TECH TIPS

CURING EGGS

When curing eggs the most important thing you can remember is to start with fresh eggs caught within 24hrs. Your Salmon and steelhead must be bled for the roe to be blood free. If not, you might as well feed them to the dogs. Under any circumstances never freeze the eggs before you cure them. The best eggs to use are fully matured eggs taken from fish that are close to spawning.

Combo this curing process with Pautzke’s Fire Cure and you are sure to increase your catching success.  The curing process is the most important part that takes time to master. To produce a good fishable egg, you must spend a considerable amount of time curing the eggs. Start by cutting the eggs down the middle exposing the inside of the eggs (see pic 1). I like to cut the eggs in half down the middle of the membrane or using the butterfly process by cutting down the middle of the egg exposing it like a book or a butterfly be careful not to cut completely through the skein. You actually do not cut the skein at all (see pic 2). In a quart jar add One tsp cure then place a layer of eggs (approx ½ cup of roe) into a jar and sprinkle cure onto them (approx 1 tsp). Repeat this process until the jar is ¾ full. You will have to play with the amount of cure used to get your desired color. I like bright eggs, almost fluorescent. Scents can be added into the jar if desired. Let the eggs sit for an hour then shake the jar to spread the cure evenly. A few hours later, shake the jar again and repeat the process until the eggs become the desired color and appear firm. This usually takes 24 hrs you will notice the eggs will become very juicy and then seem to suck up the juices and firm up again. Do not refrigerate unless outside air temperature is above 80.

Remove eggs from the jar and strain for 1 hr. Proper drying is also important. Lay down several layers of paper towels and spread the eggs out to dry (see pic 3). Cover the eggs with another layer of paper towels to keep flies, bacteria etc away. You can speed up the drying process by using a fan but keep a close eye on the eggs. Proper drying time usually is 12 hrs for a wet soft fishable egg, 24 hours for a firm durable egg and 30 hrs for a very durable egg used best for back trolling or back bouncing in heavy current.

Storage of the eggs is very important. I roll the eggs in paper towels and place them in a vac bag. Then I freeze the egg without vac locking because if you try to vac lock a non frozen egg they will all smash and be useless. When the eggs are frozen then I vac lock them. Eggs will keep in the freezer for up to a year and fish just like the day you cured them. Another great way to store the eggs is fill a vac bag with 2 cups of Borax. Shake the eggs to spread the borax. Freeze the eggs then vac lock. This is a great method but there are plenty of others that work well too. Scott Haugen has an excellent book about curing eggs that I recommend for other cures: His book called Egg Cures is available at http://www.amatobooks.com/

Ultimate smoked fish recipe

3 cups h20
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup salt plain
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp garlic
1 cap liquid smoke (optional)
¼ tsp thyme
1 lemon squeezed
1 tbs tabassco
1 tbs soy
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp maple extract
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp red food color (optional it is for looks only)

Heat and stir but don’t boil, soak skinless fish fillets for 2 days.

Remember this is not your recipe it was given to me by a friend Sean Literal who pried the recipe from a dying mans last breath.

When you take credit for the succulent taste refer the person asking to www.reeltimefish.com

Product Shown: Fire Cure™ Natural

Catch more steelhead & salmon. We have finally united Dad Pautzke's secret Balls O' Fire™ recipe and our new Krill attractant with Mark Yano's proven Northwest egg cure formula to create the most potent and effective cure on the market - Fire Cure™. Available in seven colors, Fire Cure™ guarantees anglers across the globe to catch more salmon and steelhead. No need for other formula combos due to this perfectly consistent blend of Pautzke's secret seasonings. Fire Cure™ Variety Pack For those anglers curious about this revolutionary fish bait but are unsure about investing in a full case or are not sure which color might suit your needs, Pautzke Bait Co. offers a variety pack with one 16 oz container of each of the original Fire Cure™ colors - Natural, Red, Pink, and Orange - at almost a third of the cost! Give Fire Cure™ try and YOUR eggs can be as good as ours! Pricing & Selection: • Fire Cure™ Variety Pack 4 pack: 16 oz container $31.96 • Fire Cure™ Natural 12 pack: 16 oz. container $95.88 • Fire Cure™ Red 12 pack: 16 oz. container $95.88 • Fire Cure™ Pink 12 pack: 16 oz. container $95.88 • Fire Cure™ Orange 12 pack: 16 oz. container $95.88 To order, please call 509.925.6154