# Eggs



## steelhead sniper 860

Caught on the Rock had to fight off Russians trying to steal them. Dragged fish 4 feet onto rocks then bonked it over the head with the closest rock I could find after ripping out its gills.


----------



## GrandRiverBassman

Do u keep skein whole or cut up before curing?


----------



## steelhead sniper 860

I butterfly the skein then snip the edges of the folds into rows then cure it with 20 mule team Borax. I sprinkle on the Borax then let the eggs sit on a plate in the fridge and turn them periodically. Usually cured to my liking within a day or two


----------



## laynhardwood

Looks like some orange gold to me. Nicely done


----------



## jjshbetz11

Good harvest

Sent from my E6790TM using Tapatalk


----------



## kapposgd

Somewhere, right now, a purist is furiously tying as many spey flies as he can


----------



## SelfTaught

Savagery


----------



## Whaler

Gotta watch those Ruskies ! Was Vladimir Putin one of them ? Lol


----------



## EyeCatchEm

gottacatchemall said:


> So you dragged a steelhead 4 feet onto rocks and "bonked" it over the head with a rock before ripping its gills out? For eggs?
> I'm glad I wasn't there to witness that... at least the Russians would have eaten it


I'm sure he ate the fish too


----------



## KTkiff

gottacatchemall said:


> So you dragged a steelhead 4 feet onto rocks and "bonked" it over the head with a rock before ripping its gills out? For eggs?
> I'm glad I wasn't there to witness that... at least the Russians would have eaten it


While I have never done this and wouldn't encourage anyone to do it, he can do what he wants with his 2 fish limit legally.


----------



## beaver

gottacatchemall said:


> So you dragged a steelhead 4 feet onto rocks and "bonked" it over the head with a rock before ripping its gills out? For eggs?
> I'm glad I wasn't there to witness that... at least the Russians would have eaten it


Why? What would you have done? 

He's allowed his limit, and as long as he isn't going over, who cares what he does with it? I've attempted to eat a few and honestly I consider them a trash fish as far as table fare. They put up a good fight though.


----------



## laynhardwood

Must have finished the Spey Fly tying and got bored.


----------



## gottacatchemall

Sorry, I consider a steelhead a sportfish, much like a Bass or Muskie. Go bash the head of a Muskie or bass in front of a serious angler and rip the gills out while you're at it and let me know how that works out LOL
I was just taught to respect the fishery, allowing others to enjoy the thrill the fish gives you, and find releasing a fish to be more rewarding than harvesting. Bass and Muskie have limits and I'm sure people keep them, it's just preference, and my opinion.


----------



## creekcrawler

If he whacked it and bled the gills out, sounds like it was kept. I really don't care, as long as it didn't end up
gutted on the bank. After I made some last year, I'd rather save those eggs to make caviar. Stuff was yummy!


----------



## creekcrawler




----------



## ChromeBone

Hey Creek! you got a good link or some instructions on how I can make my own caviar?


----------



## beaver

gottacatchemall said:


> Sorry, I consider a steelhead a sportfish, much like a Bass or Muskie. Go bash the head of a Muskie or bass in front of a serious angler and rip the gills out while you're at it and let me know how that works out LOL
> I was just taught to respect the fishery, allowing others to enjoy the thrill the fish gives you, and find releasing a fish to be more rewarding than harvesting. Bass and Muskie have limits and I'm sure people keep them, it's just preference, and my opinion.


Im sure it would work out just fine for me. They may need therapy to soothe their poor little elitist feelings though. 

You consider it a sport fish, fine. Not everyone does. Some consider them food. Some consider them bait. As long as they aren't considering more than 2 a day anything but released, who are we to judge? 

The only time I've ever kept trout was a couple years ago at Castalia. My boy was drawn and their rules don't allow catch and release. So between the boys, we ended up with 25 large rainbows in the cooler. I had them all smoked except a few that I kept for bait. That is about the most tolerable way I've found to eat them and even that isn't anything I'd do again. I fish the local stockers with the kids because they love to catch them. They all get released or given away if someone asks for then though. 

Some people love them though. Different strokes for different folks. Plenty of duck hunters won't shoot coots or ruddy ducks , or they'll trash them if they do. I think both are fine table fare and encourage anyone in my blinds to shoot them.


----------



## steelhead sniper 860

I release 99% of the steelhead I catch throughout the season. it's early in the season and I needed some eggs. I made nuggets out of this fish cooked them in butter and garlic. You seem to come onto every post I make crying about something lol


----------



## gottacatchemall

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion until it coincides with being an elitist fly fisherman! U guys are nuts!


