Spawn Sac Season is Back: Quick Refresher on How to Tie Sacs

By: James Swearingen

It’s steelhead season in the Great Lakes and I’m expecting another banner year. There’s always steelhead to be caught, but some anglers remain more successful than others. To me, the difference is having the proper equipment and good bait.

There are several different methods to catch steelhead, and all are effective when presented properly. I personally switch back and forth between jigs, beads, spawn sacs and soft plastic, but anybody that’s fished with me knows I like my eggs. To be honest, some of my eggs are king eggs, others are trout eggs and I mix in Premium Trout Eggs, too. Steelhead can be finnicky, and particular. I have all three types of eggs with me on trips and rotate them until the steelhead show me what they want on that day. On good days they’ll eat them all, but other times they only want one of them.

Not everybody has access to king eggs or fresh trout eggs. When that’s the case Premium Trout Eggs work well. Most important, they are accessible to anglers. You can buy them anywhere. With that said, you definitely want fresh eggs. Keep in mind Premium Trout Eggs only last a season. These are real trout eggs, which are gold to us, but they do go bad. If you use a batch from last year they aren’t going to fish well, just like fresh eggs wouldn’t last that long. I know they don’t need to be refrigerated, but in my opinion after I open them I keep them in the fridge. It’s not necessary, but I believe they last longer.

Spawn Sac Tying Tips

Need to Cure?

A lot of people ask me if you need to cure eggs before tying them in sacs. The answer is yes and no. Some anglers have success using fresh eggs, and I do that from time-to-time, too. Meanwhile, I do cure most of my eggs and always use BorX O Fire. Most of the time I lightly sprinkle on Natural BorX O Fire. It’s the best stuff out there.

On the other hand, when using Premium Trout Eggs you have a choice: use them right out of the jar or cure them. You can either cure the eggs before tying them in sacs or wait ‘til after. I alternate between the two. Both are effective. Why cure them? Premium Trout Eggs are preserved, but not cured. I prefer to add some scent and flavor to them, which is what Natural BorX O Fire does. I sprinkle BorX O Fire and let them sit at room temperature for an hour before putting them back in the fridge. Check out the photo below. I tied the sacs and then added the BorX O Fire. You can do this, too.

Tying ‘em: Size Matters

Size does matter when targeting steelhead. I like to use roughly 10-15 eggs in each spawn sac. How many I use depends on water conditions and the size of the eggs. For example, in dirtier water I’ll use a large presentation. In clear water I’ll use a smaller bag. As conditions change adjust the size of your bag.

Color: It Does Matter

My go to colors in clear water is white, peach, pink and orange Atlas Mike’s 3×3 spawn netting, but when it’s cloudy a big pink or chartreuse Atlas Mike’s spawn sac is better. Trout and steelhead always like pink. Purple and blue are two overlooked colors that I use on pressured fish. They work and few anglers use them.

Better Use Magic Thread

I’m all about contrast and to achieve that I turn to Magic Thread. For example, if I’m using a chartreuse bag I’ll tie it with red Magic Thread because it gives it a blood dot effect. Nonetheless, I’ll use white Magic Thread on a pink bag.  And don’t discount white netting with white Magic Thread in low and clear conditions. Another thing I do is use chartreuse Magic Thread on white bags when it’s low and clear.

Editor’s Note: James Swearingen is the founder of Steel City Anglers. To learn more please visit: https://www.facebook.com/SteelCityAngler412/