Smelly mess and possible eviction!

[Cormdogg]

Alright lads,
I was given bag full of lovely fresh lug by a fellah on monday night in Dalkey, Happy days as I rarely have time to dig my own or get to the shops. When I got home I wrapped them in two packets of damp newspaper, still some sand in amongst them and a small bit of sea weed. All were healthy and wriggling before they went into the fridge at the back of the house usually reserved for beer but plenty of room after the weekend. When I came home from work yesterday I discovered my worm parcel in a plastic bag on the ground beside the fridge, Some housemate my have been unimpressed with my in-fridge wormery. I could smell them before I even opened the bag. I now had two parcels of bloody,stinking worm mess!

I tried to sift through the mess to find any survivors and dump the rest, I know some fish like rotten worm but these had to get out of the house. I didnt want to put what was left in the fridge so I had a cunning plan! Into the kitchen and out with the salt, for first attempt at DIY Lug-salting. I rinsed the live fellahs, dried them off with kitchen roll and laid them out in a shallow card board tray, then basically dump a box of salt all over them and hid them away from worm haters.

I had a look at them this morning and it was NOT a pretty site! An even stinkier brown rancid mess!

So my question in Lug preservation, I've kept them for about 3 days before in wet paper in the fridge with 50% dying but not turning and still ok for bait, Ive frozen them and they' make ok bait but nothing compared to fresh. I know alot of you have little set ups with pumps and Im sure I could put one together but, I live with 5 other people (its a big house) and I dont have my own fridge. Has anyone a technique for salting, or could I find the coldest spot in my shed?

Thanks in advance

[round_ourway]

Quick solution is to call to your mums house and put them into her fridge. lol.
for this reason as well I bought myself a fridge out of an auction and keep my bait in there. But I never open the fridge when she is about because it stinks like a hell.
In my own experience lug are very hard to keep for more than three days alive. never had any luck with frozen lug myself.

[EricH]

Wrap the lug in dry newspaper when you get them, a little parcel if you will. 20 at a time.Store flat in the fridge and if you put them in a plastic bag out of the way of the others in your house they should be ok. No need to tie a knot in the bag.
Don't have the fridge running too cold either. If you have some of the "black" lug, the ones with the thicker skin you can nick them and push the guts out of them and lie flat on 2 sheets of newspaper and wrap/roll them and freeze.

These, although not as good as shop bought blacks do actually work and have done this a number of times and had results.

Sorry have never salted lug so cant help you there.

You can keep lug in trays with a little water but in your case I dont think thats gonna work somehow.

[Cormdogg]

I found a technique on the web

http://codheadbob.tripod.com/topmarks/id36.html

I tried something similiar, but methinks I should've given the salt more then one night to work its magic! Doh!

[doggie3131]

good slap for the a**ehole that dumped good bait if thats not an option a small fridge in the shed is the best option.