Skein fishing for king salmon in the river can be extremely effective if you have good bait and fish it right. There is countless ways to cure bait and everybody finds their own way of doing it but getting started can be tough and frustrating. There is nothing more disappointing than ruining some fresh eggs that you’ve been waiting to get your hands on. This article will cover a simple and effective 3 step process to help you cure and replicate high quality bait.
Kings smell in parts per billion which is equivalent to a catfish. That being said your egg cure can be the difference between a tough day and a successful day. I’ll never leave the dock with less than three different cures. I have what I refer to as my base cure and I also have additives that I either cure into my eggs or I apply on the go. A surprising curing agent and additive is Borax, yes the laundry detergent Borax. Try different cures and bite stimulators available by various companies to find what works best for you.
Usually people have a preference on dry bait or wet bait or somewhere in between and each one seems to have it’s time and place and each seems to work better on certain river systems than others. Personally, I prefer my bait to be more on the wet side. However, I typically keep both in the boat. The difference between getting wet or dry bait is all in the process. The process of curing skein is done over three major steps. The process is simple and starts at the time you catch your female king. Bleed your fish!! Bloody eggs is a great way to mess up your bait before you even get started. After removing the eggs from the fish I wrap them in a paper towel and put them in a ziplock, this will make the first major step faster.
The first step in curing skein is getting the eggs prepared and dried. It is best to lay them out on chicken wire or something similar. If that isn’t an option any surface will work, just put some paper towel down and start by laying the skein egg side down for a bit. After 30-40 minutes or when the eggs start to feel tacky or sticky turn them over to membrane side down. Let them sit for a few more minutes and gather your curing products ready. The time frame it takes to get your eggs for curing will vary sometimes significantly based off of several different including, temperature, humidity, sun, etc. If the eggs are a little tacky and dont feel wet you’re good to go. Step two can be a bit messy, wear clothes you don’t care about and most definitely get some rubber gloves on.
Step two is applying your cure of choice, whether it's a Pautzke or ProCure product or whatever the case the process is the same. Take the powered cure and start spreading it over the skein, you will find there are “flaps” to the skein. Make sure you sprinkle in between all of them to ensure your eggs are colored and cured evenly and all the way throughout the skein. After you have done the eggs side, lightly use your thumbs to rub the power in and spread it out making sure everything is covered. Then, turn it over, hit the membrane side, spread it around and that's it. You will get a feel for how much cure you need to use and it will very by the product. Once that is complete place your skein in a labeled ziplock bag, it will remain in that bag at room temp for 24 hours. The skein will starting dropping its juice and the bag will start to have liquid in it. Every few hours or when you go to bed and when you wake up, roll the skein and juices around in the bag to flip them. After 24 hours most of the liquid in the bag will be picked back up.
Step two is very simple, take those bags and place them in the fridge for an additional 24 hours and continue to roll them every so often or when you can. These first two steps are recommended time frames. However, sometimes you have to rush the process or you wont have bait ready for the next day. If that is the case, give each step as long as possible, even if it means finishing it on the boat. Gloves for the following step is also highly recommended.
Step 3 isn’t hard but things can definitely go south here. Whatever you used to dry your skein before is going to come in handy again. Take your eggs out of the bag and lay them out on paper towel again, they will likely feel wet at this point. Leave them to dry up for a little bit, this is where preference comes into play on how long to dry them. When you’re ready take your borax and start lightly covering the skein and in between the “flaps’ just like when curing. Be careful here as too much borax can completely dry your eggs out. Start with a little bit and add more if needed, it can take over night for you to see the full effects of what you added. The amount of borax will also control how wet or dry your eggs will turn out. I keep borax in the boat to ensure my eggs are always how I want them to be. After this process is done leave them sit out for a bit before placing your skein into new and labeled ziplock. You can add more borax as you need.
These three steps are the exact routine I follow to cure all of my eggs. Dont be afraid to play around with steps and the amount of cure and borax you use to get different results. If your bait ever gets too dry a quick sit in the freezer over night is a great way to fix them. Have fun and take notes of what you’re doing so you can replicate that killer cure you find!
John Wielinga
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Salmon fishing, salmon float fishing, salmon cure, salmon skein, king salmon, how to catch king salmon, Pautzke, pro cure, salmon egg cure, salmon skein cure
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