How to Cure Salmon Eggs to Use for Bait

Salmon eggs are the primary bait used when fishing for king salmon or silver salmon. You need to cure fresh eggs to keep them from falling off the hook in a fast-moving river.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Plywood Sheets
• Knife
• Salmon Eggs For Fishing

1. Remove eggs from the salmon in entire skeins (sacks) when you clean the fish.
2. Cover a large piece of plywood or other flat surface with a layer of borax 1/4 inch thick.
3. Cut skeins into 3- or 4-inch sections sideways across the membrane.
4. Lay the cut skeins in the borax, spaced about 1 inch apart. Shake some extra borax over the top.
5. Set board in a shady area with good air circulation, out of rain and direct sunlight.
6. Let skins dry from overnight to several days, depending on the humidity. Turn skins over every 8 to 12 hours.
7. Shake off any excess borax and seal in plastic bags until ready to use.

Tips & Warnings

• The eggs are ready when they are dry and leathery to the touch, but still flexible.
• Well-cured eggs will even keep until the following year's salmon season.
• While the borax keeps most scavengers from eating the eggs, the scent can still attract them. Leave eggs to cure at the downwind perimeter of your fish camp.