By: Mike Ainsworth
In the Pacific Northwest spawn sacs are not a go to method for steelhead like it is in the Great Lakes. However, in recent years it’s rapidly gaining popularity. Usage is increasing. A few years ago, several well-known guides were using them daily and tried to keep it a secret. The word is out.
I personally believe one of the main reasons anglers in the Northwest don’t use spawn sacs is because our steelhead and salmon don’t have loose eggs like they do in the Great Lakes. Therefore, we can put a piece of roe in an egg loop and be successful. Nonetheless, at the time same using roe burns lots of bait quickly.
For anglers that don’t have the luxury of fishing on a regular basis to stock up on eggs, or just want to stretch their egg stock further, spawn sacs are the best alternative for fishing eggs. In fact, if you’ve fished salmon roe on an egg loop you know it can be frustrating to watch eggs fly off after that perfect cast into the pocket.
This doesn’t happen with spawn sacs. Come to think of it when I use spawn sacs I go through as little as one skein per trip, versus six, or more, when using roe. This is why I have become a fan of the spawn sac method and because it works.
How to Do It: With a PNW Twist
In Washington/Oregon/Northern California most of our salmon and steelhead are traveling short distances from the ocean. When we catch them, their eggs are usually tight and still intact in the skein. Therefore, when you harvest a steelhead you need to remove the eggs from the skein to make spawn sacs.
The Egg Scrape
Fortunately, this is an easy process. To do so gently butterfly open the skein using scissors. Then take a spoon and gently scrape the eggs off the skein (pictured below).
Cure Singles
Place the loose eggs in a Ziploc and mix in your favorite egg recipe. I prefer a combination of Fire Power, Borx O Fire and Fire Cure. I’m mixing BorX O Fire and Fire Cure because I like a little bit of sulfite in there which Fire Cure has. I’ve also learned that adding some Fire Cure ensures I get the exact color I’m aiming for. The BorX O Fire keeps the egg tacky and gummy. I use the 80-20 method with BorX O Fire taking 80% of the recipe. You don’t need to use a lot of cure on these single eggs.
Color Does Matter
For steelhead in clear water, I prefer natural, but in off color water I’ll use red. As the water transitions from dirty to clear I’ll slowly transition from red to pink to orange to all natural. Decide what color is best for the conditions are you fishing.
Give It Power
I’m generous with the Fire Power. This is the NW and we all know this is pure krill powder. I don’t think you can put too much on your eggs. I use one to two tablespoons. Steelhead like krill.
Let Em Cure
After adding the above ingredients to the Ziploc place the eggs in the refrigerator. Then gently tumble them around every half hour to allow your mixture to absorb into all of the eggs. The curing process takes as little as 12 hours, or less. I have cured eggs in the afternoon and fished them the next morning.
Time to Tie
Tying spawn sacs is more time consuming than curing the eggs, especially if you haven’t done it before. I lay out pre-cut Atlas Mike’s spawn net squares in the color of your choice and add the cured loose eggs to the netting.
I also add Atlas Mike’s Bait Sac Floaters to the sac before tying it. These keep the sacs from hanging up on the bottom of the river.
Now it’s time to choose the thread you want. We use Miracle Thread on the West Coast, but the Great Lakers use mostly Magic Thread to tie their sacs. I want the color of the thread to be different from the color netting I’m using. The contrast is important and creates a dead eye look.
Changing up color combinations throughout the day can pay off big, which is why it’s important to have several different color egg sacs, or spawn bags as some call them. Once you pick your thread color pinch all four corners of the netting and wrap just above the eggs about 5-7 times, finishing off with a couple of half hitches. Cut off the excess netting and you’re ready to fish.
Atlas Mike’s makes a lot of different spawn netting colors. I prefer a different color netting from the color of the eggs I cured. If my eggs are natural I’ll use chartreuse spawn netting. If I have red eggs I’ll use white netting. If I have pink eggs I’ll use red netting. If I have orange eggs I’ll use chartreuse, etc. Keep in mind there is two sizes: 3×3 and 4×4. For smaller sacs use the smaller size. And, for the larger for with 4x4s.
Scent Matters
Spawn netting absorbs scent. Everyone knows scent is huge in the NW. I use scent every time and most guides do. There’s two ways I do this. Because Fire Gel is a Vaseline type of texture you can rub it on the netting, and it absorbs well. For steelhead I’ll use the shrimp and anise. On the other side of the boat, I use Atlas Mike’s Lunker Lotion. You won’t believe this, but kokanee is my favorite because it’s a sweet smell- steelhead love a sweet bait. Top two others are anise and shrimp.
No Bait, No Problem
A quick sidenote. I know some people are going to say there are few rivers that we can fish bait in some areas. As an alternative, sometimes I’ll add only Bait Sac Floaters to the spawn sac. This is a good alternative to bait, and a non-scented bait with a high buoyancy. It has a great profile, similar to the Okie Drifter.
Keep Sacs Fresh
Once you have tied up your spawn sac’s transfer them to your favorite container. They will be good in the fridge for around two months (as long as they are cured). If you want to keep them longer place them in a container and pour Atlas Mike’s Magic Spawn Sac Formula over top completely covering them. This will keep them from drying out, smelling and getting crusty and undesirable.
Editor’s Note: Mike Ainsworth operates First Light Guide Service. To learn more about his guided fishing trips please visit https://firstlightguideservice.com/