Question for all you egg cure people....It's been years since I used bait in the river/let alone cured any eggs. I saved the skeins from the 25lb King from Neah bay last weekend. They looked perfect(from what I remember), and immediatly got them in a bag on ice(20 minutes after landing the fish). Bought some Pautzke "fire cure" and they are cured at this point and look nice. Package says to freeze them with 3 options, 1"as is,2Drain and freeze, and 3 drain/dry and freeze. I was kinda hoping that I wouldn't have to freeze them at all....Just wanting any input. Sincerely, Tom

IMHO,if a drain is requisite,the cure is lacking.

Freeze em in the juice, thaw and drain them when your ready to fish...

No drain, after 2-3 days, put in seal a meal bags and freeze for 2-3-4 hrs then vacuum pack and put in refrig. and they'll last a long time...
With that Pautzke cure I like to add some sugar if i'm gonna fish steelhead or so sodium (salt) if i'm gonna fish salmon...but thats just me.

Well, there's not much to drain, if any, but I was just going by the back of the jar.....

I prefer to strain them an hour or so then let air dry until you get the texture/toughness your looking for then shake in borax and freeze. I don't like wet gooey eggs while fishing. Also by drying them you can dry them slightly for bobber eggs, or longer for say freedrifting from the sled. If they are done right they don't get hard just a little tougher

Mild freeze/Vacuum pack in fridge was kinda what I was looking for....thanks for that hint....Tom

No need to strain. Just put them in a pint jar or two. Fill the jars and put a lid on them and put them in the freezer. They will last almost forever.

Take them out the day before and slowly thaw them.

When they are thawed and if you think they are too "wet", place them on a paper towel in some tupperware with a light piece of saran wrap over them in the fridge. Do that the night before you use them and by the time you get up at the ass-crack of dawn, the eggs will be perfecto.

I have never used that cure, so I have no idea how they are suppose to turn out when properly cured.

If you really want the "hard as a marble for those that are too afraid to use one bait per cast or drift drive-way bait", coat them with a layer of Borax when you leave.

Those who are afraid to burn through eggs do not get the fish. Fresh baits = fish.

Ira Yeager, Washington's first gudie NEVER cured eggs. He just bonked the first hen of the day and used the fresh eggs. I know we can't ofter do that these dasy. But the point is fresh eggs do work fine.

Lots of ways to skin a cat,but as per always...I like to start at it's ass.

I've less than no interest in "eggs that will fish for hours",though I'm a sucker for Roe that'll catch "right now",even if frequent re-worming is mandated(which it better).

I'm a great fan of immature berries,in fairly tight skeins,as they'll drink mightily of the cure provided,while still offering generous "milktitude" as per number of casts.

Easy to deduce a killer cure IMHO,by the lack of fluids standing in the batch of question. That less straining,draining,freezing or other means.

Fact is,it's the ability of a batch to drink fluids,that holds it in my esteem.

I've Raced fresh vs. Cured a gazillion times.

Have yet to see Fresh hang.

Prep for a few batches.



I personally have little interest in berries any more ripened than this.

'Bout the consistency I like,in regards to swollen(cured) berry sizing and tattle-tail moisture.

Drained or not, an egg is only as good as the time one spends taking care of it. Too many people have the attitude that "it will fish just fine". I wish everyone had that attitude . Those eggs that fish best are the ones that are handled with baby kid gloves all the way to the hook.

Test your eggs in an area where fish are picky, if they produce while others fail, then you are doing something right. if your bobber floats while your buddies sinks, yours eggs suck.

Start with good eggs and take good care of them.


You can't make chicken soup out of chicken $hit!

Big stick,

Your tests in Alaska don't count. I've tried every known egg even soaked in gas and they still eat them in Alaska.

An open mind,will reveal much,IMHO. This image depicts the relative maturation of skein,that horns me up.




I actually prefer them tighter than this.

Hey Parker, liking your method....easy. You triggered a memory of layering them in a tuperware with paper towels between them in the fridge(ala my friend Josh who now lives in Livingston Mt. and probably forgot all about bait also.....plan was to give these to my bait flinging buddies, but may have to find the old baitcaster and give it a go this winter, just for fun....Will cure ALL eggs that come my way from now on. Thanks for all the input...Plan to do a combo of all just for fun...Sincerely Tom

Hey Dave, does it count that I bought the cure @ Yeagers, and they told me it was their top seller(cheapest).......They're still soft, and that's why I posted, as I hated to freeze them without some input. I pulled a chunk out(cut them into chunks) and it stuck on the hook pretty good(one or 2 casts possibly)....Wanted to just vacuum them,and keep in the fridge....Willing to experiment as I'm still going to chuck a "purple egg sucking leech" all winter, and may adorn my fly with a bit of the egg/go whole hog and fling the eggs....who know's....kinda enjoy having them in the fridge right now though...Tom

All eggs ain't the same.

And then some.

good advice parker, if you freeze them before boraxing and draining they do last longer. I used to borax my eggs before freezing, but have foud they are good this way for up to a year, but they tend to be a little dried out. If I'm steelhead fishing I usually thaw them in a strainer, then the night before I throw them in a bag of borax, still a soft egg that milks well, but not too gooey and they do hold up for a couple of casts....

You Humpy Lovers have some novel notions.(grin)