Hints,Tips and How To's - making salt ice

making salt ice

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Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Hints,Tips and How To's
Forum Description: Rigs, tackle, baits, angling techniques, tips and hints & your DIY projects here
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=135763
Printed Date: 08 Jun 2026 at 7:27pm

Topic: making salt ice

Posted By: reel crayze
Subject: making salt ice
Date Posted: 04 Aug 2021 at 10:20pm

Does anyone make their own salt ice out of sea water? Is it worth it ?

If i take my boat away for a few nights and sleep on the boat i have no way of keeping ice frozen in my Icey Tech fish chilly bin for more than 3 nights if i am constantly opening it and adding fish to it . So i have taken to making seawater salt ice in the hope that it will drop the temp in the chilly bin lower and keep it lower for a longer time ?

I have in the past pre frozen seawater in 2 litre milk bottles and added store bought salt ice around the bottles. I plan to stick with the milk bottle idea but also make sea saltwater ice which i will crush to fill in the gaps around any fish I catch plus maybe the bought salt ice ?

I do carry 2 chilly bins 1 for food which i am constantly opening and closing and the fish bin described above which i open only when necessary.

Your thoughts please... what can i improve ?

Replies:

Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 05 Aug 2021 at 9:30am

Just a though, cooling the fish down quick..
We are day fishermen, rather than several days.. thu this has helped when on road trips to middle now wherefor 5/7 days.

I have a couple large thin freezer packs that lay on the floor of the bin.. and can use as a divider between frozen and chilled foods.

Also I have numerous smaller 'fit inside of a gutted 45cm snapper'... and around it.

Gutting fish before putting inside the bin makes them chill down real fast.. less to chill.. longer lasting low temps.

I used to use frozen sea ice in bags, bottles... and normal ice. Then started to add the ice packs...If leave A catch over night, and noticed on roads trips with bagged sea and non sea ice, these always thawed out well after the ice.

Cold air is heavier so sits in a 'bin' If open more carefully, then slip the fish in.. You retain far more 'chill' if the bin is full.. part full when open and close you loose a lot of air.. full not as much chilled air is lost... Why a full freezer uses far less power than a 1/2 or 1/4 full one.

So now we dont use any ice or sea ice.. just ice packs, big flat on the bottom, smaller inside and around gutted fish.
On a road trip, after around the 3 or 4th day, and have more space in the bin... we add a bag of ice..still in the bag...
The ice packs still 'rattle' with frozen stuff inside.
and another 2/3 days later.

Anyway hope this helps, a few ideas ...

Posted By: reel crayze
Date Posted: 05 Aug 2021 at 10:06am

That is brilliant exactly what i am after, thank you.