a bottle of amonia. they crumble realy easil when putting them on your hook but the sheephead love them Great test! Were they thawed out when you put them on the hook or frozen solid? Did you freeze them in water? If you froze them in water, they may not get so brittle.... I am so glad you took the time to test this. Awesome feed back, thanks babe WEBSITE T-SHIRT Store $UPPORT this site - BUY A SHIRT/CLICK HERE
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wishiniwasfishin		#15	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2260 12/06/10 06:46 PM - 3 Limits 2012 - 9 Limits 2011	The back side of disappearing island at low tide tends to hold vast quantities of fiddlers. I have heard of keeping them alive in a fish tank, but never freezing them. I would have to imagine that they would fall apart even more than usual if frozen.
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CaptLeeNoga		#16	[url]	[-]
Posts: 7778 12/06/10 06:49 PM Captain USCG Licensed NEW SMYRNA DELTONA	For tank preservation - The bait stores told me to lightly dampen some sand, NOT soak the sand....and the fiddlers will live over a week. She told me what food to put in there and I forget what she told me? Bread crumbs, perhaps? WEBSITE T-SHIRT Store $UPPORT this site - BUY A SHIRT/CLICK HERE
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fishboy		#17	[url]	[-]
Sea Worthy Posts: 22 12/07/10 08:53 PM	no, i didnt freeze them in water. i'll try that next time. and yes they were thawed when i put them on my hook.
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specialist		#18	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3396 12/07/10 09:05 PM - 2 Limits 2012 - 10 Limits 2011	I have kept them alive for a week. Before I left the beach, I put some damp beach sand in a bucket. They burrowed holes into it just like on the real beach. I put a couple of small pieces of shrimp in the bucket with them. I bought them on a Saturday morning and I took the left overs with me again the next Saturday. South Daytona
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fishboy		#19	[url]	[-]
Sea Worthy Posts: 22 12/07/10 09:19 PM	i have tried this with fiddlers and fed them cucumbers in the same way as you did but 1/3 of them died after a week, and the rest were realy dry even though i moistened the sand every day
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