Loose Egg Cure

[fridgepool]

Hello All,

Don't know if I will get much response on this one, but I sure could use help. I have cured eggs in the past for egg sacks and it must have been beginners luck because the past couple years I have failed each year in making a good bouncy eggs since. But first a little history...

A few years ago I caught a nice female king up in Altmar. I took it to the closest fish cleaner and the guy there started to talking to me about curing eggs. Then he took one of his out of a bucket he had cured and bounced it. The thing bounced from floor to ceiling and all around! I was quite impressed! So I got a very little info out of him about what he did, basically a few ingredients (salt, sugar, cold water). Nothing more than those reticent ingredients would he give me, except that it was an "Old Timers" cure. So I asked for some of the eggs from my fish, I came home, found a similar sounding recipe online and tried it. It worked pretty well, I got a bounce from floor to eye level. Then the following year I lost the recipe and collected about 12 various recipes. I once again hit two that worked fairly well. One was simply soak overnight in ice cold water and then store them salted! I couldn't believe it the next day when I couldn't even pop them between my fingers.

But the past couple years I tried the same recipes and various other ones with well water then spring water and I can't seem to get anything but eggs that pop with the slightest squeeze. So can anyone guess what I am doing wrong? Because I sure can't. I have treated the eggs well from the time I get them out of the fish until later that night when I cure them. Even though the fish stations just keep them in 5 gallon pail all day long...

This year I used a stainless steel bowl to try and cure them which may be a problem, but I also did the plain cold water brine in a ziplok, so the bowl wouldn't have mattered with that one.

Or if someone has an "Old Timers" recipe that is fool proof I sure would be much obliged... I'm certainly willing to post all the recipes I collected since they are all public forum domain. Some are for loose eggs and some are for skeins.

Thanks for any help.

PS... why a DIY cure? Because I really like all things DIY since most everything used to be DIY

[Mortigan]

Last couple of conversations....

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=35316&p=211991#p211991

[BAZOOKAJOE]

I dissolve 1 cup salt and 2 cups brown sugar in a quart of hot water. Let water cool to slightly warm. Throw the eggs in and let them soak for 20 minutes. Then freeze in disposable plastic Tupperware.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[fridgepool]

Thanks for the quick replies already. Mortigan, I actually had read your posts before I posted here. I will give that a try if I get another female this year. We have plenty of Borax because we make our own laundry soap too.

Below are the recipes I used before with success. In the fridge I still have a small jar of eggs which are two years old and are still in great shape (and even smell good). I just can't figure out where I am messing up these past couple years...

1) -Take your CLEAN CLEAN NO BLOOD loose eggs and let sit over night in icy cold water !! the eggs will turn white !! after soaking over night drain all water out make sure that eggs are clean put in a 1 gallon zip lock baggy with a bunch of un iodized salt not normal table salt i would put plenty in its better to have too much than too lil i would say 1 cup

2) -Take eggs from 1 salmon, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup sea salt, 1 cup distilled water, let set overnight, drain, tie

Thanks again for the replies. I'll just keep at it.

[Mortigan]

I think I'll give it a try too if I manage to make it out and catch one. I've still got a dozen sacks frozen that I purchased locally last year but I'd like to do it myself.

I keep forgetting to grab a gallon of distilled water but I bet dehumidifier water would work just as well.

[BAZOOKAJOE]

It doesn't really matter. I've used tap water, iodized salt and white sugar. They still turn out great.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[fridgepool]

It doesn't really matter. I've used tap water, iodized salt and white sugar. They still turn out great.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

That's what I suspected! With so many recipes and variations out there, there has to be room for error, improvisation and/or improvements... So then my other question would be, how do you treat the eggs from the time of collecting them until you cure them later that evening?

I have put them in ziploks and left them in the cooler at cool temperatures. I have also put them immediately in ice cold water in ziploks. I have heard of guys who immediately store them in River water... Is this step crucial or is there room for error here too? Someone else suggests using warm water to free them from the skein, so maybe I am getting them too cool too quickly.

Or maybe I'm not rinsing them long enough... It's just really bugging me.

By the way, I just realized your recipe looks has similar ingredients to the "Old Timers" one the fish cleaner hinted at...

If I get another female this year I will split the group into two and try both Bazookajoe's and Mortigan's.

Thanks.

[Lund SSS]

3 TBSP NON IODINZED SALT

2 TBSP BORIC ACID (ANY PHARMACY)

1 QUART COLD WATER

In a glass mixing blow dissolve salt and boric acid in cold water add eggs, the longer they soak the firmer the'll get, if they spend more than 24 hours they will turn into super balls. The salt is the "cure" the boric acid is a anti fungal. If stored in a glass container these eggs last a long time. I've got a jar from 2 years ago and there still egg sack material.

Word of caution they do absorb the solution and I have "overdone" the process. went to check on them and they had all exploaded - nothing but a bowl of hulls. Only happened once and I don't know why but ???

[Mortigan]

Would that work for skein as well? Also, is it better to leave the eggs in the fish until you get it home or should you pull them at the river and place in a container with river water?

[Lund SSS]

wouldn't use it on skein ,too much tissue and membrane involved. As far as placing in water the minute you do there going to start to turn white on you.

[idn713]

Will this make the egg tough enough to withstand being pierced by a hook? I wanna fish single eggs (not sacks) and I have a ton of eggs to use up.

[ Post made via Android ]

[GAMBLER]

Will this make the egg tough enough to withstand being pierced by a hook? I wanna fish single eggs (not sacks) and I have a ton of eggs to use up.

[ Post made via Android ]

Buy beeds. Less hassle and work just as good. Buy some egg sacks and mash them up. Dip the beed in the juice for scent.

[idn713]

I dont know about that man. I was a big bead believer two years ago, but the last two seasons they have been bad for me. Plus I have so many freaking colors I can never decide on what color is best and what size. Also changing beads is a pain, gotta cut the hook and then retie just to swap colors.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Guppy35]

This may be stupid question, but i've never really done much stream fishing and never used egg sacs as bait. What i'm wondering is what is the best way to put the egg sac on your hook/line?

Sean

[fridgepool]

I normally fish egg sacs on a #6 hook just in one side and out the other. I tend to favor the Knot that ties the egg sac pointing up so that the hook reinforces the knot. I have had sacs come untied when fishing them and so I like the bottom of the sac to hit the water first. You can use a bobber if you fish slow pools or drift naturally or even purchase/make floating sacs. I prefer the rapids and sinker or two depending on how fast the flow is.

Thanks to everyone for the recipes. Next week I plan to be on the river so hopefully I will end up with some eggs before the days out.

[TyeeTanic]

It doesn't really matter. I've used tap water, iodized salt and white sugar. They still turn out great.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Agreed, the only difference is I do take river water with me in a 2L coke bottle.

Mix a TBL spoon each of iodized salt and white sugar into about a quart cold and stir till disolved.

Then eggs go in for about 2 hours or so.

Strain and dry with paper towel and back in the fridge for 24 hrs.

For the other posts trying to get super balls here, I don't know if I'd want them super hard. You would want the eggs naturally soft as I think this improves your success for fish bites.

[TyeeTanic]

Will this make the egg tough enough to withstand being pierced by a hook? I wanna fish single eggs (not sacks) and I have a ton of eggs to use up.

[ Post made via Android ]

Two methods that have worked for me:

1) boil the eggs until they are essentially like thick/firm jelly. You can then hook through them with a tiny hook (12 or 14). The eggs will ooze a bit, which attracts fish, but you will need to replace them every four or five casts.

2) put a single egg in a row bag and use a tiny hook (no 14).