09-01-2003, 12:17 PM
Their own eggs are the best all-round baits for steelhead and salmon and often for other trout and whitefish. I learned early on that taking time to prepare and preserve trout and salmon spawn could make the difference between great fishing trips and poor ones. Conservation also entered the equation, as I never liked to kill more female fish than necessary. Preserving spawn helps you avoid waste. Here are some of my favourite methods.
Water-hardened, fridge air dried Recipe:
Mature trout (steelhead and brown trout are considered best) or salmon eggs, borax (if desired). For tying into spawn sacs, loose eggs and clear mature eggs almost separating from the skein are best. Mature eggs still in the skein can be hand-loosened gently in a container of cold water or scraped out (a spoon or a flat, dull knife and a Teflon board work well). The shells of mature eggs harden when exposed to water, a natural protection process that usually occurs after they've been fertilized. To trigger hardening, rinse eggs for several minutes in river water or at home in a colander, making sure all debris, blood, and membrane are removed. Place eggs in plastic bags or other containers and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours (hardening can take one to six hours). If eggs will not fully harden, spread them thinly on a paper towel on a plate and return to the fridge for up to three hours to air dry. They can now be tied into sacs, frozen as is in jars, or further preserved by other methods. I like small jars that hold just enough eggs for a day's fishing, rather than large jars with excess eggs that have to be refrozen. To protect them from freezer burn, when small jars are unavailable, I double-wrap eggs in small air-tight plastic bags and place them in a Tupperware container. Unfrozen fresh spawn has a refrigerator life of less than two weeks and a freezer life of several years. Immature opaque eggs tight in the skein never fully harden. Freezing them untreated will cause ice crystals to break their fragile shells, producing mushy, sticky eggs when thawed. They're still excellent bait, but messier to tie. I roll these spawn sacs in borax. They milk well and are great in slow-water situations where scent is especially important to enticing hits from fish. Pros and cons: The simplest treatments. Require the least effort and eggs retain natural scent and colour. Short shelf life, unless frozen.
Boraxed skein chunks and spawn sacs Recipe:
Salmon or trout skeins, 20-Mule Team Borax. Wash skeins under cold water and rinse thoroughly. Roll in paper towel and allow eggs to firm up in the fridge for two days. Cut skeins into dime-sized chunks for steelhead and quarter-sized for salmon. Drop chunks into powdered borax and roll them around until coated. Place a 1-inch layer of borax at the bottom of a jar and then add chunks. Sprinkle borax on top of them and refrigerate for several weeks or freeze immediately. Mature spawn can also be preserved this way or by soaking in a saturated cold-water and borax bath for up to two hours. Pros and cons: It's a good way to preserve immature skeins. Boraxed spawn sacs and chunks last and milk well in water. Even under an egg snell, skeined chunks do not stay on a hook as well as spawn sacs. Well-sealed boraxed eggs can last for months in the fridge and years in the freezer. Time-tested fish catchers.
Salt-cured single eggs Recipe:
Loose mature chinook eggs; salt (non-iodized pickling or sea salt). Rinse chinook eggs under cold water and allow to harden in the fridge, then place on paper towel and plate to air dry for several hours. Heavily coat eggs with salt and allow them to dry for up to 12 hours and become wrinkled. Roll eggs around in salt every couple of hours. Test hardness by squeezing eggs with fingers and using a small hook. When an egg stays firmly on the hook, without splitting or popping, place salt and eggs in small baby-food jars and freeze. These eggs are ready for fishing on small hooks. You can also use salt to cure steelhead and other trout eggs. Many anglers salt entire skeins and loose eggs before tying into spawn sacs. For this, you can also use a saturated salt-water bath (some anglers add a few tablespoons of brown sugar) and leave previously water-hardened eggs in it for up to 2 hours. Then drain and package or tie into sacs immediately. Pros and cons: Salted eggs maintain their colour. Single eggs work great under a float, especially in slow, deep runs below spawning riffles. While eggs might be wrinkled, after fishing with them for a while they plump up. Because single eggs are fished on small hooks, fish often swallow them deeply. Consider using barbless hooks when catch-and-release fishing. Single eggs are simpler to prepare than tying spawn sacs. They keep for months in the fridge and for several years frozen.
Boric acid Recipe: Trout or salmon eggs, boric acid crystals. Water harden eggs as before and allow to drain and fridge dry for up to two hours (they might wrinkle). Dissolve one tablespoon of boric acid crystals per quart of water. Add dried eggs and stir. Allow eggs to absorb the solution for about one hour and to plump up. Test by squeezing with your fingers. They should be firm and rubbery. If eggs pop, soak them longer in the solution. They can be refrigerated or frozen in baby-food jars or tied into spawn sacs and frozen. Pros and cons: Unfrozen eggs will last up to 6 months in the fridge, years frozen. They have natural appearance and colour. Experimentation is required to get eggs to the right hardness.
