Trout Eggs

[carpedium]

What are they good for besides sushi?

I have a bunch from the trout we caught today, i'm assuming they can be used like salmon eggs? are they better for any particular application?

Any help would be appreciated!

Matt

[Slimy Hooks]

Tie them in sacs like you would salmon eggs...Instances where I use trout eggs over salmon are in clear water conditions and for finicky fish...I'll use salmon eggs if the water is off-color or if I find the fish really dont care what's being drifted in front of them...

Some places I have found they have preferences...The Genny for example runs usually on the stained side and with very, very few browns spawning there all the steelies see are king eggs so that's what I use...

[carpedium]

They are still in the skein, so should i freeze them and thaw them when i need them? or tie the skein into sacks?

[Slimy Hooks]

If you have the time I recommend scraping them off the skein...Warning, it SUCKS and i've spent 3 hours scraping eggs off 1 fish's skein...Some are far easier than others but it really could take you hours...

There is nothing wrong with just tying the skein into sacs, but the skein membrane will turn white on you faster than the eggs themselves and I am completely against whitening of my eggs as they become less effective...Just means i'll tear it off the hook for a new sac a lot sooner than a no skein sac...

You can put a day or two worth of eggs in a sandwich bag, suck the air out an seal, followed by a tight wrapping in tin-foil and straight to the freezer...I've been told not to freeze pre-tied sacs as during thawing some eggs break and your sacs wont come out as the way you put them in...

[FISHINMAN]

Matt I had a buddy of mine that swore by the trout eggs in the streams.

[Penn yan 88]

if you don't want i will take them . besides the Genny I think they work the best for steelies.

[carpedium]

I gave them to slimy hooks, and kept enough for a few sacks for myself! I will let you know if i come across any more. I don't keep females unless they are injured.

Matt

[Slimy Hooks]

Thanks again for those brown eggs...They've been packed and frozen and just await a designated time to fish to be unthawed...

[gokudl3]

I use brown eggs almost only. Maybe thats why i have not to much luck at the genny, i dont use salmon eggs. I have been doing pretty well with the fish and all i have had for eggs until this weekend was eggs that were still in the skien, i dont even bother with taking the eggs of the membrane, i just pull of little pieces. I dont prefer skien its just all i had, i wish i had keept some salmon eggs now.

[GAMBLER]

IMO Trout eggs work but not worth the hassle. You can have a sloppy drift and fish will still take them. Nothing beats a properly dead drifted glow bug in the correct size and color. Me, I can't see going through the hassle of curing eggs when a glow bug takes seconds to tie and works just as good if not better if fished correctly. I also can't see killing a trout for eggs to catch more trout? It does not make sense to me. If you are keeping them to eat or giving them to someone else to eat, I see nothing wrong with keeping eggs.

[carpedium]

I tried tieing some glow bugs... wow i messed up! But i have really good luck just drifting other flies usually.

[Penn yan 88]

I used to cure the eggs but no longer do. I rinse them with river or distilled water and freeze them then tie up the sacs usually the night before I am going. I have seen a big difference in the amount of fish caught by using fresh eggs not cured.

Gambler, I do know what you mean about killing a trout to catch a trout. I myself usually get my eggs from guys keeping the fish to eat.

[Chromeslayer]

IMO Trout eggs work but not worth the hassle. You can have a sloppy drift and fish will still take them. Nothing beats a properly dead drifted glow bug in the correct size and color. Me, I can't see going through the hassle of curing eggs when a glow bug takes seconds to tie and works just as good if not better if fished correctly. I also can't see killing a trout for eggs to catch more trout? It does not make sense to me. If you are keeping them to eat or giving them to someone else to eat, I see nothing wrong with keeping eggs.

a properly drifted BT sac will out produce your glo bug hands down ...

[GAMBLER]

a properly drifted BT sac will out produce your glo bug hands down ...

That's intersting. I don't know how many times last season on Sandy, I fished a pool that was just hammered for hours by 2 guys with pin rods and brown sacks and pick a bunch of fish out of the pool after they said they had not caught a fish in an hour. Lots of times the trout get keyed in on single eggs. When this happens, sacks are not going to catch as many fish.

[Slimy Hooks]

It was most likely the fishermen in that scenario not changing there pattern to continue catching fish...You showed up and offered something different and picked away the fish that shyed away from the sacs...Never had a issue getting fish to go on brown sacs, and if the water is dictating single eggs, 3-4 brown eggs is all i'll put in a sac and thats smaller than a king egg...

I do fish egg flies under a float but the glo-bug is one I never use as I dont find them particularly effective but some people like'em a lot...This is coming from the last 10 years of me caring for nothing other than catching steelhead...

Note to others dont even waste time with a brown sac in the Genny unless its mid-winter and its as clear as its ever going to be...Fish never see a brown egg in there time in the river and its usually dingy and I think they key in on the smell and sight of a nice king egg sac...Exactly why I stocked 25 pounds in my freezer this fall...

Just adding my 2 pennies...

[Penn yan 88]

golf ball size sacs in the genny. Pink. just adding my 2 pennies.

[gokudl3]

Hey slimy hooks i was thinking about there not being any browns but we know how many steelhead are up there, i dont think there is that big of a difference between steelhead eggs and browns eggs is there? Saying that i dont fish the genny enough to know. But i would think steelhead eggs should be good too, alot of the guys on the niagara use steelhead eggs.

[Slimy Hooks]

golf ball size sacs in the genny. Pink. just adding my 2 pennies.

You got that right...I call them chokers...

gokudl3, thats a good point you brought up and one I never thought of...There really does not seem to be much difference between steelhead and brown eggs...I really can not recall if I ever have fished steelhead/rainbow eggs in the Genny...I admit that those fall spawning, I guess domestic rainbows are my absolute favorite eggs to use...Its just the more orangish red hue they have to them that I have a preference for...I would only use them in clearer waters and I dont think I ever have in the Genny...

Since the day years ago when I was catching nothing and my friend 3 feet to my right fishing the same exact seams was hooking up every cast...I was using brown eggs, he was using king eggs...Same colors, same size and I could not hook a fish and he had 6 or 7, he hands me a king sac and I hooked up on the first cast and started using his bags with the same results...Never used a trout egg in the Genny since...

The more I think of it water clarity seems to be the biggest factor...A good example is last Saturday at the Catt...Water was becoming muddy as I fished it and I did well using king eggs...Some Cattaraugus steelhead will never see a king egg in there life but if the water was clear you can bet i'd be using fall spawning "rainbow" eggs to get the smaller profile I desire...