dj2loud wrote:I was using the mottled natural 8mm on the 15th, since then nadda fish on em, and that's using all the colors..... as far as the nets are concerned last year i was off more then working, so i spent almost 5 months day in and day out on the river, between nooksack, samish, skagit ( what a dismal fishery that one was) and the sky...... as far as eggs, obv i cant make a decent cure even using borx o fire, fire cure or 3-2-1 methods.... haven't caught a single fish on eggs.... Maybe you know some cures....? i have a fresh king from yesterday and have 2 giant skeins curing as we speak ( some with ammerman's, some with Nate's, Fire brine, fire cure and borxofire...)
I have been using the cure below for years, it works great for steelhead and salmon. I use the brown sugar variation and add just enough store bought cure for color when making eggs for Silvers. Silvers love this cure.
I like the 3-2-1 cure, with three parts borax, two parts sugar and one part salt,” Ramsey says. “Sometimes I’ll add just a half-part salt.”
Buzz’s cure has caught on in recent years, although he points out old-timers have long enjoyed success with it. One of its advantages is it is so easy to use.
“I usually pre-mix a lot of the 3-2-1 so it’s ready to go when I need it,” he says.
Preparing the eggs for the cure is simple.
“I cut my eggs up into pieces, or sometimes individual baits,” Ramsey says. “I split the skeins lengthwise. Then I cut each skein into three pieces. One skein will give you six manageable pieces by splitting them and cutting them into thirds.”
Ramsey then places the eggs in a plastic container and sprinkles them with the pre-mixed cure. If the eggs are wet more cure is added to them.
The eggs can also be rolled in a bag of the mixed cure and then placed in a storage container.
“The idea is to cure them so they hold together,” Buzz says. “The neat thing about this cure is because of the salt and sugar content they stand up pretty well to freezer burn. They’ll freeze but not hard enough to burn.”
After a couple days of curing the whole container can be placed in the freezer. During the curing process, Buzz will add dye or food coloring if he wants brighter eggs.
The eggs will expel liquid during the first day of curing, then re-absorb it, along with any dyes or scents you add.
When it’s time to fish, Buzz separates the eggs into a few containers, and plays around with scents to see if the base cure or scent-enhanced eggs produce better.