NWWC BAIT LAB: Pro's secrets to a better, more durable scented bait wrap
POSTED Nov. 2, 2010 / 7:17 p.m.

GRANTS PASS, Ore. - A bait-wrapped plug is one of the best Chinook baits on the West Coast, and Pautzke Pro Team member Troy Whitaker proved it when his wrapped Kwikfish accounted for the biggest fish at the 15th Annual Middle Rogue Derby.

Whitaker is one of several Pautzke Pros who have discovered the effectiveness of Fire Cure in prepping fillets for salmon plugs. This works on virtually any bait wrap you’d care to use.

Here’s how he does it:

Troy Whitaker's Fire Cured bait wraps
Step 1 - Fillet baits into approximately 2- to 3-inch pieces. Each fillet should be split down the middle roughly 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up to resemble a pair of pants, so it can be placed around the eye of the front hook of the plug.

Step 2 - Shake pink or natural Pautzke Fire Cure over fillets, making sure that the flesh side of each individual fillet is covered with a light sprinkle of the cure.

Step 3 - Place fillets in a plastic container with a lid and refrigerate overnight to allow the cure to set. Here's what they'll look like.

Step 4 - Wrap fillet on Kwikfish using rubberbands or stretchy thread.

5. Tune plug as needed.

Remember to adapt to your water conditions. This technique is particularly effective in dirty water, such as we’ve had this year with the removals of two dams on the Rogue river

Curing fillets in this manner toughens them up, making them easier to wrap. These bait wraps last longer  and leave a great scent trail .

-Troy Whitaker
Team Pautzke Pro

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