I have caught some coho over the past week and have the eggs in a freezer bag in my garage refrigerator.

I am wondering how long the eggs will last this way?

I have never cured eggs before and was planning on trying it out.

Any info from you guys with experience in curing roe would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
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For, best results within three days if possible.

I will sometimes freeze them fresh if I don't have cure on hand. I think they stay good frozen for a while longer than in the fridge. They seem to deteriorate rapidly in the refrigerator, I would say 3 days and they are well on there way to being garbage.

When I freeze them fresh I wrap them in a paper towel and make little "egg burritos" and vac seal them. Key is getting all the water and air out before you freeze.

Brine them with the following:

1/3 cup of the following........sugar, salt, borax........mix well, shake(spoon it on).....let it work for "a time".......then allow them to drain, air dry for a few days........then pack them away.....

zip lock bags work but I prefer to vaccum seal......

then freeze them.......

sooner you do, the better they are...!!!!!!!!!!!

If I can't get cure on them within 1-2 days I won't use them, they break down too fast. So I always try to have some type of curing product on hand.

I use the 3-2-1 cure; 3 parts borax, 2 parts sugar, and 1 part kosher salt. If you pre-mix this and keep it in a sealed container you'll always have some ready when you get home.

If I intend to freeze them, I'll add some jello to teh eggs during the curing process, the pectin helps prevent freezer burn, also adds a deeper color to the eggs if that's what you are looking for.

Good luck.

Alway's try and cure with in 24 hours of harvest for best results.Nothing past 3 day's in the fridge for this guy.Although driveway bait has caught it's fare share of fish over the years,ya still don't want to start out with it out of the gate.Good luck,
SZ

Define "driveway bait" for me.


??


c/22

make sure to vac pac em on a low vacuum setting before you freeze them. or else they WILL freezer burn. and if you vac pac them on too high a vacuum setting it will squish the eggs

I have gone as long as a week before I remembered to cure eggs. Usually I do it the same day. The thing to do is run a sniff test. If the eggs smell a little funky, then they are not a great product to start with.

If you do have eggs that are questionable, mark the baggy/container secretly (I put a C on the bag somewhere) that means "Cousin". They are your second rate eggs, and you give these to your cousin when he doesn't have any eggs. Unfortunately, I have been outfished by my "C" eggs on plenty of occasions.

RR...that's funny! "Cousin Bait"....maybe we have the same cousin? Mine is always draining me of bait!

BTW...all good advice. I still like the old sugar/borax/salt cure.

Nothing past 24 hours for me for my A grade bait.... A lot of people wonder why their eggs don't fish as well as mine at times and this is a key factor... If push comes to shove and I'm desperate for eggs I'll allow for 48 hours but you WILL notice a difference in what you catch between the two grades...

As soon as you pull them from the fish they start to break down. In a perfect world I'd cure them on the river as I was catching them....

Keith

Quality is the priority and every hour the quality decreases. I get them in the cure process six hours from the bonk/bleed for both bait and ikura. Don't freeze them uncured. When they freeze tiny ice crystals form and puncture the shell membrane. You end up with mush after they thaw.

"DRIVEWAY" Bait,The left over egg's in your container of choice left in a cooler with no ice or melted ice in your driveway for @ least 4-5 day's but still smells fine so you put'em back in the fridge to fish with in the next 2 weeks.Some times they will out fish your top shelf,but not most of the time.Good luck,
SZ

Caution,always give out your driveway bait first on the next trip to who ever showed up empty handed.

This ^^^^^^^^

Kieth,Obviously not,that's why it's called "DRIVEWAY" bait.Mini,sorry for giving out "FLY's" life long egg secrets.How's his "RESERRECTION" bait coming along this season,with the booze additive?????????????????????????????????.Good luck,
SZ

i'm fishing with joe next week. way to build the confidence for me

MS,
Your gonna be just fine,trust me."DRIEWAY" bait usually acquires in the steelhead season more then salmon season and your in the beginning stages of salmon season so no worries as fresh roe is being caught daily.Good luck,
SZ