I’ve run my shop for over 10 years and have been here since I was fifteen. Now I see a man in the mirror whose hair is the color of salt and pepper. Some people call this a sign of distinction, while others say it’s a sign of wisdom. It’s mine, and I’ll take care of it the best I can. I don’t know about those other things.
Taking the stance that I hope to gain some wisdom along with my gray hair, I proceed to this issue’s article. In all the years I’ve worked at the shop, one of the questions I get asked most often is about roe and how to cure it. With the price the market is charging for it, anglers really want to learn to do it themselves. Doing it yourself will save you money because you won’t have to pay a lot or wait on a list for cheap scraps. I will teach you how to do it yourself.
First, you need to bleed a doe the right way, either at the gills or the base of the tail. This allows the blood to leave the fish without coagulating in the roe skeins. Don’t have a place to put the skeins? Leave them inside the fish to keep them safe from damage.
I also bleed the skeins. I make a few incisions on the skein veins and push the blood out with my thumbnail. This slows down the decomposition of the eggs. You’ll know your eggs are decomposing if you smell a bad, sour odor.
Once they’ve been bled, rinse them off with river water. The water from the river is really the best for them. The worst is tap water, which has chlorine in it, and I think it makes the roe taste bad.
I will only handle them with nitrate gloves from now on to keep my scent from getting on the roe. A fish’s olfactory sense, especially sturgeon, is extremely acute. Fresh non-cured roe is one of the best baits to use for sturgeon during a peak salmon run. At this point, the roe is worth its weight in gold and can mean the difference between two and twenty fish caught.
That is the worst thing you can do to roe. I never freeze it first and then cure it. When roe freezes, it creates ice particles inside the eggs that pierce them and let all the food and great smells out. The skeins should only be frozen once they are cured.
There are many ways to cure your salmon or steelhead skeins. Most of them use sulphite, like Procure, but you can also use Borax, which is a more natural base. Borax is my favourite. No matter what you pick, you need to cure your eggs as soon as possible, before the roe starts to break down.
If you chose Procure, my advice is to use the jar method. When you sprinkle procure on your eggs, don’t use too much because it can burn them. This process creates a liquid that, through osmosis, gets absorbed back into the eggs and cures them. Red Hot Double is their most popular color, and they now have a pretty cool UV product that comes in a bunch of different colors.
I’m meticulous; I take considerable care to make the most perfect roe. I put them on racks in a cool, dry place to dry first, and use a fan to help the air move. I turn them frequently for six to eight hours. When the eggs are first being dried, I sprinkle them with equal parts sea salt or a non-iodized salt, white sugar, and garlic. Yes, garlic! This gives the eggs more strength and shine, and the smell drives fish crazy. It is time to remove the eggs from the racks once they become tacky. Pay close attention to this step. Making sure that the eggs are dry before adding the Borax will keep them from turning into jam. I love working with Borax because it’s all natural and sulfite free. I sometimes add color to the Borax and sometimes keep it natural. I use pink (watermelon), red (cherry), or chartreuse (a mix of lemon-lime and orange) Kool-Aid to color my eggs. Add the Kool-Aid crystals (dry) to the Borax in small amounts until you achieve your desired color. A little goes a long way.
First, I put the Borax on a large baking sheet. Then, I lay the skeins on top of it and sift the Borax into the egg flaps, making sure the cure gets into every fold. Once this is done, your eggs are complete. You’ll have made your own high-quality roe that works well drift after drift, milking properly and giving off an irresistible scent while staying the same. This means you can spend more time fishing in the water and change your bait less often.
Butcher’s paper (not freezer paper) or non-colored newspaper are best to wrap the cured roe in. So I can give small amounts to my closest friends and customers, I wrap each skein in Butcher’s paper and then Kryovac (or use a freezer Ziploc, making sure all the air is out of the bag). Care is taken to carefully wrap each skein package because the people who make them love the process and even more so the fruit of their labor, which is lots of fish.
People say that salmon roe is one of the best baits for sturgeon, especially in the California Delta and Suisun Bay. If you cure the salmon roe the right way, it will stay on the hook longer and give off more scent to attract sturgeon. To cure roe, professional sturgeon anglers often use family recipes that are kept secret. However, you can do it yourself in a simple way at home. The information in this guide will teach you how to clean, dry, and prepare salmon roe for your next sturgeon fishing trip.
Finding Quality Salmon Roe
The first step is getting your hands on some high quality salmon roe. If you are lucky enough to catch a female salmon yourself you’ve struck gold. When handling your own catch it’s critical to bleed the fish immediately after catching it. Here’s the proper technique
-
Use a small club to knock the salmon out right after landing it Give it several hard whacks on the head
-
Next, use pliers or a very sharp knife to cut the red gill structures on each side of the fish. This severs the gills and allows the fish’s heart to pump out all the blood.
