Fresh vs. Frozen bait which should you go for?
Different types of bait are suited for different styles and practices, however, when it comes to bait from a manufacturing standpoint - fresh and frozen bait are by far the most popular options that fishermen choose.
In this article, we will compare the two within a couple of aspects which will hopefully help you understand better which is better for what situation and the exact fish species that you’re targeting.
So, without further adieu, let’s get into it.
What do we consider fresh bait?
Typically, fresh bait is considered to be either live bait like maggots, castors, worms and so on. In a broader perspective, dead baits could be considered in the same sense as well.
Dead mackerel or maggots can still be considered as fresh if you purchased them less than 24 hours ago, but they didn’t survive.
Baits that have a long shelf life like pellets or boilies are also grouped in the category of fresh baits, since, well, they stay fresh for long periods of time.
What’s considered frozen bait?
Frozen baits were a luxury back in the days since they were manufactured with additional ingredients to make the bait more attractive to fish. Nowadays, this has changed and one can find a variety of affordable alternatives for their fishing trips.
Both long shelf life baits like pellets as well as dead baits like mackerel can also come in frozen bait form.
Regardless of what you go with, each of these can be used depending on what waters your fishing and what fish you’re aiming for.
What’s the better choice for angling?
Typically, angling professionals recommend going for fresh bait options whenever available, if your goal is to head out to sea. This is because more species on the typical basis go for them. As such ragworms, lugworms and other similar baits seem to be the most popular choices there.
However, frozen options shouldn’t be discredited as well. Some fresh baits may be very difficult to obtain, especially during the colder winter seasons. Plus, rarer options like peeler crabs are practically inaccessible as fresh ones to the casual angler as well. All of this makes frozen bait the best bet, when you’re planning a fishing trip and want to stack up with a variety of bait before heading out.
A similar pattern follows for freshwater species of pike and catfish are popular angling targets. In this case, professionals tend to lean on using baitfish as a means to feed their designated area, since they often let out a more attractive smell.
Frozen options again, can be perfectly viable if you find it difficult to obtain what you’re looking for as some species, like pike, are less picky when it comes to their feeding options.
All in all
Today we’ve briefly talked about fresh and frozen bait options and compared them which can work best for you. Typically, fresher options are your best choice, however, frozen ones can be a viable alternative to diversify your bait range and obtain more difficult options for your journey.