----------



## steelhead sniper 860

gottacatchemall said:


> So you dragged a steelhead 4 feet onto rocks and "bonked" it over the head with a rock before ripping its gills out? For eggs?
> I'm glad I wasn't there to witness that... at least the Russians would have eaten it


You wouldn't have done anything about it I was well within my legal limits.


----------



## steelhead sniper 860

Most ethical thing you can do when keeping a fish is put it out of its misery as soon as possible then bleed it out so you don't get blood in the meat or eggs.


----------



## ChromeBone

I don't understand what an "elitist fly fisherman" is. I fly fish with a custom hand made rod with a shiny Orvis, but I also love to catch them on hardware off the beach or drift eggs with my noodle rod  If I drive 3 hours to get a trout I'm most likely going to be "bonking" something on the head in my book... lol......


----------



## creekcrawler

Caviar - somewhere in this post - http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/threads/recipes-and-cooking-techniques.290134/#post-2100289

There recipe is here - http://honest-food.net/2009/12/02/how-to-make-caviar/

I was surprised that you don't need to brine them for very long at all after reading up on it a bit.
I think I brined mine for about ten minutes and they came out awesome.
Hardest part was cleaning them out of the skein, but it's really pretty easy & simple.


----------



## creekcrawler

I actually don't keep any steelies unless I'm fishing a stocked river.
I used to bonk them if I was keeping them - just seemed more humane than letting them struggle
on a stringer or in a bucket or on the shore.


----------



## caseyroo

Go fish the Pacific Northwest where naturally reproduced steelhead are, and you'll find the practice is to quickly expire the fish, and bleed them. In that region, they consider walleye the trash fish. Perhaps "rip the gills out" is a bit graphic, but if your eating the fish, it's the proper way to do it. No different than quickly putting down a deer with a great shot, and quickly field dressing. This fishery is man made, and man can certainly take a couple if he desires without upsetting the ecosystem. You can pretend this a mountain stream fishing for brook trout, but it isn't! Why is it nobody gives a damn bout them when caught from 50 feet down in the lake, but let hells fury reign if someone catches one and keeps one in 24" of water!


----------



## steelhead sniper 860

Prob because they're releasing the musky to die of delayed mortality while my fish is going into the frying pan



gottacatchemall said:


> i don't get it... you take a picture holding a Muskie incorrectly, which was stocked, mind you, and half dozen people will critique you and tell you how inhumane it is. This guy is "bonking" his fish... ripping the gills out and I'm the a-hole? I'm not looking for a war here I just thought it was worth the time to acknowledge the steelheading practice I was taught, but apparently it gets personal around here lol[/QUOT


----------



## creekcrawler

Good point Caseyroo. I've said that before - in the summer when you have a 5 (or6?) fish limit out on the Lake.
And even if they do let them go, I doubt many survive after being dragged out of that deep water.


----------



## 3wt7X

I only fly fish/ switch/ Spey cast for steelies. I probably average 2-3 harvested fish a year, only fresh chrome. I like the taste on the grill with some olive oil and dill. 

I always "bonk" the harvested fish with a rock over the head and tear the gills out. Sounds gruesome, but it's the most humane thing to do. I don't want the harvested fish to suffer and I don't want the flesh to be beat up from them flopping around. In fact, the fish I harvest are always at the end of the day, so I don't have to drag em around. There's nothing wrong with legally harvesting steelies in PA and Ohio. I do wish they would limit the legal amount to one fish a day. Eliminate the meat hunters a bit!!!


----------



## Archer4life

I don't understand why people who don't agree with keeping stocked steelhead just can't pass over the post if they don't like it . Skip over it Don't comment. Don't piss on his parade. Now, if he was doing something against regulations. By all means make your case. We just had a long drawn out thread on steelhead and Sasquatch hunters to that effect.


----------



## Archer4life

Sniper Try flash cure from Erie outfitters. Awesome stuff . Easy to use. Have kept eggs up to two years in the deep freeze and thawed them out to milking, fresh egg smelling goodness . Keeps the color too


----------



## SelfTaught

gottacatchemall said:


> Sorry, I consider a steelhead a sportfish, much like a Bass or Muskie. Go bash the head of a Muskie or bass in front of a serious angler and rip the gills out while you're at it and let me know how that works out LOL
> I was just taught to respect the fishery, allowing others to enjoy the thrill the fish gives you, and find releasing a fish to be more rewarding than harvesting. Bass and Muskie have limits and I'm sure people keep them, it's just preference, and my opinion.


Gottacatchemall - when you catch your Pokémon do you release them nicely or keep them? Serious question....


