You Wanted Green – You Got It!

By Duane Inglin | 04/19/2013

There is no better field test than to have product in the hands of fishermen and let them weigh in on how effective it is – or isn’t.

In a mere two years Fire Brine has passed through the hands of tens of thousand of anglers in from the West Coast to the Great Lakes. The results are in and over-whelming support has echoed from salmon, trout, steelhead, striper, walleye and perch fishermen. To serious anglers it’s become the staple brine.

Serious fishermen are selective how they cure bait and which products they use. They are also good at voicing their opinion and letting manufacturers know what they want. This past show season the Pautzke crew talked with countless folks who stopped by the Pautzke booth.  One common request reigned supreme. “Please make green Fire Brine”.

This is the same request we heard last year. However, there seemed to be more emphasis on creating green brine this year.

Fortunately, our request has been heard and granted. Pautzke now has green Fire Brine. And when I say green, we are talking “Seriously Green.”

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Successfully fishing bait is about presenting an offering with confidence. If I introduce a particular bait into a river, lake or even salt water, I need to have confidence that it will work. Brined bait fishes better than bait right out of the package. It’s tougher, lasts longer, holds color better, scent longer and it’s durable. If I am always concerned about the quality of my bait I’m probably checking it all the time, thus keeping my bait out of the water, rather than in the strike zone. A good, brined bait, prevents this.

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It has been proven Fire Brine works great right out of the bottle. That’s good to hear as that is exactly what we intended it to be. Fire Brine is an all in one cure that is as simple as pouring it out of the bottle and curing your bait of choice. It’s that easy.

Meanwhile, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with many of our pro staff and professional guides, a handful of whom prefer a bit of tougher or stiffer bait. The majority utilize Fire Brine, as is and have confidence in how it will perform. However, when they want bait that is just a bit firmer they simply add salt. The choice of salt is up to the individual: non-Iodized sea salt, kosher or rock salt.

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I find that simply adding a ¼ to ½ cup of rock salt into a bag with a ½ bottle of Fire Brine and herring does a nice job achieving extra firmness. Using salt toughens the bait. Some guys want to troll a bait that is a bit firmer, which is beneficial when trolling plug cut herring or a strip. Firmer bait is more durable and lasts longer. A lot of guys run a whole herring, and the way they come out of the brine whole, works great. Meanwhile, if you pan to plug cut or run strips, it’s more effective to cut the herring first and then soak your baits in the Fire Brine. It makes the meat much more durable.

Now let’s talk “Green Herring”. For comparison, I’ve tried to put it all in perspective. This is basically herring which shows three different levels of color.

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The herring at the top of the photo is our original Chartreuse. The herring at the bottom of the photo is our “New Green”. For those who want an extreme green, then all you need to do is pour our “New Green Fire Brine” right out of the bottle and cure your herring as you would with any of the other colors of Fire Brine. The deep green is impressive and exactly what fishermen have asked for.

If you want green, but not such a dark green, I have an example of how to lighten it up a bit. The herring pictured in the middle of the photo, is achieved by simply taking two cups of Natural Fire Brine and adding one cup of our new Green Fire Brine. This will create a green herring that is not as dark as the original. It’s nice to have options.

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UV definitely has its place in the realm of cured herring. You may be wondering just how much UV could be in the new green. Well, here is your comparison.

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The herring in the photo are in the same order as previously shown. As it is well known, our chartreuse is our strongest UV contender. The herring at the bottom of the photo demonstrates actually how much UV is found in the new Green Fire Brine. The herring in the center of the photo demonstrates that even when you choose to create a bit of a lighter green herring. The UV properties are still there.

Green Fire brine works on all meats baits: herring, alewives, anchovies, sardines, minnows, etc. If guys have a reason to cure “green eggs” it will do a great job on those, too. Green is another option in the toolbox that has been proven in many water conditions, salt and fresh. The only way to know if it works in yours is to give it a try.

Editor’s Note: Duane Inglin is Pautzke’s resident Mixologist. Look for him trout fishing with Team Pautzke in New Mexico in two weeks.