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Water-hardened, fridge air dried Recipe:
Mature trout (steelhead and brown trout are considered best) or salmon eggs, borax (if desired). For tying into spawn sacs, loose eggs and clear mature eggs almost separating from the skein are best. Mature eggs still in the skein can be hand-loosened gently in a container of cold water or scraped out (a spoon or a flat, dull knife and a Teflon board work well). The shells of mature eggs harden when exposed to water, a natural protection process that usually occurs after they've been fertilized. To trigger hardening, rinse eggs for several minutes in river water or at home in a colander, making sure all debris, blood, and membrane are removed. Place eggs in plastic bags or other containers and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours (hardening can take one to six hours). If eggs will not fully harden, spread them thinly on a paper towel on a plate and return to the fridge for up to three hours to air dry. They can now be tied into sacs, frozen as is in jars, or further preserved by other methods. I like small jars that hold just enough eggs for a day's fishing, rather than large jars with excess eggs that have to be refrozen. To protect them from freezer burn, when small jars are unavailable, I double-wrap eggs in small air-tight plastic bags and place them in a Tupperware container. Unfrozen fresh spawn has a refrigerator life of less than two weeks and a freezer life of several years. Immature opaque eggs tight in the skein never fully harden. Freezing them untreated will cause ice crystals to break their fragile shells, producing mushy, sticky eggs when thawed. They're still excellent bait, but messier to tie. I roll these spawn sacs in borax. They milk well and are great in slow-water situations where scent is especially important to enticing hits from fish. Pros and cons: The simplest treatments. Require the least effort and eggs retain natural scent and colour. Short shelf life, unless frozen.
Boraxed skein chunks and spawn sacs Recipe:
Salmon or trout skeins, 20-Mule Team Borax. Wash skeins under cold water and rinse thoroughly. Roll in paper towel and allow eggs to firm up in the fridge for two days. Cut skeins into dime-sized chunks for steelhead and quarter-sized for salmon. Drop chunks into powdered borax and roll them around until coated. Place a 1-inch layer of borax at the bottom of a jar and then add chunks. Sprinkle borax on top of them and refrigerate for several weeks or freeze immediately. Mature spawn can also be preserved this way or by soaking in a saturated cold-water and borax bath for up to two hours. Pros and cons: It's a good way to preserve immature skeins. Boraxed spawn sacs and chunks last and milk well in water. Even under an egg snell, skeined chunks do not stay on a hook as well as spawn sacs. Well-sealed boraxed eggs can last for months in the fridge and years in the freezer. Time-tested fish catchers.
Salt-cured single eggs Recipe:
Loose mature chinook eggs; salt (non-iodized pickling or sea salt). Rinse chinook eggs under cold water and allow to harden in the fridge, then place on paper towel and plate to air dry for several hours. Heavily coat eggs with salt and allow them to dry for up to 12 hours and become wrinkled. Roll eggs around in salt every couple of hours. Test hardness by squeezing eggs with fingers and using a small hook. When an egg stays firmly on the hook, without splitting or popping, place salt and eggs in small baby-food jars and freeze. These eggs are ready for fishing on small hooks. You can also use salt to cure steelhead and other trout eggs. Many anglers salt entire skeins and loose eggs before tying into spawn sacs. For this, you can also use a saturated salt-water bath (some anglers add a few tablespoons of brown sugar) and leave previously water-hardened eggs in it for up to 2 hours. Then drain and package or tie into sacs immediately. Pros and cons: Salted eggs maintain their colour. Single eggs work great under a float, especially in slow, deep runs below spawning riffles. While eggs might be wrinkled, after fishing with them for a while they plump up. Because single eggs are fished on small hooks, fish often swallow them deeply. Consider using barbless hooks when catch-and-release fishing. Single eggs are simpler to prepare than tying spawn sacs. They keep for months in the fridge and for several years frozen.
Boric acid Recipe: Trout or salmon eggs, boric acid crystals. Water harden eggs as before and allow to drain and fridge dry for up to two hours (they might wrinkle). Dissolve one tablespoon of boric acid crystals per quart of water. Add dried eggs and stir. Allow eggs to absorb the solution for about one hour and to plump up. Test by squeezing with your fingers. They should be firm and rubbery. If eggs pop, soak them longer in the solution. They can be refrigerated or frozen in baby-food jars or tied into spawn sacs and frozen. Pros and cons: Unfrozen eggs will last up to 6 months in the fridge, years frozen. They have natural appearance and colour. Experimentation is required to get eggs to the right hardness.
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