Is anyone able to tell me exactly what is meant by the term "shelf life" on packets of shop bought boilies?
Does it mean that as long as you don't open the packet they are still fine to use? Does it mean that once opened they have to be used quickly?
Can they be refridgerated or frozen? How long do they remain attractive to the fish?
What, exactly, does the term mean? Glenn probably knows I suspect?

It means nothing and will vary according to bait company, ingredients, storage temp, exposure to light and all sort of other variables as I am sure you are aware.

Originally Posted by JayZS

Is anyone able to tell me exactly what is meant by the term "shelf life" on packets of shop bought boilies? Does it mean that as long as you don't open the packet they are still fine to use? Does it mean that once opened they have to be used quickly? Can they be refridgerated or frozen? How long do they remain attractive to the fish? What, exactly, does the term mean? Glenn probably knows I suspect?

I assume that "shelf life" means they remain good to use on the shelf rather than in the freezer.

When you open the packet, it is best to keep them in an air tight bag or container or they will start to dry out. A friend of mine showed me some boilies he had kept in a ventilated maggot box for many months and they were rock hard and bone dry.

I see no problem in keeping them in the fridge or freezing them save if they are frozen you will have to defrost them before use.

I don't know why bait manufactures such as Dynamite Baits don't give more information regarding how to keep their products fresh and how quickly they should be used on the packaging?

Stephen

My understanding is that Shelf life have preservatives in them or they are air dried for longer.

It's also my understanding that if you air dry frozen boilies (once thawed), they will last a long time.

The theory is that it's the moisture that allows the bacteria to grow. To throw an egg in the mix [sorry] bacteria are quite happy to grow in the eggs as we all know, although you don't have to use eggs in a boilie mix.

The last few batches of boilie type stuff I've made, I haven't boiled and just air dried for a few days, they go like bullets, not sure how long they last though as I haven't tested them.

I think the biggest problem is knowing when baits have gone off from a fishes point of view after all, baits can become very effective when they are a bit ripe and rancid, Rubby Dubby and fermented hemp come to mind.

As Stephen said though, the manufacturers should give more information.

Shelf life baits have preservatives in them and don't need to be kept frozen. They can be kept for ages in just the bag they came in. Freezer baits are made with no preservative and need to be kept frozen or they go off. As a rule freezer baits are better.IMO.

Originally Posted by jonny-rotton

Shelf life baits have preservatives in them and don't need to be kept frozen. They can be kept for ages in just the bag they came in. Freezer baits are made with no preservative and need to be kept frozen or they go off. As a rule freezer baits are better.IMO.

Could'nt agree more, don't understand why anglers knowingly use an inferior bait purely because of it's storage qualitys lets face it, it's the only advantage they have over freezer baits other than increased flavour levels which generally makes them short term only because they blow relatively quickly.

Considering the amount of effort and money most of use put into catching our beloved quarry we then go and lower our chances by using an inferior quality bait.

Stuart
(Merlin 28)

I have to say that I'm deeply suspicious of the whole debate over the effectiveness of freezer baits over shelf life. Some say it matters, some don't. I've used shelf life and freezer baits of the same flavour and manufacturer side by side and not noticed an obvious discrepency in catch rates.
I certainly think it's in the best interests of the manufacturer to sell frozen baits only, especially when you see so many suggestions that they shouldn't be re-frozen. To my mind, frozen make a lot of sense if you are well heeled enough to be a bulk buyer and user of boilies. For the occasional angler on a budget, that isn't using kilos of bait at a time, shelf life makes a lot more sense.
The only justification, that I feel could be valid, for being negative towards shelf life baits is the use of preservatives and their possible impact on fish health. However, I've yet to see anything conclusive on that one either.

Shelf life, over flavoured full of preservatives they blow very quick come on guys do me a favour. Let's take the good old tutti fruity S/L it's bin round since the ice age and it's still working today and there's endless flavours doing the same. I've even heard people say don't use meat/sweetcorn it's bin over fished and doesn't work anymore. It's about presentation, time of the season and bait application. Don't get me wrong I use both SL/B and I make paste myself but my bait bag is full of options and I've always got meat,corn and lob worms sum of the oldest baits known to man. Last season say out of 50 fish chub/barbel I'd say 35/lobworm,5/meat,10/S/L boillies (pop ups). But for a angler who does sessions on the way home from work or a spare couple of hours with my gear in the car all day frozen doesn't make sense. Each to there own though.