Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Animal Chin on March 21, 2012, 01:30:53 PM

Title: How to water-harden steelhead eggs.
Post by: Animal Chin on March 21, 2012, 01:30:53 PM

Sorry if this has been discussed ad naseum. I caught/took home my first vedder doe today... sweet, finally.... and have it sitting in my fridge. I stopped off and filled my thermos with river water before heading home.

What do I do now? Add sea salt and boil? low heat or high heat?

Thanks in advance.

Still have time to head over to Rice Lake and do some trout fishin ;D.

Title: Re: How to water-harden steelhead eggs.
Post by: DionJL on March 21, 2012, 02:28:53 PM

If you plan on tying roe bags don't cook the eggs. Simply mix in non-iodized salt into boiling water until the salt will no longer dissolve. Put aside and let cool. Once the solution has cooled, pour it over your eggs in a container, cover, and let sit in your fridge.

Title: Re: How to water-harden steelhead eggs.
Post by: Animal Chin on March 21, 2012, 06:51:35 PM

Cool thanks Dion. Glad I asked.

Title: Re: How to water-harden steelhead eggs.
Post by: Animal Chin on March 22, 2012, 04:08:32 PM

Darn, should have did some research.

I got quite a bit of eggs out of that doe. It was chrome. However, they were skeined eggs. If I was really thinking I should have just cured with Pautzke's or borax and used them for coho seeing as how intact the skeins were.

I didn't realize it's not a good idea to water harden skeined eggs.

Anyhow, I dissloved a quarter cup of sea salt in half a liter of distilled water. Soaked the eggs in covered container in fridge. They don't look that bad. Though they aren't super hard. They weren't super red to begin with. Now they're a little translucent and I can see a dark spot of orange within the egg. I wouldn't say they're "milky" but a little hazy.

I still have river water left.

Have I ruined the eggs?

 Should I dissolve more some salt in the river water, drain my container and re-fill with new water and hope for the best? or can I take them out as they are now, cover in borax and freeze them for coho? or even cure them with Pautzke's now?

I was going to tie egg bags with them.

Thanks. Any help would be appreciated.