# Eggs



## BigFishAddict (Feb 25, 2012)

Is there a certain time of year that is best to keep steelhead eggs? Last year I kept one and the eggs were pretty small compared to ones I've seen in other steelhead. 

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## KSUFLASH (Apr 14, 2004)

Eggs that you buy are likely king salmon eggs. Eggs you harvest from steelhead in our home waters are much smaller in general. The more mature the eggs the more likely they are to be a full size.


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## Ten Bears (Jan 12, 2012)

KSUFlash, I see your website has Chagrin River Outfitters and Steelhead Alley Outfitters listed. I dont see Sean Swatkees name with the Chagrin group. I thought he owned half of that.


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## BobcatJB (Mar 30, 2005)

Springtime when the eggs are fully developed and "loose" is the best time to keep them, however you can use "skein", or eggs still in the membrane, with equal success.

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## Lundfish (Apr 7, 2010)

BobcatJB said:


> Springtime when the eggs are fully developed and "loose" is the best time to keep them, however you can use "skein", or eggs still in the membrane, with equal success.
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


Agreed. I like the spring eggs. When you catch a nice hen they just drip out. Get a baggie and wala!

They're much easier and less messy to tie than skein. I just got some coho eggs from some fish we caught on LM and they were just such a mess. Even worse if you put cure on them. Gotta use the eggs to catch the kings to catch the steelhead.


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## thephildo0916 (Mar 4, 2009)

In my opinion I have had considerably better success using eggs that are scraped from the skein. Can't go wrong with either.


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

thephildo0916 said:


> In my opinion I have had considerably better success using eggs that are scraped from the skein. Can't go wrong with either.


Agree.....loose eggs are overrated

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## mote1977 (Mar 11, 2010)

Hard to beat scraped eggs cured in BorX O'Fire or Fire Brine tied up in white mesh. I usually do best with the natural color.


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## Lundfish (Apr 7, 2010)

thephildo0916 said:


> In my opinion I have had considerably better success using eggs that are scraped from the skein. Can't go wrong with either.


Anytime I tried that the eggs popped. Maybe with the king eggs I get here soon they won't.


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

Lundfish said:


> Anytime I tried that the eggs popped. Maybe with the king eggs I get here soon they won't.


Dont scrape them.....i tie em up membrane and all

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## Lundfish (Apr 7, 2010)

FISHIN216 said:


> Dont scrape them.....i tie em up membrane and all
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


That makes for a total mess which I try to avoid. Tying egg sacs is one of my least favorite things to do. If I can make it less messy the better. Skein with cure is a TOTAL mess!


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## thephildo0916 (Mar 4, 2009)

Tying is a chore but overall I love it. I usually tie the night before so to me, it has all the anticipation of what tomorrow "should" bring. Gets me excited that's for sure, unless my dog gets ahold of the eggs when I'm not looking lol


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

Things I've learned over the years....

1. I cannot beat fresh skein for steelhead. Fishing the same holes for the same fish, fresh steelhead skein with the membrane and all outfishes all others (in my group of fisherman). King eggs catch fish, no doubt. Using the same eggs they eat and smell in our rivers is a no-brainer. 

2. When tying your eggs up, first go buy a box of cheap black garbage bags from the dollar store. I will lay one out, cut it down the sides, and "fillet" it open on my long counter-top. I then lay out all my netting first, then the eggs, then tie them all at the same time. Sort of an assembly line if you will. When finished, I can then just throw the bag away and have no clean up. This keeps my lady from tearing me a new one 

3. You said the eggs are all popping when you are tying them. This may be because they were frozen then thawed out too quickly. When freezing fresh skein, I wrap mine once in a paper towel then seal it in a ziplock trying to remove as much air as possible. I will take that from freezer to fridge 2 days prior to fishing to ensure it thaws out nice and slowly. If you take them from freezer to counter-top, they often pop like you said below.


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## MadMax1 (Aug 27, 2012)

I had been playing around with different cures for steel skein last season, and found this recipe to be quite effective - 
First, take the fresh skein and cut longways down through the membrane to get it to open up and lay flat, this allows the cure to better penetrate the eggs. Then, take a mason jar and fill about 2/3 full with warm water. Add about 1/2 cup of salt ( I used the Morton canning/pickling salt in the green box), 1/2 cup brown sugar, and as much of the '30 mule team' borax I could dissolve into the mixture. After it cools for a little bit, shake the contents once again and then add the skein. Gently, turn the jar up and down down a few times to work the cure into the nooks and crannies. Let the skein soak for about 15 minutes. Then, remove the skein and lay out on cardboard or something a bit heavier than just newspaper, as newspaper may stick to the eggs. Direct a fan at the eggs and let fan dry for a few hours, flip them and dry the other side for a few hours. The result is a skein with a semi - hardened outside and gooey inside. You can cut the skein with scissors in to desired sized chunks and wrap with spawn netting. A bit less of a mess than fresh, and seemed to work just as well - caught a lot of fish on that batch. They hold for a long time under refrigeration, and take twice as long to milk out in the water. Only a month or two until go time - good luck to all on the upcoming season!!


