Keeping Bloodworms?

[Screamin Semen]

Gonna have a go at digging some bloodworms and if no good I will buy some.

My question is if I have any leftover at the end of the trip do they freeze well or is there a better way to keep them for the next trip? Bit expensive to throw away

Cheers SS

[youngy]

They freeze ok after 1 minute in metho first but much better live, your right too hard to dig or expensive to buy to waste, cheers wayne

[TheGurn]

Hi SS
Don't know about blood worms, or how long between your fishing trips, but I've kept beach worms alive for well over a week by simply putting them in a large shallow tray with just enough water to almost (or just) cover their backs. (if worms have backs??). Don't crowd them, change the water at least twice a day, and keep in a cool pace.

Cheers

Gurn

[Rodman]

I use ethanol from those who brew their own spirits then put them in thre freezer.
I find that the ethonal also adds a bit of bulk(plumps them up) to the worm.


Ken

[Screamin Semen]

Ok so I dip them in metho for 1 minute and then take them out of the metho and freeze them? :S Do the fish still eat them with the metho scent in them? Can you just freeze them as is so they taste better for the fish?

Cheers SS

[jez and suze]

mix them well in butchers salt and let them dry in the sun. i made a frame to put over them with flyscreen.
i have kept these for well over a year in the fridge to my wife's disgust. they end up tough like leather until you thread them on and rehydrate them, they then become like brand new, you can almost feel them wriggle.

[youngy]

SS, if you freeze them without the metho treatment or the salt treatment recommended when they thaw out they turn to mush.

The metho smell - taste, does not put them off in any way, have won a comp with them when i run out of the live ones, cheers wayne

[dnej]

OK, must dry the worms,and they mustbe live.
Place live worms in metho for 1/2 hour.
Then drop them into dry,must be drysand.Absolutely no moisture.
Then into the freezer.
They are great done this way. This came from a professional wormer, and he sells heaps of them , both ways

[Screamin Semen]

Thanks guys...I picked some up yesterday from Gem (50 min trip for me) for todays fishing but found this morning most of them are dead ....I kept them in a cool place like I was told. Any tips on keeping them alive overnight? Fresh saltwater or aerator etc?

Cheers SS

[youngy]

SS, dug some this morning on the tide, got them home, 20 minutes in fridge to cool them, then in a 6 pack esky with a small aerator.

If i was keeping them for a few days this time of year i would also have the small esky inside a bigger one with a freezer brick in the big esky, change water every 24 hours, freezer brick every 12 hours.

Hopefully use them all tonight, cheers wayne