How to Preserve beach worms?

[lxc]

Can anyone offer any advice on how to best preserve beach worms?

[Pistol_P]

The best way is a mix of Metho and red food dye.
If you just dip the worms into metho only they turn white......so to keep a bit of colour to the worms the red food dye is added to some metho then dip them into it.

Pete

[Noelm]

This pops up all the time, I have tried all the metho, red dye, dry out, all sorts of things and in the end I have found that if you get good fresh (alive) worms and just put a tiny bit of salt water in a sealed plastic bag, stick then in the freezer, they come out like new when defrosted, the last "tail" bit is crap, but it really never was all that good for bait anyway.

[Noelm]

hey just a thought, why not get a few worms, and try your own 'experiment" freeze one with metho, one with nothing, one with a little drop of saltwater, one with red food dye, then defrost them and you will know for yourself what works best for the worms in your location.

[swordie]

Mate i go to fraser a lot there are so many worms on the beach yiu don't nead to preserve them ,the onley time i preserve them is when i come home with a few left over then i have 2 tubs of metho put a few in tub no1 leave them in there for a few min then pull them out run your fingers down them and put them in tub no2 for a few min then pull them out dry them on paper towel then into ziplock bag into freezer,then keep repeting the same processe.Ifound a bag inthe freezer that was 8months old they were good as new

[Noelm]

I have used the metho method myself, but what about the metho left on the bait, people go to extremes to make sure no WD40 or anything else even gets on their line, and now we are dipping our bait in Metho (maybe metho is a good attracter, who knows) I just have found that they feeze OK just "as they are" and next best was some dry sand (like you buy them in bait shops)

[samson]

I've got a pro worming mate that told me when he's up the beach for long periods without refridgeration working he uses fumalderhide that the guys use in taxadermy it supposed to work very good to keep large quantitys, mind you i'd have to check how its diluted as it dangerous stuff which is why its hard to get.

[nigelr]

Bring the worms home from the beach in saltwater, rather than sanding them down.
Drain off the sea-water and drop the worms into sufficient metho to cover them completely.
Leave worms immersed for 15 - 20 seconds only.
Drain off metho then dry worms on kitchen paper.
Bag up and freeze.
When thawing, mix a bit of dry sand into them.
School jew love preserved worms, when used in the surf.
Cheers.

[lxc]

Thanks everyone for your replies, I would never have thought to try Metho to preserve the worms. I will give it a try and see if there is any diffrence fishing with fresh as opposed to preserved. I will keep you posted.
lx

[tunaticer]

Bacardi rum works bloody brilliantly the big problem is getting as nip or two of bacardi off the missus if shes wanting a drink.

Jack.

[Timmy94]

Hmm Vinegar?
Never tried but would it work?