I have fished with roe using mesh but was wondering if anyone has suggestions about a recipe or something to be able to go right to the hook without the mesh.
Ive fished with guides in Alaska that did this.
Growing up in SW Oregon we fished with roe w/o mesh. We would tie the line to the shank of the hook ofter going though the eye and it formed a loop you could open and then close around the skein of the roe. Is that what you are asking about or a cure recipe that hardens the roe so you can just stick a hook in it?
I lived in Sacramento and fished most of the salmon and steelhead rivers clear up into Oregon and Washington. And I have tried a lot of the "roe cures". As might be expected, some work better than others. And some even include bright pink dyes.
The last few years I used roe I used my own system. First of all, I delayed the application of any foreign cure products until just before using. When I got some fresh roe, I wiped it as clean as possible from blood and guts. I did not wash it...to help preserve its natural state and odors. Then I vacuum sealed it or wrapped it in close-fitting plastic...or put it in thin plastic bags with just a few drops of water...and squeezed out all the air and excess water before freezing. Then I froze it and kept it separate from other items in the freezer to avoid damage to the bags.
The day before intended use I let the roe thaw at room temp until it was possible to cut it into bait pieces. Then, using a very sharp knife or good shears I cut the roe skeins into the size baits I planned to use. I laid the pieces out in a shallow bowl...side by side. Then I lightly sprinkled them with a thin coating of white powdered borax (an inexpensive laundry product). Sometimes I would also sprinkle on some finely ground sea salt. I then scooped up the doctored roe pieces and put them into whatever container I would be using on my fishing trip and kept them in the refrigerator overnight.
I have never liked using thread or mesh on my roe. But it does help to use something to help secure it to the hook. Otherwise it comes loose on the cast or from the first tentative munch by a fish. So, depending on the size of the bait and the firmness of the pieces (and it will vary...depending on maturity of the eggs, freshness, handling, etc.)...I will either make a few random wraps over the hooked roe piece with plain cotton thread. Or...I also like to tie my hooks on with an "egg loop" that allows you to put the bait through a loop and then pull it tight to secure it to the hook. There are lots of videos on YouTube that show how to do that.
![[Image: EGG-KNOT.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/4YC3pd3m/EGG-KNOT.jpg)
![[Image: FRESH-ROE.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/qN5H2DwQ/FRESH-ROE.jpg)
As Pat has outlined above I’ve used the borax to cure the roe and fished it with hooks that had an egg loop tied into it. Jello powder was used to add color, strawberry seemed to be the most popular but other tones of “red” have their days
(02-21-2025, 12:18 AM)2knots Wrote: [ -> ]As Pat has outlined above I’ve used the borax to cure the roe and fished it with hooks that had an egg loop tied into it. Jello powder was used to add color, strawberry seemed to be the most popular but other tones of “red” have their days
I think I'll start with the egg loop and see how I do.
Does the cure make the roe a bit tougher so it will stay on better?
(02-21-2025, 11:08 PM)PACMEN Wrote: [ -> ]I think I'll start with the egg loop and see how I do.
Does the cure make the roe a bit tougher so it will stay on better?
Some recipies do, I'm not sure if they all do.
(02-21-2025, 11:08 PM)PACMEN Wrote: [ -> ]I think I'll start with the egg loop and see how I do.
Does the cure make the roe a bit tougher so it will stay on better?
The curing process does toughen the eggs themselves...as well as the membrane that holds them in the skein. So, curing is a good way to help keep the bait on the hook better...during casting, bottom drifting and strikes. It takes some experimentation to find out just how much you want them to firm up. Too much curing and the eggs turn into miniature jelly beans. Probably still catch a few fish, but not as much natural appearance and smell.
If you are casting and bottom bouncing your offerings, you might also want to consider some "single egg" artificials. I have caught a lot of trout, steelhead and salmon on either a single orange bead on the line just above a hook...plain or lightly dressed with metallic or colorful fibers. And I also tied and successfully used a lot of yarn "Glo Bugs"...a gob of flossy yarn tied on a hook and trimmed round to look like a single egg. Lots of info on YouTube both on making and fishing these things.
I spent a full year in King Salmon, AK. The salmon eggs we got at the boat dock fish cleaning station were collected every day by a couple of Washington State men who came to King Salmon for a month every summer. They treated them with borax and cut them into small bunches which were then put into small, reddish colored mesh bags and tied off. They used some of those eggs for their fishing at King salmon and shipped the rest back to Washington State for the fall salmon run there. I don't know if they refrigerated them or froze them, but they only fished for salmon by bouncing mesh sacked, treated eggs on the bottom. They were VERY successful at doing so.