----------



## Flowie

creekcrawler said:


> Caviar - somewhere in this post - http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/threads/recipes-and-cooking-techniques.290134/#post-2100289
> 
> There recipe is here - http://honest-food.net/2009/12/02/how-to-make-caviar/
> 
> I was surprised that you don't need to brine them for very long at all after reading up on it a bit.
> I think I brined mine for about ten minutes and they came out awesome.
> Hardest part was cleaning them out of the skein, but it's really pretty easy & simple.


Next time make your caviar w fully mature loose eggs, youll never bother with skein again.


----------



## 1MoreKast

You got a lot of growing up to do bud , you haven't been on here that long and sure seem to like to stir the pot , real classy avatar to boot , I won't be missing your posts


----------



## bdawg

The steelhead fishery is a put and take stocked fishery just like the inland walleye lakes. There is only limited reproduction. If we ever get a good naturally reproducing population, it will be a minor miracle. With that in mind, I see no problem with keeping 2 fish per day. I love the taste, similar to salmon. It's tough to catch 2 fish in a day anyways for most anglers. I know I never have! 

Good job to the OP for quickly dispatching the fish. Congrats on getting some good bait early in the season.


----------



## creekcrawler

All I'm going to say is - _Shrimp is the new skein._

Haven't used skein in probably two years.


----------



## Chef T




----------



## caseyroo

Prawns (shrimp) are a go to bait in the Coumbia and its tribs in Oregon. Did really well with them for steel and kings.


----------



## bustedrod

just a nice little bat works great for bonking, even in my boat flopping fish in the boat get whacked, on the bank WHACK ... I CAUGHT IT WHACK MINE HEHEHEEH......if you should blue fish you would know to WHACK before you attempt to get your lure back...they can see out of water and will try to bite off a finger or three.


----------



## creekcrawler

Whack all those fishes! hahahaha, joking. 
Yeah, bluefish can be nasty critters.


----------



## bumpus

creekcrawler said:


> All I'm going to say is - _Shrimp is the new skein._
> 
> Haven't used skein in probably two years.


I've never tried shrimp do you prepare them in any way or just put them on the hook


----------



## creekcrawler

Just put them on the hook. I prefer the pre-cooked ones myself.
I've used little tiny strips instead of maggots on jigs.
The wife got a beast last year on a whole tail about 3 1/2" long!
Out west (Indiana), I've heard of them tying them up in sacs just like eggs.
Plus, you can eat 'em if you get hungry.


----------



## bumpus

Awesome I'll have to try that


----------



## steelhead sniper 860

i have a bag of shrimp also, I get the small salad shrimp from walmart, its like $5 for 120 pieces, cheaper than minnows nightcrawlers wax worms etc lol


----------



## bumpus

steelhead sniper 860 said:


> i have a bag of shrimp also, I get the small salad shrimp from walmart, its like $5 for 120 pieces, cheaper than minnows nightcrawlers wax worms etc lol


Do you do the same thing and just toss them on the hook


----------



## 1MoreKast

Cooked or raw. Slap those babies on a hook and watch the magic.


----------



## steelhead sniper 860

No I break the shrimp into two pieces. I break off the tail and kind of fray the thicker end of the shrimp so there's little strands coming off it. I then hook it from the tip of the tail pushing my hook up through the meat and sticking out in the thicker part of it. when I fish the thicker part by the shoulder of the shrimp I do the same kind of use my thumb and break it up a little bit to give it some texture and dead drift that to kind of imitate eggs.


----------



## bumpus

Awesome info thanks


----------



## TRIPLE-J

don't have an issue with people bonking their fish and using them ...I DO have an issue with people catching a nice hen and slitting her open just for the eggs and throwing the rest on the bank to rot..p
put and take fishery or not that's BS


----------



## kapposgd

I fished with shrimp for steelhead in canada with one of the best fisherman ive ever met. We were in georgian bay and he put a raw shrimp on a jighead and would rip it off the bottom like a bladebait, only much higher. There was an armada of 30 some boats out there and he smoked - and i mean smoked - everyone out there.


----------



## kapposgd

Anyways he showed me how he would make spawn bags with them. He would get frozen shrimp, only with the shell though. Then let them thaw, unshell them and cut them into little pieces then throw them back into the juice after tying them into spawn bags to marinate them in the raw juice. He would add some anise as well. It worked.


----------



## KTkiff

kapposgd said:


> I fished with shrimp for steelhead in canada with one of the best fisherman ive ever met. We were in georgian bay and he put a raw shrimp on a jighead and would rip it off the bottom like a bladebait, only much higher. There was an armada of 30 some boats out there and he smoked - and i mean smoked - everyone out there.


Great post. What size jig head did he use?