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## Chef T (Feb 28, 2011)

I agree with the guys on fresh skein being the best bait. I just forgo the spawn netting unless the water is dingy. I'm old school myself, so I tie an snell on an octopus hook, open the loop, and place the cut chunk in between, tighten!That membrane is tough stuff and will stay on the hook until the eggs are done miking. You can feel the fish munch on those eggs....


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## icingdeath (Jun 2, 2010)

im done with sacs after last season.using raw skien showed me the rewards.proved after double teaming a spot with my brother.raw won. i cut into quarter size chunks with salt,brown sugar cure.air dry for a few hrs.messy...but milky!


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

Skein in bags have been best overall for me....messy as hell to tie, but most milking and productive for sure. 

To the original poster: IMO anytime a female has eggs, they are good to harvest and bag. I have even used pinhead egg sized skein into sacks. A mature steelhead egg will be about 1/8" to 3/16" round....I had bad luck curing mature loose eggs last year...I'm done waisting my money on cures and sticking to fresh/frozen from now on.


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## Mepps3 (Apr 23, 2006)

You all keep thinking cure don't work and I'll keep on sayin fish on


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## laynhardwood (Dec 27, 2009)

I have caught fish on both it depends on time of year on the cured eggs when it's super cold and water is muddy fresh spawn is by faaaar the best bait it's not a contest also netting is crucial with fast flows and bait bouncing off bottom in slow clear water just skein is good bet or clear netting line diameter and amount of weight bobber size also make a difference just have to play around and find what is working day to day and stretch of river you are choosing to fish 


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## icingdeath (Jun 2, 2010)

how about those days they wont touch skein but beat up king eggs?


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## Mepps3 (Apr 23, 2006)

icingdeath said:


> how about those days they wont touch skein but beat up king eggs?


What about those days they won't touch uncured egg's


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

Who cures their eggs, raw for life, see you at LeRoys slaying soon!!!!!


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## icingdeath (Jun 2, 2010)

hey mepps! yea,i had a few of those days.


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

Mepps3 said:


> What about those days they won't touch uncured egg's


Never encountered one...

On the streams, I'm usually equipped with every salmonid fish egg there is....LOL

IMHO...cure is overrated and presentation reigns supreme I seriously gave it an honest effort too for a full two seasons....Nothing beats uncured skein tied in sacks, nothing....For me.

And I'm NOT saying cures don't work, they do...but, for me, they did not do anything more spectacular that I feel the necessity to go out and spend money and time on. Just a personal choice.

I think 2013-14 will be Epic!


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## Mepps3 (Apr 23, 2006)

ShutUpNFish said:


> Never encountered one...
> 
> On the streams, I'm usually equipped with every salmonid fish egg there is....LOL
> 
> ...


Fish what ever egg you want cured or uncured it all works. I have not fished uncured eggs for 6 years and can't imagine hooking anymore than I do now with cured. I like to tie sacks in advance and not worry about them going bad. BTW last week I caught a couple steelhead on left over sacks from April that have sat in the fridgerator (can't do that with uncured)  Imho most use to much cure. For those who want to use cure see Craig at Erie Outfitters.


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## fredg53 (Sep 17, 2010)

This thead is fun guys saying they never use cure but r the same who pimp it lol

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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

Good point about the cure Jeff...it certainly keeps the eggs longer...I go through alot of them as I'm sure you do. There are always new fish coming into the bank, new fish for me means new eggs... And fresh uncured eggs will last and freeze just fine....only ONCE tho. This is obviously a "to each his own" deal...Good luck this season!

fredge - Out of curiosity, who are you referring to?


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## KSUFLASH (Apr 14, 2004)

Cured vs. Uncured.Home Recipe vs. Commercial 

This question has been the topic of discussion for as long as I can remember. Whether or not there is benefit between them comes down to personal choice and the individual anglers results of each method on the water. Some anglers will swear by fresh and fresh frozen eggs, while the next angler swears by his fathers secret cure passed down from a generation ago. Throw into the mix the commercially available cures, and you can see why this is a hot button talking point with anglers.

Sometimes I think we lose sight on what the purpose of curing or not curing eggs really means, and secondly what curing or not curing does to the eggs. For me there are several reasons why I choose to cure my skein and loose eggs.

