Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: allwaysfishin on September 30, 2007, 06:08:26 PM
-
the doe i whacked looked pretty clean when i killed it and was a big fattie so i figured... meat for the smoker and some juicy roe for the coho. Problem is when i cut her open, all the eggs had singled out already and where loose. I figured i'd keep em for a little experiment in water hardening.
I don't have pics of the whole process but you will clearly see the end result :D
you will need.... about 4 cups of course salt
1 large clean margarine or yogurt container
a 1 gallon clean milk jug
a metal strainer
procure powder
and clean fresh water, distilled if you have it but my results were with river water, then tap water.
This recipe is for the quantity of eggs from 1, 6 lbs pink salmon. WILL ONLY WORK FOR LOOSE EGGS, NOT SKEINED EGGS .. ALSO does not require procure or anything else other than the water and salt. I simply use the procure as a colouring agent, I'm sure it benefits the cure in other ways but is by no means necessary.
STEP 1 : empty the loose eggs from the fish into a large ziploc (always have these for roe anyways) and fill with river water and drain as neccesary to remove any blood. water inziploc should appear near gin clear with the eggs inside. leave as much water as ou can in the bag and close. carefully take it home with you.
STEP 2 : Allow the eggs to it in the river water in the fridge for 12 hours (24 is recommended for chum/spring eggs)
STEP 3 : pour eggs out into metal stainer... handle them carefully at this point they will be soft.
STEP 4 : place eggs into a margarine container and add 2 to 3 teaspoons of your desired color of procure powder... i used red hot double stuff.... and 1/4 cup coarse salt, then very gently stir till thoroughly disolved/mixed... add a bit of fresh cold water if need be to help it mix up nice.
STEP 5: pour 2 cups coarse salt into the 1 gallon milk jug and fill 3/4 full with cold water. put on lid and shake like crazy, disolving as much salt as you can.... there will be a lot of undisolved salt.... this is good.
STEP 6: back to the eggs.... they should only soak in the procure for up to 2 hours.... I only waited 1 hour to achieve the juicy pink colour i got in the pics...... pour the eggs into the metal strainer and rinse well under the tap with cold water. Once rinsed they need to go into the milk jug full of salt water. Once the eggs are in the jug, top it off with cold water and give a gentle shake to mix the contents well. put it in the fridge over night... 12 hours is good. 24 hours for larger eggs such as chum/spring
STEP 7: after storing in the salt water over night they are essentially done at this point and ready to use. I generally drain them out of the milk jug and refill it with the remaining salt ( 1 3/4 cups) and fill it 1/2 full of water and just leave the eggs in there... for 6 months if need be.
here is the pics... sorry i didn't take any during the process... mostly just the end result .. BUT CHECK OUT the pics with the glass of water sitting on top of the eggs on the counter..... you get a nicew water hardened colored egg .... perfect for juicy roe bags.
ENJOY ;D
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1766.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1763.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1765.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1764.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1767.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1768.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1769.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1770.jpg)
-
all i can say is wow! that looks like some nice roe.. thanks for the report
-
if i want a natural look can I just not put pro-cure in and do the other steps. they look very good thanks for the posting ;D ;D
-
Nice lookin singles!!! I may try that tonight with some pink eggs!
-
Totally awesome Thomas
-
yes you can skip the procure.... it's only for color.... the end result will be the same but in natural colour.
-
Thanks for the posting alwaysfishin...
Question - Other than colour does procure do anything else... Your process only includes a lot of salt... from what I can gather I could skip step 4 and get the same result with a natural colour egg - correct?
Also, for the forum - what and where can you get material to make up your roe sacks... A few step by step suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Wheresmybobber
-
If you add a teaspoon of Boric Acid your eggs will be even more rubbery. Practically un-popable.
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c269/IH8XC/IMG_1272.jpg)
-
This is the way I do them go to army and navy and get the mesh and spider wire the mesh comes in alot of colours. The mesh comes all one peace and i it about 2" squares but you can cut to what ever size you wish. put your eggs in and rap them up twist the top but not to so you squash your eggs rap the spider wire around top about 6 or 7 time. Trim the top and your done you do not want a big piece on the top I trim just above the the spider wire
-
So I take it that these eggs don't milk much?
-
most water hardened eggs i've seen don't milk, no, but they work like a hot damn for steelhead and coho regardless. the inside of the egg is still liquid... fish bite em and it gets tasty in thier mouth... kinda like than gum that squirts ehehehe 8)
the mesh for tying roe sacks is availlable at most takle shops... so is spider thread(in the tube in the pic)... there are other types of roe sack tying threads but ... they simply suck (like the pink roll if thread in the pic).
here's a pic showing typical roe bag tying stuff and some pics of tying up a roe bag... done tonite
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1771.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1772.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1773.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1774.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1775.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/allwaysfishin/IMG_1777.jpg)
there ya go..... gee i'm havin fun with my new camera tonite hehehe :D
-
great stuff guys
-
if i want a natural look can I just not put pro-cure in and do the other steps. they look very good thanks for the posting ;D ;D
Just use the natural pro cure and then your game is on!
Hotrod
-
I have water hardened eggs a number of times and it seems to me that once water hardened (to my nose anyways) the eggs loose a lot of scent (compared to cured/boraxed roe). I tied roe bags with singles I pulled off a cured skeen and they worked wonders this year but they lack the durability of WH eggs...any input on the scent issue anyone?
-
I have water hardened eggs a number of times and it seems to me that once water hardened (to my nose anyways) the eggs loose a lot of scent (compared to cured/boraxed roe). I tied roe bags with singles I pulled off a cured skeen and they worked wonders this year but they lack the durability of WH eggs...any input on the scent issue anyone?
