14 replies to this topic

[rayray519]

Planning on going out for the opener next weekend. Will steelies go for coho roe this time of year? If not would rainbow roe be best this time of year?

[Kit]

Im sure any steel with hit roe that is not theirs. Of course using the correct roe for the time of year makes it a bit more natural.

[FrequentFlyer]

its not going to matter much, i mean, they hit a scentless fly

[NiagaraSteel]

I'm certainly no steelhead master (far from actually) but I seriously doubt a spring steelhead is gonna think 'that doesn't look like bow roe, I'm not touchin it'. Maybe the colour or size difference could make a difference, but an experienced steelheader last year told me he just uses chinook roe all year round.

[PUMP KNOWS]

I wish they weren't so picky with my chinny roe...I still have lots.

[rick james]

It's all in the presentation

[salmotrutta]

I'm certainly no steelhead master (far from actually) but I seriously doubt a spring steelhead is gonna think 'that doesn't look like bow roe, I'm not touchin it'. Maybe the colour or size difference could make a difference, but an experienced steelheader last year told me he just uses chinook roe all year round.

 

+1, I tried perch roe once for the heck of it and the bows gobbled it up

 

Presentation, presentation, presentation

[fishing89]

The opener? You can probably toss in a red piece of felt on a hook and catch steelies all day. The fish are hungry and there are tons of them around. The real challenge is before the opener in open sections of water that hold only a few fish, thats when presentation and bait choice really matters.

 

That being said, Coho eggs will work just fine

[rayray519]

Sweet thanks for the great advice everyone.

[NADO]

Any roe will work. I like Brown/Rainbow roe for tying small bags since the eggs are smaller. Cure method makes more of a difference than the type of egg IMO. I still have lots to learn on the topic but I have noticed an obvious difference.

[steeleseeker]

Since nado brought up egg curing, I was wondering if anyone has any methods they'd like to share. I've been trying to find a good method for curing my own with limited success. I'm told a good cure can make a big difference.

[Swing4Steel]

Firecure!

[FrequentFlyer]

add garlic to any cure you use

[salmotrutta]

A simple cure that's never let me down:

 

When the water in the trib is frigid, rinse the loose eggs in a bag or container of the trib water for about a minute (doesn't need much time). If you wish, drain and repeat once.

 

Voila, your eggs are cured.

 

Some say "you need the goo there to attract fish" - nay, you definitely don't. Blair used to swear by the goo for night fishing steelies - so there is definitely a time and a place for gooey eggs, but they're not necessary for daytime fishing imnsho. 

 

When you get home, dry the eggs by scattering them on a paper towel. Once the excess moisture is off, put them in a container and freeze them.

 

They will not freeze, will not pop, will last for as many drifts as you need, and will not leave goo everywhere. 

 

Now you can play around with lightly salting / rehydrating / freezing / drying / borax etc. to achieve other desired affects, such as eggs that will not whiten.

 

But anyhow, river cured eggs, fast, simple, easy, clean, effective. And free!   

 

*Water curing over a lengthier period of time is different from frigid water quick rinse curing. For the cure I outlined, the water has to be near freezing. On opener the water is usually plenty cold enough.

[salmotrutta]

Forgot to mention another benefit of using frigid water to harden eggs - once hardened, they don't "freeze" in the freezer and thus don't need to thaw / won't be stuck together. They come out of the freezer ready to drift.