-
Hang the fish in the water for 5-10 minutes to bleed it out completely.
-
Once bled, put the fish on ice immediately to keep the meat and eggs in prime condition.
When cleaning the salmon, carefully slice open the belly and remove the egg masses. You may need to cut some connecting tissue to fully remove the roe. Place the egg masses on ice right away. Late season salmon with loose eggs are best for making sturgeon roe balls.
If you can’t catch your own, check local bait shops or order online. Try to get fresh roe and keep it on ice at all times.
Simple Sugar Cure for Roe
Many sturgeon experts have secret family cures that they swear by. For beginners, a basic sugar and salt mixture works well. A ratio of 4 parts sugar to 1 part salt is a good starting point. Here is a simple curing process:
-
Mix the cure in a bowl and add enough water to make a thick syrup.
-
Place your salmon roe masses in a plastic bag or container.
-
Pour the cure syrup over the roe, coating completely.
-
Seal the bag or container and refrigerate for 12-24 hours, gently massaging occasionally.
-
After curing, rinse off the excess cure and keep the roe chilled on ice.
The cure will cause the eggs to harden slightly and “milk out” a white cloud when placed in water. This releases extra scent to attract sturgeon.
Preparing Sturgeon Roe Balls
A common technique is making your cured roe into balls for fishing. This contains the eggs better on the hook and prevents small fish from nibbling all your roe off. Sturgeon roe balls require just a few simple ingredients and steps:
Supplies Needed:
- Cured salmon roe
- Sharp knife
- Cheesecloth or netting
- Elastic thread or string
- Scissors
Instructions:
-
Cut cheesecloth into 6×6 inch squares. Cheesecloth works well since it’s soft and sturgeon can swallow it.
-
Use a spoon to scoop a quarter sized glob of cured roe onto the cloth.
-
Pull the corners up and around the roe, closing it into a small pouch.
-
Wrap elastic thread around the neck of the pouch 15 times to secure the ball.
-
Trim off any excess material and you’re done!
Storing Cured Roe Properly
Always keep your cured salmon roe icy cold. For long term storage, vacuum sealing and freezing is best. Portion your roe balls into bags with 8-10 balls each before freezing. This allows you to thaw only what you’ll use on each trip. Properly stored roe can last over a year frozen.
Putting it All Together on Fishing Day
On the big day, pull your cured roe balls from the freezer and leave in the fridge overnight to thaw. For best action, skip the traditional treble hook and tie a 2/0 to 3/0 octopus circle hook directly to your line. Skewer a thawed roe ball onto the hook so the point is completely buried. Add a sinker above the roe ball on the line.
Cast this out into likely sturgeon spots like deep holes, ledges or creek mouths. Keep your drags set very loose. Sturgeon will suck in the roe ball gently before swimming off. Let them take line for several seconds before setting the hook hard. Hold on tight for the fight of a lifetime!
So now you know the full process for curing and preparing your own salmon roe for monster sturgeon. Follow these tips to make sure your roe stays on the hook better and releases maximum scent. Soon you’ll be catching more and bigger sturgeon than ever before! Let us know how your roe curing experiments go in the comments.
HOW TO USE… SALMON ROE FOR DELTA / BAY STURGEON
FAQ
How do you preserve salmon roe for bait?
What’s the best cure for salmon eggs?
How to cure salmon eggs without borax?
Is Roe a good bait for sturgeon?
Fresh non-cured roe is one of the best baits to use for sturgeon during a peak salmon run. In this stage the roe is as good as gold and can mean the difference between two and 20 fish to hand. I never freeze my roe first and then cure it later; that’s the worst thing you can do to it.
What is the best bait for sturgeon?
A fish’s olfactory sense, especially sturgeon, is extremely acute. Fresh non-cured roe is one of the best baits to use for sturgeon during a peak salmon run. In this stage the roe is as good as gold and can mean the difference between two and 20 fish to hand.
Can Sturgeon be cured?
Traditional salmon cures like Pro Cure, Pro Glo and Pautzke’s Fire Cure don’t work well for sturgeon — apparently they don’t much care for the sodium sulfites and nitrates, etc in those types of cures. Lopes says that you should instead run your eggs el natural or brine them in a light salt and sugar mixture.
How do you catch a female sturgeon?
When you catch your female salmon, you’ll need to cure the eggs in a “flavor” that the sturgeon will be attracted to. For some locations, raw, uncured salmon roe is the best flavor. In other sites, you may have more luck with marinating the roe in a sturgeon spray. You can also purchase prepared salmon eggs from most bait shops.