# got my hands on some steelhead eggs now what????



## Addiction (Apr 18, 2008)

im wondering whats the best way to cure skein from a steelhead? i got about 1 pound off skein and dont know how to cure it or how to make egg sacs any help would be appreciated.


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## KSUFLASH (Apr 14, 2004)

The question of cure or no cure will get you lots of differant opinions. I have cured them in many differant things such as Borax that you can buy from the grocery store in the laundry detergent isle.

I have used the Shake-N-Cure that can be bought at Gander Mountain or Dicks, and it also comes in differant colors.

I have also taken a skein of eggs and rinsed them in river water. This is supposed to harden the shell of the egg. 

I have also chunked up the skein, vacume sealed the chunks. I basically cut a chunk off the skein that is large enough to make me about 20 or so spawn sacks.
I have found personally that freezing the skein in chunks, and then removing them from the freezer when I needed them the night before. Air dry the chunks on newspaper, and flip the chunks of skein over about every 4 hours or so works best for me.

The best cure for me is freezing them. When I thaw them, I then have about as fresh of spawn sacks as one could have.

Others use scent mixed in with their cure. Something like anise or vanilla. I have used the scents, but I haven't seen anything in my getting hits that would make me do that extra step each time.

Personally for me, it isn't the cure that matters as much as the spawn sack netting's color. I carry with me a bunch of differant colors of mesh, and I tie the sacks up at the river side.

-KSU


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## Addiction (Apr 18, 2008)

thanks man i appreciate it what i did was put half the eggs in a colander and shook free single eggs and the rest i got in skein and threw em in the freezer ill tye some one when i get some free time. thanks alot ksu!


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

I agree with Flash, as I freeze all of my eggs as well. I have tried cures, but it seems that keeping the eggs as natrual as possible without any added ingredients catches more fish! Good luck, and wait until you see the difference between using fresh eggs vs. other baits.


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## Addiction (Apr 18, 2008)

thanks guys for all the great info. so do you think the single eggs i seperated yesterday would be ok if i put them into a spawn sac? the eggs look a little small.


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

I always use the spawn sack netting, even if I'm tying up small sacks. The smallest I usually go is 4-5 eggs, and the largest can sometimes be the size of a golfball. Maybe not that big, but sometimes. I will tie gag bags to fish muddy muddy water. An all around good size would be around that of a dime.


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## Brian.Smith (May 18, 2006)

I tie anywhere from 3s to 7s and if the water is muddie maybe a little bigger.


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

If you're planning on using the skein within a few weeks, then it will keep in the fridge for that time period. And yes, fresh is best! However, I do also cure skein and eggs so they will keep for extended periods of time without freezing. I personally have not had good results with freezing eggs....they seem to get mushy and overly gooey when thawed. 

What I do is thoroughly air dry loose eggs or skein after rinsing them in creek water or clean well water. Then sprinkle them with the cure, making sure all the surfaces are covered in cure (plain 20 mule team Borax is a good basic cure). Put your skein in baggies and the loose eggs in a plastic coffee container. Some guys will add scent such as anise or strwberry jello adds color as well. I just let the natural scent take care of itself. The skein will last about a half season refridgerated before starting to get the brownish tint to it, but the loose eggs generally last the whole season....I simply keep them loose until I'm ready to tie more sacks. Good Luck.


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## master of steel (Oct 12, 2008)

Get vacuum food sealer for eggs, that's what I use. I mostly use uncured eggs as I find curing eggs can be a trial and error headache and I'm reluctant to waste eggs. I have frozen and refrozen eggs and skein numerous times and the texture and firmness was very consistent. 

If your freezing eggs or skein in a ziplock bag, your going to ruin them.


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

Never thought of my foodsaver for freezing eggs....good idea....the pressure doesn't smash the loose eggs or skein?


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## KSUFLASH (Apr 14, 2004)

my foodsaver has an adjustment for how much vacume power it has.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

I'm beginning to like skein better than sacs.
KSU is right, the skein seems a little firmer if you freeze it and thaw it the day b4 you fish.


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