1.	Increase the storage life of the egg in a refrigerator.
2.	Increase the durability of the egg vs. uncured eggs.
3.	Allows for additional color enhancement to an egg vs. natural color of uncured.
4.	Allows for scent to be added to the egg that may attract more bites.
5.	Allows for an angler to modify the milking properties of a cured egg vs. the uncured egg natural milking properties.

Uncured eggs are pretty self-explanatory. Uncured eggs as you would expect have had no human intervention in extending the length of life of the egg other than possibly putting them into a freezer. These uncured eggs will milk in a natural state once river water comes in contact with the egg membrane. If you dont know what milking of an egg is, the next time you dunk a spawn sack or chunk of skein for the first time in the river water, notice the white puff ball cloud that is released. That white cloud is the egg releasing the contents of egg juice into the water. 

You will notice that every drift after the first drift will have less and less white cloud visible. Uncured eggs are the most natural egg presentation and at times this is what the fish prefers. The challenge with uncured eggs is the life of the egg significantly decreases after every drift. No more cloud, no more effectiveness from what I have seen in many situations. Beads are another topic of discussion for those that are thinking well what about beads as they dont milk. Beads are often used in low and clear conditions where fish sight is more important than egg scent.

And then we come to cured eggs, and with cured eggs we get into homebrew recipes vs. commercially available ones. Why would anyone want to cure their eggs if you want the most natural presentation to a salmon or steelhead? This is a great question! My way of comparing this would be to pose the same question to anglers that use rubber worms for bass. Why not just use a real worm, and why all of the fancy colors and profiles of the rubber worm? Or, to anglers that spray attractants to their crank baits? For me this is easy to answer. I am trying to dial in on a trigger that will entice a fish to bite when they might not otherwise. 

Curing of eggs for me not only allows me to explore different trout triggers, but also allows me the ability of longer storage times in a refrigerator over uncured eggs. I have 7 pounds of king salmon eggs in the refrigerator right now that are cured and good to go that are 1 year old. I cant say the same for anyone that has uncured eggs in the same state.

Egg durability is quite important to me. Nobody wants to cast a sac only to reel in and find all the eggs have broken open during the casting process. Curing of eggs gives that outer membrane a more durable shell to protect it from breaking. This is most noticed in loose eggs and less of skein eggs that are wrapped into sacs. Curing of eggs also allows the angler to switch the color of the egg from natural to something else. Why go with anything other than a natural color egg? I could say the same thing about casting a jig with a flame orange head, is this natural? 

Sometimes when the water conditions exist, you can present a fish with a non-natural color of egg or egg pattern for you fly guys. Their sight picks it up in the water from a further distance, and possibly triggers them into biting. Same as when you decide on what color jig head to use. We know it isnt a natural color, but rather are looking to get the jig noticed by the fish. Color is a trigger I believe, and sometimes for me, natural egg color is not always the trigger I need when targeting steelhead.

I am a believer in scent, and with a cure I can give the eggs a kicked up scent. Along with scent, a cure not only hardens the shell membrane of the eggs, but also can lengthen the time the egg milks during drifting. Rather than a spawn sac getting a few good drifts and milking, cured eggs can milk greatly longer which for me means less bag changes.

Dont get me wrong, a fresh skein or loose egg presentation can and does work and many anglers swear by uncured only. For me, I carry uncured and cured eggs. I let the fish tell me what they want. I rarely use uncured eggs because I am having succes with cured. There is something to be said for confidence in a presentation as well, and that shouldnt be downplayed. Go with what you like and have confidence in. Only you can determine what works best for you. Whether you prefer cured only, a mix of cured and uncured eggs in a variety of colors, or if you are a fresh frozen type of angler, all of them can and do produce fish. 

For the anglers that have some years under our belts, we know from personal experience what works for us. For the new anglers getting into the sport, the only way to find out what works best is to get out there and try both. See ya on the water this 2012-2013 Season!

-KSU


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

Funny thing....while cleaning out my fridge the other day there was a tupperware container full of firebrine'd eggs from march. they didn't smell bad and I was almost tempted to sack some up but I'll wait. use whatever you are confident in. I always bring 3 different types of eggsacks...fresh uncured(hopefully), firebrined, and flash cured. And even if you sack fresh ones and you aren't going to use them just throw some cure on the sacks and they will last

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## Fuzzygrub (Nov 1, 2008)

Thanks for a well thought out informative post, KSU. You have answered alot of questions that I have been thinking about.


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## firstflight111 (May 22, 2008)

okay everyone has there own way to do eggs ..what i like is to get 2 or 3 hens in the fall with young eggs and just freeze them in small glass jars 

i dont wash them dont cure them just freeze and i do not add water to them ..just pull them out the night before i head up and leave the eggs in the fridge...


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