So I finally got around to buying some Uncle Josh pork trailers and hair jigs for cold water (actually I ended up getting Kalins and PJ's maribou jigs, hope they work the same).

The pork is new old stock of course and the liquid it's stored in is very, very oily. For those of you who have used pork for years (not me) is this normal?

Do you change the liquid with something easier to handle? Salt water maybe? Or just deal with the oil?

 

 

Side note: Am I right in thinking that these pork trailers have been discontiued for years? Only place I could find them was Ebay at $12/bottle. Why would Uncle Josh have stopped making them and why hasn't someone picked up making them again?

 

 

It is somewhat hard to find - and when you do it's a good thing.

That fluid is Gold !

Don't dump it - save it, cherish it - it's the best thing going . . . .

Don't drink it though - it's not that good.

Seriously, I have some bottles that are - let's just say old.

If not exposed to extreme temps, it will last and last.

Did I mention it will last ?

A-Jay

 

If the the bottles are sealed and the pork is covered with liquid it's OK. 

The liquid shouldn't be oily, if it is the pork fat is breaking down, that is OK but not normal.

To make new liquid you need to boil fine sea salt (Hains) in water to make a heavy salt  solution; 1 cup salt to 1 to 2 cups water until most of the salt is dissolved, you end up with about 1 cup heavy salt water. Drain and rinse the oily water and replace with heavy salt water. 

I add a few drops of pure anise oil to each bottle for scent.

Note: you can re dye the pork rind after rinsing if desired using 50-50 ratio of liquid Rit dye to warm water and let sit over night, then rinse and add the fresh heavy salt solution.

Tom

4 minutes ago, WRB said:

If the the bottles are sealed and the pork is covered with liquid it's OK. 

The liquid shouldn't be oily, if it is the pork fat is breaking down, that is OK but not normal.

To make new liquid you need to boil fine sea salt (Hains) in water to make a heavy salt  solution; 1 cup salt to 1 to 2 cups water until most of the salt is dissolved, you end up with about 1 cup heavy salt water. Drain and rinse the oily water and replace with heavy salt water. 

I add a few drops of pure anise oil to each bottle for scent.

Note: you can re dye the pork rind after rinsing if desired using 50-50 ratio of liquid Rit dye to warm water and let sit over night, then rinse and add the fresh heavy salt solution.

Tom

This is a Lost Art Tom - and you know it.

So valuable - thank you for sharing this.

A-Jay

Many thanks to the both of yous!!! You both bring much knowledge to this board.

Thanks for sharing it!

4 hours ago, WRB said:

If the the bottles are sealed and the pork is covered with liquid it's OK. 

The liquid shouldn't be oily, if it is the pork fat is breaking down, that is OK but not normal.

To make new liquid you need to boil fine sea salt (Hains) in water to make a heavy salt  solution; 1 cup salt to 1 to 2 cups water until most of the salt is dissolved, you end up with about 1 cup heavy salt water. Drain and rinse the oily water and replace with heavy salt water. 

I add a few drops of pure anise oil to each bottle for scent.

Note: you can re dye the pork rind after rinsing if desired using 50-50 ratio of liquid Rit dye to warm water and let sit over night, then rinse and add the fresh heavy salt solution.

Tom

 

Thank you Tom.

My wife showed me how to save your post, and print it. Im not that up on computers. Ive been using pork bait for 38 years. I appreciate your time on this sir.

Tom, it is really a bummer that they have stopped making porkbaits. Last Saturday, I was told by a salesman at my local sporting goods store that the price of pork went up, and it cost to much to manufacture these baits.It is possible to make them yourself, but I would have to read up on this. I fished Uncle Josh split tail eel for years as a jig trailer. Have you ever made any pork rind baits?

@Mobasser

I wondered the same thing last year when I discovered old pork rind (I have a real, old fashioned butcher), and found that Tom posted the answer back in 2014.

 

The end of Uncle Josh pork trailers was discussed extensively on the forums for several years and you can find lots of discussion on it by searching for it.

I did some hoemwork on the subject; learned about why Josh stopped making the baits (at least the media reason); and found this good read here too:

http://www.onthewater.com/pork-rind-replacements/

 

https://www.fatcowfishing.com/photos

 

 

 

I posted a thread on how to make your own pork rind jig trailers from hog hide a few years ago. If not I can added to this thread is a few days when I return home. It takes several weeks and is a messy process of salt curing the 1/4" thick hog hide and scraping the excess fat off to the thickness desired and recurring, then cutting into shapes.

Tom

Al, you can cook your eggs in that oil. Let us know how you make out.

Right on @WRB ?

 

I will add if you use anise oil make sure it's 100% pure anise oil...NOT extract!

I used pork for several saltwater applications since I was a kid. The oil isn't a bad thing. But as mentioned, cherish what you have and take care of it. It's harder and harder to find.

 

On a side note...there is a fantastic pork alternative out there that I have been using for the past few years, in both fresh and salt. Check out Otter Tails. They come is all shapes and sizes. Great on jigs, chatters, spinner baits. And they are indestructible. Not even a pickerel can tear one apart.