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How to cure salmon eggs for salmon fishing

Using salmon eggs to target chinook and coho can be the most effective strategy in many of our Northwest fisheries. The cornerstone for success with cured salmon roe is using quality bait. While store bought cured roe can work very well for salmon, learning how to master the curing process can produce the best cured bait on the planet! While every angler has his favorite method, this article is focused on the basic process of curing salmon eggs. Start out with this method, and eventually you will find your own favorite variation on this beginner's guide to curing salmon eggs for salmon fishing.

Cured salmon roe clusters like this are the difference between having a mediocre day or an epic day on the river. With a little care and a simple curing process, anyone can cure salmon roe like this!

Salmon cure vs. steelhead cure

Does it really matter what I plan on targeting with my cured eggs? Answer: ABSOLUTELY! Can't I just sprinkle a little cure on 'em and fish for steelhead or salmon? Answer: Well you could but the old saying, anything worth doing is worth doing well, comes to mind. Every avid salmon and steelhead angler and every reputable fishing guide will say that the difference between eggs for salmon fishing and steelhead fishing is like the difference between night and day.

Once salmon enter the river, they cease feeding. Their spawning aggression consumes every action they take. Chasing and snapping at eachother is a common attribute seen in the spawning streams. That same spawning aggression is what causes them to bite our lures. The action and sound of spinners, jigs, kwikfish and other lures triggers that aggression. Scent is a major trigger as well. The sight of a bright cluster of eggs paired with their scent is a deadly combination. The perfect cured egg cluster is bright and has so much juice that it literally "milks out" in the water. Salmon are chemical fiends. Most commercial egg cures are sulfite based and offer plenty of bite stimulants. While a "wet" cure used in salmon cures created a delicate product, which isn't as durable as steelhead fishing cures...it sure does work!

Steelhead have similar attributes as salmon. They return to their home river to spawn, but typically spend more time in the river. They do feed after they've returned to freshwater, especially summer steelhead. Steelhead are curious, they will pick up loose chum eggs, cased caddis and other aquatic insects. As cured salmon roe goes, while they will bite sulfite based cures, a non-sulfite cure will outperform in most situations. Simple cures with borax, salt and sugar can be extremely effective for steelhead. Aside from the chemical composition of the cure, the final product will be totally different. Steelhead fishing techniques like side drifting or drift fishing require a durable product. Steelhead eggs don't need to milk and by nature must be more firm.

Catching salmon to the curing process

From the moment your catch has been landed, taking care of your eggs is important to ensure a quality finished product. Once you land your catch, be sure to cut all the gills. Not only does this drain blood from the egg skeins, but also the fillets. This is paramount, salmon blood taints the egg skeins, creating unfishable salmon roe.

At the end of your fishing excursion, remove the egg skeins from the salmon. Immediately place them in a ziplock bag and place them in a cooler or refrigerator. Cure salmon eggs as soon as possible, those with ample experience recommend curing eggs the same day they are caught. Never rinse eggs in the river or sink! Get 'em home and get ready to cure!

Basic curing ingredients

• salmon skeins
• egg cure
• glass bowl
• rubber gloves
• scissors
• paper towels
• storage containers

Here we have some fresh salmon egg skeins plus all the curing equipment needed to produce some high quality cured salmon roe. It is very important to cure any egg skeins as soon as possible. Most commercial egg cures include potent fluorescent dyes which an stain countertops. Select an area where cleanup can be done easily, where staining isn't a huge problem if it occurs.

These skeins are from a 21 pound fall chinook caught yesterday. The skeins are large, the eggs aren't tightly clustered to the skein, and the berries are large. These will make great bait for salmon fishing. Lay the skeins on paper towels.

Cover the salmon egg skeins with paper towels, and pat dry. This removes excess moisture and blood from the eggs.

Take scissors and cut the skeins in half, lengthwise. By opening up the skein, the cure will penetrate deeper, creating a consistent finished product. Allow each skein half to have a healthy amount of the outer skin. Remember, the outer skin on the egg skein is what holds an egg cluster together.

Here are the portioned skeins. Now that these large skeins have been cut up, they will absorb the egg cure evenly. The upper portions show the skin side up, this skin holds each cluster together but won't absob egg cures readily. The lower portions show the egg side up, which will absorb cures and additives with ease.

Our preference is to portion our skeins into fishable sized clusters. It is extremely convenient to have cured salmon roe preclustered while fishing. If you aren't sure what size clusters you might want, cut them larger. You can always portion them into smaller sizes while you're fishing. Never forget how important that skin is! We make sure each cluster has ample amounts of skin.

We have portioned our skeins into clusters, which will easily absorb egg cure. There are many quality egg cures on the market today. For demonstration purposes we are using Pautzke's Firecure.

Evenly apply egg cure to the clusters. It's important not to over cure the eggs, so lightly sprinkle cure. You can always add more later.

Using rubber gloves, mix in the egg cure. Gently stir the salmon egg clusters until the cure has dissolved into the moisture of the eggs. Once the color of the dye is consistent throughout the entire batch, decide whether you would like to add more cure.

We have thouroughly stirred in the egg cure. The color is consistent throughout the entire batch, which ensures the batch will cure evenly.

We have decided that this batch requires a little extra cure, so we sprinkle in a little more. Adding just enough cure is a fine art, and can take a few batches to get it right. You can't go wrong following the recomendations on the label of the cure bottle.

After several hours, the eggs will extract most of their juice. You will notice plenty of liquid in your curing container.

After several more hours, much of that liquid will reabsorb back into the eggs. This is the last step of the curing process.

Inspect the final product, these look like great eggs! They are colored up and juicy. These are ready for storage. For juicy salmon fishing eggs, we prefer to store them in glass quart jars.

Last step: Place cured salmon roe in jars, label and store. If you plan on fishing soon, store them in the refrigerator. These eggs will be saved for spring, so they will head to the freezer.