----------



## kapposgd

I cant remember what size he was using. We were in roughly 35 fow, cline was 10 feet off the bottom. We were fishing a pod of escaped hatchery fish around 2004ish. Several hundred thousand escaped into the bay!


----------



## c. j. stone

kapposgd said:


> Anyways he showed me how he would make spawn bags with them. He would get frozen shrimp, only with the shell though. Then let them thaw, unshell them and cut them into little pieces then throw them back into the juice after tying them into spawn bags to marinate them in the raw juice. He would add some anise as well. It worked.


SSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
You're WAY TOO helpful!!!


----------



## steelhead sniper 860




----------



## hailtothethief

Ive tried shrimp a couple times. No luck. Have people caught lake erie steelhead on shrimp? I bought the uncooked shrimp. Fished it full, ripped it in half. Ill have to try smaller pieces.


----------



## GrandRiverBassman

steelhead sniper 860 said:


> View attachment 228546


Do you add borax?


----------



## steelhead sniper 860

Shrimp works good I've caught countless steelhead from Lake Erie tribs on Shrimp, good presentation and knowing where the fish hold helps.


----------



## steelhead sniper 860

GrandRiverBassman said:


> Do you add borax?


Yes I do, 20 mule team Borax


----------



## creekcrawler

Best combo I used to use was Borax & clear unflavored gelatin mix with a dash of anise oil.
Put the whole skein in the bag & shake well. Just cut off a chunk of skein and fish.
If you freeze it, it will keep for years. Just thaw slowly in the fridge.
Tied sacs a few times, too tedious and my hands stank for a day. . . . .


----------



## creekcrawler

You can save money by buying that Borax in bulk too.


----------



## laynhardwood

Borax is used as a preservative In a lot of different products we use everyday.


----------



## flyphisherman

Borax works well to get the stank out of the under armor too (soak).....That synthetic material really has a way of holding onto the funk.


----------



## hailtothethief

I fished for perch yesterday, and pulled up some rock bass with eggs. Anybody ever use rock bass eggs for steelhead?


----------



## c. j. stone

hailtothethief said:


> I fished for perch yesterday, and pulled up some rock bass with eggs. Anybody ever use rock bass eggs for steelhead?


Trout will eat anything. They particularly like fish eggs, any fish! A favorite fly pattern of fly guys is a clever copy of "sucker" eggs! Cure em and bag em.


----------



## hailtothethief

c. j. stone said:


> Trout will eat anything. They particularly like fish eggs, any fish! A favorite fly pattern of fly guys is a clever copy of "sucker" eggs! Cure em and bag em.


I caught a brown sucker today. Gonna try fishing real sucker eggs tomorrow.


----------



## steelhead sniper 860

Lolol prob catch a steelhead on those


----------



## hailtothethief

They loved em. Real light bites though. Caught 8. Lost 5 out of 8. Posted the big one in the eastern trib thread.


----------



## bustedrod

did pretty good on the rock the other day on fresh sacks, hooked 5 landed 3 bonked 2 for my friend, my bud hooked a bunch lost 4 turned back 4 bonked 2 .......bbbrrrrrr


----------



## 1MoreKast

hailtothethief said:


> I caught a brown sucker today. Gonna try fishing real sucker eggs tomorrow.





steelhead sniper 860 said:


> Lolol prob catch a steelhead on those


Lol do those eggs even stay in the netting??? Need cheese cloth for those...


----------



## hailtothethief

Some got stuck in the holes. Just big enough. Left em in the fridge uncured. Should of put em in the freezer. Hope they still good. So small might go bad faster


----------



## steelhead sniper 860

How could you tell the sucker was pregnant? What did you catch the sucker on? How Was the sucker meat, Pretty tasty?


----------



## laynhardwood

I have used sucker eggs before and they do not produce as many fish at steelhead eggs but they do work. I think part of my problem was timing and location. I used some netting I got from a fabric store to tie them. The bigger white suckers with a fat belly are the females it is easy to tell. The back of the sucker is brown but they are in fact white suckers. It's not really even worth the time IMO to bag em up. If you want to catch suckers, fish the current breaks in the deep pools with a bottom rig, small hook, and the tail of the night crawler threaded up the hook. The entire crawler works but suckers have small mouths and threading just the tail works wonders. I used to always fish for suckers when the river was muddy but now I just go and catch some largemouth.


----------



## hailtothethief

I could tell the sucker was pregnant when i cut it open and saw the eggs. Had no idea. Was skinny.

Sucker was caught on a minnow just off the bottom. 

The sucker was like catfish if you like that sort of thing.


----------



## hailtothethief

There have been a lot of suckers after the tail outs in the slow water. Been catching on minnows on bottom or just above. Havent tried worms yet


----------