I noticed the same thing when a did my first batch last year. have not done it since then. I know some people will soak them in scent when they store them but I do not know if that would work. I have done the same thing as you and just peeled them off the skeen.
-
i sometimes add krill scent or anise glo scent. I'll keep a few tied sacks in a small jar and squirt a bunch in it.... try it.... you just might like it. seems to have no ill effect on the eggs cure
-
I like to freshen up my roe bags with a little scent just prior to casting.
-
I put a couple drops of anise oil in the brew...also you can use kool aid for coloring and I think the fish like the sweetness of it..may sound dumb but have done the same with curing roe and they seem to like it quite a bit!!!
Nice stuff T. Keep busy so you don't have time for Merc's rod..Don't listen to what he says, after Christmas is fine!!!
-
hehehe too funny xgolfman... i think he's bringing the parts out tonite for the rod... ;D
with two other custom rods on the go.... i'll have to see if i can sqeeze in the time for his....
more notes on this roe recipe.
i've never used pink salmon eggs for water hardening before, usually chum or spring.... but i really liked how these turned out... so i posted it up.
now here's the "top secret tom" :D way to scent these up
other than the above mentioned scents you can add..... try this
when you make your roe bags... put a small chunk of wool matching the egg colour, in the sack with the eggs
then..... take some loose cured eggs and in a tall glass (because they pop and are messy) squish a bunch of eggs to get the juices from them, pour it through a strainer and put it in an empty scent bottle or suitable container..... when you get to the river you have fresh eggs juice to power up your eggs sack.... the small chunk of wool in the sack will hold the scent well.... add a couple drops of anise to this juice if you want... but oh... don't leave this mix in your vest... store it in the fridge or cold garage.... it gets preety stinky ofter a week or so.... i make a fresh batch frequently
try it.... guarantee your gonna like it ;D
-
how are the water hardend eggs if you put them in the freezer to store
-
Just put them in the fridge. They will last a long time.
-
leave them in a container filled with salt water.... generally you can't use too much salt...for the curing itself and for storage i use a ratio of 1 cup of coarse salt for every 2liters of water, shake it for several minutes to disolve as much salt as possible then pour the water into the jar of cured eggs and stick em in the fridge.... they will last for months.... i'm actually thinking of saving the ones i made in these pics for steelhead season.
I never freeze them...
-
i like chum eggs better! bigger and have natural orange colour, tie them in 3,4,5 eggs in a roe bag. makes very good chinook and steelhead bait! Thomas gave a very nice demenstration.
-
Tom, thanks for the great recipe!! perhaps this year I"ll try making some. All my attempts have been poor so far.
-
I tend to use singles from skeins as well but if I made singles as well as Tom's I'm sure I would fish them with a lot of confidence. Others have yet to mention it but I started putting the various coloured stryfoam balls into my roe bags (3 to 4 per bag for my Thompson bags) several years back and they worked extremely well for me.....I'm afraid that if I don't put them in my results won't be as good. Maybe I'm being superstitious. :-\
Anybody else use these? If you've tried them, did you get better or worse results with them? Or are they just a gimmick in your opinion?
-
thanks so much for this tip allwaysfisin. just finished my first batch and I like my first is with d reed and I let is soak for 2hrs and they are alittle darker. my next batch will be ready tomorrow and those ones I did in organ cool-aid. for any one else I strongly recommend this meathid for all singal egg ;D ;D ;
-
my next batch will be ready tomorrow and those ones I did in organ cool-aid. for any one else I strongly recommend this meathid for all singal egg ;D ;D ;
[/quote]
Organ cool-aid.....that's an interesting appoach. Nope...won't go there ;D
-
Good informative post re: Water hardening. ;D
Been doing just that with all species of eggs I've used for a decade plus now. Works, and works well!
Couple of thoughts:
- I generally run a small piece (like barely the size of your little fingernail) of cured skein roe in the bait loop in front of the roe bag. Provides scent, Loooong after the actual roe has dissolved, and all there is left is a tuft of skein. Locally know as: The Answer ;)
The little styrofoam balls add something in the way of colour, and if you use enough, will help float the offering up off the floor. Have tried them in the past, but haven't found them to be neccessary.
The boric acid trick works well to create little rubber ball bearings, that, if thrown at the wall, might just come back and take your eye out!! :o
Makes for incredibley durable roebags - like 30 plus casters.
Cheers,
Nog
-
The boric acid trick works well to create little rubber ball bearings, that, if thrown at the wall, might just come back and take your eye out!! :o
Makes for incredibley durable roebags - like 30 plus casters.
Cheers,
Nog
LoL, i've fish with a single (boric acid added) roe bag for hours, then taken it off the hook to reuse another day. BTW if you use this method you'll find the eggs shrink once you take them out of the solution, and your roebags tend to look lame, but once they hit the water they re-expand and fill the bag tight.
-
my next batch will be ready tomorrow and those ones I did in organ cool-aid. for any one else I strongly recommend this meathid for all singal egg ;D ;D ;
Organ cool-aid.....that's an interesting appoach. Nope...won't go there ;D
[/quote]hey this worked very well and for only pennys a glass
-
If I ignored the "leave them in a container filled with salt water" step and just put them in a jar (in the fridge) how long would they last? By the way, the recipe worked great! Thnx. :)
(http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v135/143/105/892240570/n892240570_1412633_2715.jpg)
-
Sorry the reply is so late.
At this point, just give em a 20 minute hot water bath and that should seal the jar. They're good for a few years after that.