Non-Fly Cured Roe

[Wiznet]

So I've been diving into the world of curing eggs for river fishing. I've got a few questions.

1. Do yall dry your cured eggs and what is the point of drying them?
2. The guys at the outdoor store talked about hot cures and sweet cures. Specifically in regards to scent. When do yall like to add certain scents? They were saying they went for more salty flavored eggs when fishing up river, and more natural eggs when fishing more tidal areas.

Thanks!

 

[Jagosh]

So I've been diving into the world of curing eggs for river fishing. I've got a few questions.

1. Do yall dry your cured eggs and what is the point of drying them?
2. The guys at the outdoor store talked about hot cures and sweet cures. Specifically in regards to scent. When do yall like to add certain scents? They were saying they went for more salty flavored eggs when fishing up river, and more natural eggs when fishing more tidal areas.

Thanks!

Welcome to the dark side! “It depends” will be the most common answer. I gave up and switched to beads so I am of no help. I can tell you that I see a lot of guides lately going old school back to spawn sacs which negates the need to dry them.

 

[Peyton00]

Dry so they are sticky and gooey.
Wet so they "bleed out".

Species, location, time of year factor in to what type of eggs to use.

 

[Stonedfish]

I’d recommend not curing eggs in your kitchen sink, on the kitchen countertops or using the good dish towels to wipe things up.
That is unless you are trying to intentionally piss off your girlfriend or possible future wife.
Buy some nitrile gloves as well.
SF

 

[_WW_]

I’d recommend not curing eggs in your kitchen sink, on the kitchen countertops or using the good dish towels to wipe things up.
That is unless you are trying to intentionally piss off your girlfriend or possible future wife.
Buy some nitrile gloves as well.
SF

Yea...egg curing is best done in the basement with and old fridge where you can have a dedicated shelf.

 

[SilverFly]

This can be a serious rabbit hole, but always did well with plain borax, or with shrimp oil added. Of course that was back in the 70's thru the early 90's. Starting with quality skeins and splitting out the clusters carefully makes a big difference. Also have been meaning to try rendering oil from tuna carks to save in case I get some fresh skeins this fall.

 

[G_Smolt]

If you want to catch salmon, use more salt than sugar in your cure recipe. For steelhead or other trout, more sugar than salt.

I air-dry cured baits until they lose some tackiness, then borax and bag them. Keeps freezer burn and thawing-associated drip to a minimum.

 

[speedbird]

Tangently related, how long are salmon eggs food safe in the fridge? It's been three days, should I just make bait out of em?

 

[CRO]

Before adding cure to your eggs after cutting them, roll them in newspaper(Yeah I know about the ink) or paper towels to remove blood and the eggs that you cut open until they start to stick to the paper. It is then up to you as to what type of cure you use. When fishing bait in freezing temperature i used to prefer eggs powdered in borax and then frozen packed in glass. Should last about 9 months before they start to freezer burn. Some of commercial cures if done properly can last for years if you put then in canning jars and remove the air before refrigerating by adding some lighted paper before putting the lid on. . Not sticky and no dye keeps your fingers dry and clean without gloves, maintaining your natural skin color.

 

[Rob Allen]

For hatchery steelhead, all you need is a borax cure. I'll leave salmon to others I just buy Ray's for the little bit I have done, seems to work fine.

 

[G_Smolt]

Tangently related, how long are salmon eggs food safe in the fridge? It's been three days, should I just make bait out of em?

That depends on a number of variables. If they were removed from a bled fish fairly soon after capture and chilled immediately, you've got some time to work with. I wouldn't make food out of pink roe if it was more than 60hrs old unless it was very mature. Coho and king could go a bit longer depending on maturity, chum can go up to 120hrs under ideal conditions.
When in doubt, make bait.

 

[speedbird]

That depends on a number of variables. If they were removed from a bled fish fairly soon after capture and chilled immediately, you've got some time to work with. I wouldn't make food out of pink roe if it was more than 60hrs old unless it was very mature. Coho and king could go a bit longer depending on maturity, chum can go up to 120hrs under ideal conditions.
When in doubt, make bait.

Pinks, bled gutted and iced less than a minute after the bonk. Unfortunately there was still blood in the eggs and I couldn't get it out, the eggs didn't smell the best, I had coho eggs that smelt just fine after a year in the freezer. Cured them up but they aren't gonna be my first choice bait

 

[Wiznet]

I must’ve tucked up my batch. The eggs are falling off the membrane. What causes that?

 

[CRO]

I must’ve tucked up my batch. The eggs are falling off the membrane. What causes that?

It is not uncommon for some individual eggs to detach after curing. They all become detached as the fish reaches time to spawn. Too wet a finished process or not enough cure could of been the problem. You may want to stiffen em up by drying them the night before if you didnt use just borax. If moist try to remove excess moisture then roll in borax and let stand on paper over night.

 

[Wiznet]

It is not uncommon for some individual eggs to detach after curing. They all become detached as the fish reaches time to spawn. Too wet a finished process or not enough cure could of been the problem. You may want to stiffen em up by drying them the night before if you didnt use just borax. If moist try to remove excess moisture then roll in borax and let stand on paper over night.

yeah im using the double red stuff by pro cure. Maybe i didnt get rid of enough liquid as it was a pretty big jar. Maybe i should cure them in a tupper ware, then transfer to the jar

 

[Stonedfish]

If you have a lot of single eggs, make some spawn sacs out of them. Super easy to make.
SF

A Pro’s Guide to Tying Spawn Sacs – Pautzke Bait Co

pautzke.com

 

[Wiznet]

If you have a lot of single eggs, make some spawn sacs out of them. Super easy to make.
SF

A Pro’s Guide to Tying Spawn Sacs – Pautzke Bait Co

pautzke.com

i really shouldve done that. I rage threw them away lol