Ok I'll admit it I have never strapped an egg cluster to the end of a leader. But as I have mentioned earlier I have built river type boat and expect that soon the day will come to drift some morsels. I have put them up in that past and used the florecent sticky stuff, alum, and today I used Borax.

How about the best techniques from the pros?

WHAT AN IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just had to look within to find the answer. Now I have to figure out how to make em' stay on the hook

To keep them on the hook you have to tie an egg loop knot. This is a not with a loop to hold the bait as the name implies. I drift this with a small corkie (pink, red, orange, black, green) for contrast, small snip of yarn (pink, orange, peach, red) tyed to the loop; the yarn keeps the line from cutting through the bait. I will also add scent to the yarn.

Fish On!!!

[edit] the egg loop is also used to tie yarn to when not using bait and to hold most other baits.

keep looking within as there u will find a page by BOB on how to tie one on!

Best egg cure~
1 quart water
1 cup canning/pickling salt
1 cup borax
1 cup sugar
Bring to boil, reduce heat and boil for 5 minutes
Let cool to room temp! ( HAS TO BE COOLED)
Soak eggs (cut to bait size) for 15- 20 min., stir occasionally
Strain, dry on paper until "tacky"
Dust with borax and freeze
They keep their color well and hold up in the freezer!
FT

Borax is great and as simple as it gets.

STS had an article a few years back with the best egg cures of Paul Bupre(Beau Mac Lures). One was a brine that he swore by.

Mix 1 cup sugar,borax,and salt into 1 quart of water. Cut eggs into bait size add eggs to solution for 2hr .Air dry overnight on paper towels.Put cured eggs in mason jars vacuum seal.Freeze until needed. Finaddict Ron

Plop your wad of berries on your hook. Pile them up, so they are all on the point.

Pull out the bait loop on your hook. Grab the fixed end of the loop and wrap it 2 times around the wad of berries. Pull tight.

You should end up with a clump of fish catching berries that looks like this:



As for a cure, can't beat a straight ProGlow as a starting point.

Bleed your fish. Take your egg skien and butterfly it in half (lengthwise) down the skein. Cut the major blood veins in the skeins. Run the cut in half skein under running cold water and flush out all the blood in the skein and in the folds. Cut the skeins in to 2 to 3" chuncks and put in a strainer to drain for 10 minutes. Dump the chunks in a jar and heavily "salt" with cure. Jently roll/shake the jar to mix. Seal the jar and put in the fridge for 4 days. Turn the jar over every 8 hours or so. Freeze when finished to stop the curing process.

Brines are also a good cure, but not as easy. See Bob's recipe for that.

Hate dealing with borax. I've only used it to toughen up eggs that I know are going to get some abuse. I'll just put some egg custers in fine borax right before use.