Curing Fish Eggs for Fishing
1) Bleed female fish immediately after you catch them; when you clean them, wash every particle of blood off the eggs you can. Nothing ruins a cure faster than blood in the eggs.
2) When you get down to the curing process, pat the eggs dry with a pure white paper towel and section them. Don't use towels with printed desighns or colored writing.
3) Sprinkle the eggs lightly with Pro Cure and rub the cure in with your fingers. Use Rubber gloves --the stuff will stain permanently.
4) Put the eggs in plastic bags or jars and put them in the refridgerator. Turn them every 1 to 2 hours to allow the cure to spread evenly.
5) Drain and let dry, and then wrap the eggs in paper towels and put them in the freezer.
6) Once they've frozen, vacuum-pack them and store them in the freezer. They'll last in the freezer upwards of a year.
Letty's Egg Cure
Mix 1 cup each of sugar, borax, and salt
into 1 quart of water.
Cut eggs into bait size. Place in solution
for 1 hour.
Let air dry overnight on paper towels.
Place in baggies and freeze until
ready to use.
Optional: Red food coloring,
the kind cake shops use works best.
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EGG CURE
Up here in the Northwest there is no denying that fresh roe is the bait of choice for all successful fisherman. What sets fisherman apart is how they put up bait. I feel the key is to let your bait dry properly. This can be done on any absorbent material, just be aware that the bait may stick if it becomes to dry. After the bait is dry it must be cured. In the old days the cure of choice was plain Borax, now there are many products available that are better. "Pro-cure" is my choice, you just need to follow the directions on the package.
Some very successful fisherman on the Olympic Peninsula make their own cure as follows:
1 part raspberry jello mix
1 part non-iodized salt
3 parts borax
Let skeins air dry to touch, sprinkle cure in each fold of eggs and on the skin side. Use lots of paper towels with newspaper under and let air dry (pretty dry too!) for 1-2 days, depending on your fridge. You can freeze forever and they will keep in fridge for awhile.(month and a 1/2)
Links
Curing eggs
Egg Curing: From start to Fishing!
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