Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Dr. Backlash on September 17, 2009, 07:35:42 PM

Title: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: Dr. Backlash on September 17, 2009, 07:35:42 PM
Recently I've been curing some fresh pink roe.  I've been following one of Bent Rod's recipes, and everything seemed to turn out good (colour & texture).  But I think I may have rolled it in too much Borax (after having let it soak in the brine for 4 hours) because the Borax is fairly noticeable on the outside of the roe as it sits in a container in my fridge.  When I look at the roe I bought from Berry's a couple of weeks ago, I don't see any Borax on the roe or inside the container. This has led me to think that I may have coated the roe in too much Borax because it's pretty noticeable on the roe. 

1) Do you think that I put too much Borax on the roe, or should it be ok?
2) If I did put too much Borax on the roe, would it be a good idea to try and dust off as much of the Borax from the roe as possible (with gloves on)?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: ynot on September 17, 2009, 07:43:45 PM
no such thing as to much borax in my opinion.
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: mr.p on September 17, 2009, 07:48:06 PM
The more borax the better for storage purposes. 
The night before you are going fishing, take it out of the freezer and put it in a fresh ziploc bag in the fridge.
By morning, it will be thawed nice.  Cut it up into fishable chunks and toss some fresh borax into the ziploc.  shake shake shake and you're ready to go.
The borax will come off within a drift or two and you will be left with nice visually stimulating roe.
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: Dr. Backlash on September 17, 2009, 07:57:13 PM
that's good to know...so I didn't screw up...thanks for the input fellas!
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: hue-nut on September 17, 2009, 09:12:36 PM
the borax is pretty much gone after it hits the water, just makes it a little less messy to deal with.
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: HOOK on September 17, 2009, 09:56:37 PM
all of my roe is covered in borax, I like my roe nice and dry so i dont get coloured fingers. what i like to do is not let it in the water (some people since the borax before casting) and just make that first cast so the borax makes a huge puff of scent when it strikes the water.....if there is hungry fish around you will alot of the time get them on the first or second cast with new chunks of roe.  ;D
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: koko on September 17, 2009, 11:33:17 PM
Add some baking soda before you use it, it will be a lot easier on your hand, tight light.
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: ejeffrey on September 18, 2009, 11:44:25 AM
If you use something like Pro-cure to cure your roe, what is the purpose of adding Borax at the end? Is it just to keep the dye off your hands when putting it on your hook? Does it help prevent freezer burn? Something else?
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: Richmond on September 18, 2009, 12:04:38 PM
If you use something like Pro-cure to cure your roe, what is the purpose of adding Borax at the end? Is it just to keep the dye off your hands when putting it on your hook? Does it help prevent freezer burn? Something else?

yes, keeps the fingers clean. but it will dry out your hands.
it will also help with freezer burn.
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: Spoonman on September 19, 2009, 03:33:25 PM
It  dries the roe out a bit and toughens up the membranes.It's also soapy so it helps wash the goo off your hands. ;)
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: younggun on September 19, 2009, 06:37:05 PM
borax = good. the stuff u get from berries is junk.
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: BigFisher on September 19, 2009, 07:22:00 PM
The reason there is very little borax on the berry roe is because it saves them the bucks$
Go ahead and smother it with borax.
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: blueline on September 20, 2009, 10:29:55 PM
I have never cured roe before - I got some eggs from a pink and put them in the freezer

can I take them and roll them in borax and then use it?
or is there a more complicated reciepe?

Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: Fish Assassin on September 20, 2009, 10:39:46 PM
It can be complicated as you want but plain old borax works just fine.
Title: Re: How much Borax is too much Borax?
Post by: Spoonman on September 21, 2009, 08:42:33 AM
I have never cured roe before - I got some eggs from a pink and put them in the freezer...............................




            They should be cured before freezing for the best results.Use the search funtion to find more info on curing.