Dying prawns at home?

[Deleted User]

Here's 3 good ways 'Killa. 1- If you have enough leftover red eggjuice from curing salmon eggs, soak your prawns in that overnight and drain and pad them. This gives them a more natural red color and great combo scent. The chems from the egg cure will be enough preservative to keep them in good shape for a while in the fridge, but get them in the freezer if not used fairly soon. These will be the most productive. 2- Make your own custom brine using a gallon of distilled water, 1 C. non-iodized salt, 1/2 C. sodium sulfite, 1/2 C. sugar, 1/4 C. MSG, and either 2/3 C. red Pro-Glo coloring (not the cure) for real red prawns or 1/3 C. of this coloring for light pink prawns for clear water applications. Soak for a few hours and drain and pad them. 3- Pro-Cure has a packaged prawn coloring/curing formula, available at many tackle shops. - Tips: Try the egjuiced ones or the light pink ones for tidewater bobber 'Nook fishing this fall (sometimes they will draw strikes when the eggs are off). And also try injecting them with combo baitoils for a variance. Let me know how they turn out and work for you. - RT

[mr8fred]

Just want to say thanks RT, your recipe resulted in a 9-pound steelie for me on the Cowlitz last Monday! We hooked 3 total, two on prawns, one lost on a plug. Again thanks, Fred.

[bathtub bob]

RT good advice one thing always keep your bait cool prawns that sit out don't work to well. let them take it.

[FishKilla']

could someone please clue me in on how to dye my own prawns,any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Kwiky]

This is the first season I've really used prawns, and definitely won't be the last. I have one observation that I'd like to get RT's (or anyone's) comments on: I've fished both uncured and ProCure red cured prawns on the S. Santiam all season. The uncured prawns have outfished the cured ones by far, and they actually have worked better for my fishing partners and I after being taken out of the freezer and letting sit in the fridge for about a week before use. At this point, they have a MUCH stronger smell, but the steelies (and occasional nooker) seem to love them. Any thoughts? Also, are prawns a good bet for fall nookers as well?

Thanks - Kwiky

[Deleted User]

I used to be about the only one using prawns down in Tillamook for fall 'Nooks back in the 80's. They work well. They are an especially good alternative to eggs and sandshrimp in tidewater, but I have caught them up the Wilson backtrollong 20' Jet Planers with my Willamette "twirling" prawn rigup. The best cure for that is to soak them in eggcure juice for awhile. Less bright redness and the additonal scent of cured eggs with it. Really good for falls, and great on springers of course! I have always thought that the Pro-Cure stuff to be too strong of chems for their prawn cure. Used to be the same way for their egg cure which I always cut down with additional sugar; just too much SS in it. And yes, natural prawns do catch fish, but they can turn bad quickly (past the point of productiveness, further along than the slightly turned ones you used successfully). - RT

[cts258]

when using prawns, what is the best rig to use?

[Deleted User]

For backbouncing them, such as for Willamette springers, or bobber fishing them for fall 'nooks in tidewater use a prawn threader to run a long leader with large single hook (4/0 springers, 5/0 for falls) thru the face of the prawn and out one tail segment above the lower fantail. Imbed the hook well into the head. Some fishers like to tie the hood down with thin red thread to keep it in place longer when backbouncing them. As for backtrolling in faster water, use a double hook rig with upper sliding hook. Put a very slight curve on the prawn by inserting a 2" wire thru it lengthwise from the last tail segment forward. Hook the prawn head upstream by curling the lower hook into the tail section and then curl the upper hook into the face. Then work a small loop of line out from the upper hook to snug down the head to the hook shank. Nicking a small notch in the top of the head just behind the eyes will hold the loop better. Both 'nooks and steelies love this hookup in water with current or trolled in slack water areas. Another thing to try is to use only the tail section for steelhead driftfishing or bobber fishing. Hook it up as you would a pinched off sandshrimp tail by working it over the end of the hook and curling it up the hook shank, then snug down the upper end with the eggloop line. Good luck out there and let us know how it works for ya. Thanks. - RT