Try This Egg Cure for Northwest Salmon

By: Mike Ainsworth

There’s countless ways you can cure roe for fall salmon. Some anglers invest in long, drawn out processes that take days to complete. I don’t do that. I want an egg that has great color, milks well, smells good and most importantly, fishes well. To do so I mix BorX o Fire and Fire Cure and add a ton of Fire Power (that’s krill powder for those who didn’t know). This is all I need to catch salmon consistently.

You may have your own egg cure recipe that works for you. This is mine. It’s simple, quick and easy to use, and blends sulfite and borax properties, while adding krill because that’s something all the salmon eat. Krill is vital in the Northwest.

Hook Up

To cure eggs you need skeins. Get out there and catch a salmon. There’s a lot around. Your chances are good.

Prep Is Important

Bleed and ice your fish. If you are going to clean your fish on the shoreline keep a clean, dry container or Ziploc to put your eggs in. Make sure to keep them in a cooler with ice for your trip home. You have to start with a good egg to end up with a good egg. Taking care of your eggs is important.

Gotta Bleed it Right

Make sure to bleed your fish before it dies. This is achieved by cutting the fish’s gills to allow the salmon to bleed out. This keeps blood from flowing into the skeins of the eggs. Some people like to hit the fish over the head before doing so. This is ok, but try not to go too crazy with bat. You want the heart beating so it pumps the fish dry of blood when you cut its gills. The gills are like major arteries. Cutting them will empty the fish’s body of blood while the heart is still beating. However, if you hit the fish too hard with a bat or club this will kill the fish resulting in less blood loss when cutting the gills.

Consequently, some anglers don’t believe that blood in the eggs is bad. I disagree. I prefer to error on the side of caution and hold faith that at least some fish do not react well to lots of blood in the eggs.

More Care:

Now that you have a properly bled the salmon there will usually still be blood left over in the skein. This is easily removed by cutting the end of the egg sac (or cutting them in half) and then using the back of your scissors to push it down the vein onto a paper towel, which will absorb the egg’s blood. Again, start with a good egg to end up with a good cured egg. This process is important.

Cut & Cure:

Cut your egg skein into quarters, or thirds to allow for better egg cure absorption. For the past few years I have been doing a 70/30 blend of BorX O Fire and Fire Cure. That’s 70% BorX O Fire. I prefer more borax to sulfites. I mix pink Fire Cure and Red BorX O Fire to achieve a lighter red color. This is personal preference, and you can play around with your amounts to achieve the color that you are looking for.

I am trying to achieve a bright and vibrant red. Mixing these colors does that. Meanwhile, in clear water I strictly use the red rather than blending colors. This yields a much darker red, almost burgundy color in fact.

Don’t Overlook the Fire – Power:

Especially in the PNW the kicker is Fire Power (powdered krill). Pacific salmon and steelhead eat krill, which is why I add the Fire Power in my egg cures. It can also be sprinkled on the morning of your fishing trip.

Add all these ingredients into a Ziploc, seal the bag and tumble thoroughly to allow the mixture into all the nooks and crannies of the eggs. Then place in the fridge to keep cool and allow the cure to work. I tumble the mixture every hour, or so, to allow a thorough coating on the eggs. Typically, I allow the eggs to soak for at least 24 hours, but I’ve also fished them the next day with an overnight soak and caught fish. Follow these easy steps with your favorite Pautzke colors to achieve a great egg for this upcoming fall and winter fisheries.

Editor’s Note: Mike Ainsworth operates First Light Guide Service. For more info on his Western Washington guided trips please visit https://firstlightguideservice.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/First-Light-Guide-Service-465494153638629/.