Deleted User
10-11-2000, 06:17 PM
I had put in our Ifish URL and my e-mail at the end of my article but they only printed me e-mail (understandable conflict of biz interest I suppose). So I have had a number of e-mails, particularly asking for further egg cure info. Since there is article space restriction in STS I couldn't write the eg cure info up like I would have liked to. Here is what I've answered to e-mails about further curing info:
First off, always bleed your catch right away for both better eggs and better eating fish. Don't rince them off in fresh water rivers because that will cause a milkout loss. If you are near saltwater a brief rinse and pad off is alright. I instead use gloves to harvest the eggs ASAP and pad the excess blood off of them as best I can with non-inked paper towells. If they need rinsing when I get home I use near frozen distilled water which will keep the eggsack pores closed to a quick milkout and also not have any chlorine concerns. Then pad them off well with the plain paper towells before curing. I always use a little less cure than the instructions call for. Around 3/4 to 1 T. instead of the 1 to 1&1/2 T. per pound of eggs they suggest. This is because sometimes the moody chinooks take a mild cure a little better (& when cured lightly they will work well on steelhead & coho too). Secondly, the light cure allows the flexability to use additives without over chem'ing the eggs. Sodium nitrate is the prime example (get it at smaller meat processing places where hunter's take their deer/elk for processsing, or Pro-Cure Slamola is a combo of sodium nitrate and MSG). I will very lighly sprinkle half my eggs with nitrates the night before fishing and if the fish are hitting those better I can sprinkle the other half out in the boat. I also sometimes add additonal sodium sulfite sprinkling while out fishing. If you haven't been out on the river every day, like the guides are, and aren't dialed into what cure/chems the 'nooks are hitting best on any given day or week, it's good to have your 3 best cures out with you to see which one they want most. If I'm not dialed in, the 3 I will take out are 1- the broadspectrum customized cure I mentioned in the STS article. 2- Pro-Glo cure with a little MSG and sugar added (IMHO, I think Pro-Glo to be slightly better than the other stock OTC cures because they use the best grade of sodium sulfite and the least costic dye; that's why I like to use their coloring powder with other undyed cures). 3- My own custom cure I call "MC Hammer". I used to do better with it but now the improved OTC cures with some of the mentioned additives do as well, so it's just to have different cured eggs along to see what they are hitting on. Don't add any additional nitrate to PC's Wizard cure because I think it already has that in it. Also, most OTC or home made baitoil scents have preservatives in them so this lighter cure preference will allow adding those without overdoing your bait with chems. Remember to only put a few drops of these baitoils on your yarn, eggs , or other baits and reapply more often. It can be counterproductive to put too much on. Additionally, there are so many things for you to try that sometimes turn out to be the ticket out there! Try adding a few drops of some of the following: a quality garlic oil or powder, Cravex Plus fish bite stimulater, one drop of vanilla extract, a couple drops of 70% DMSO solution to enhance eggjuice dispersion (it also smells fishy, but don't let that stuff touch your skin!), and many other things to experiment with. Good luck out there fishing. - RT
First off, always bleed your catch right away for both better eggs and better eating fish. Don't rince them off in fresh water rivers because that will cause a milkout loss. If you are near saltwater a brief rinse and pad off is alright. I instead use gloves to harvest the eggs ASAP and pad the excess blood off of them as best I can with non-inked paper towells. If they need rinsing when I get home I use near frozen distilled water which will keep the eggsack pores closed to a quick milkout and also not have any chlorine concerns. Then pad them off well with the plain paper towells before curing. I always use a little less cure than the instructions call for. Around 3/4 to 1 T. instead of the 1 to 1&1/2 T. per pound of eggs they suggest. This is because sometimes the moody chinooks take a mild cure a little better (& when cured lightly they will work well on steelhead & coho too). Secondly, the light cure allows the flexability to use additives without over chem'ing the eggs. Sodium nitrate is the prime example (get it at smaller meat processing places where hunter's take their deer/elk for processsing, or Pro-Cure Slamola is a combo of sodium nitrate and MSG). I will very lighly sprinkle half my eggs with nitrates the night before fishing and if the fish are hitting those better I can sprinkle the other half out in the boat. I also sometimes add additonal sodium sulfite sprinkling while out fishing. If you haven't been out on the river every day, like the guides are, and aren't dialed into what cure/chems the 'nooks are hitting best on any given day or week, it's good to have your 3 best cures out with you to see which one they want most. If I'm not dialed in, the 3 I will take out are 1- the broadspectrum customized cure I mentioned in the STS article. 2- Pro-Glo cure with a little MSG and sugar added (IMHO, I think Pro-Glo to be slightly better than the other stock OTC cures because they use the best grade of sodium sulfite and the least costic dye; that's why I like to use their coloring powder with other undyed cures). 3- My own custom cure I call "MC Hammer". I used to do better with it but now the improved OTC cures with some of the mentioned additives do as well, so it's just to have different cured eggs along to see what they are hitting on. Don't add any additional nitrate to PC's Wizard cure because I think it already has that in it. Also, most OTC or home made baitoil scents have preservatives in them so this lighter cure preference will allow adding those without overdoing your bait with chems. Remember to only put a few drops of these baitoils on your yarn, eggs , or other baits and reapply more often. It can be counterproductive to put too much on. Additionally, there are so many things for you to try that sometimes turn out to be the ticket out there! Try adding a few drops of some of the following: a quality garlic oil or powder, Cravex Plus fish bite stimulater, one drop of vanilla extract, a couple drops of 70% DMSO solution to enhance eggjuice dispersion (it also smells fishy, but don't let that stuff touch your skin!), and many other things to experiment with. Good luck out there fishing. - RT