Okay, so curing roe is a bit of a mystery to many anglers. I feel your pain…I struggled with it for years and ruined many a good skein in the old days. Eggs that turned out rock hard or too juicy…or both at the same time…I’ve done it all!
Luckily, you don’t have to trash a bunch of eggs these days thanks to the wizardry of the mad scientists at Atlas-Mike’s. Their new Brite & Tight Cluster-Skein liquid egg cure is as easy as it gets! In a nutshell, you just marinate your roe in the liquid and it does all the work from there! Now more of that endless sprinkle-sprinkle-sprinkle, make sure you get the cure into all the folds, and then sprinkle so more. This cure is super easy and firms/dyes your eggs and adds scent. Brite & Tight is Oregon legal, too, because it is sulfite free.
Here’s a quick how-to pictorial on curing eggs with this stuff…
Because of the lack of sulfites, I prefer this cure for steelhead and trout — but it definitely works on salmon as well!
Here’s how I do it…Start with a clean skein and remove as much as the blood from the vessels as you can. Next, butterfly the skein and then cut it into bait-sized chunks, making sure each piece has membrane attached…
Now, place the chunks into a Zip-Loc bag and pour the cure over the eggs. Seal the bag and keep it in the fridge overnight. If you are in a hurry, the eggs can be done in as little as 2 hours, but you will get a firmer product the longer it soaks…
Now, take the baits out of the bag and place them in a strainer to dry for an hour in a cool place..
Now it’s time to dry the eggs out on paper towels. If the towels get saturated, swap them out with fresh ones periodically. Again, you want this process to take place in a cool, dark area. Drying time depends on humidity, ambient air temps and personal preference but I usually go 2 to several hours…
When they’re dry, they are done! The end product looks and fishes really nice…
Now, all you have to do is place them in an airtight container (be sure to label it with the type of cure and the date). The eggs will last months in the fridge and at least a year in the freezer…
Wasn’t that easy? For more details, check out AtlasMikes.com
Chuck says
Can I add some Bright&Tight to already cured roe that I purchased from a sporting good store or can I use something to spice up that store bought roe thank you
JD says
Well, you can try but bad roe is hard to fix!
Jeff Gould says
A little off topic but do you have a method for firming up/keeping bait fish JD? I’d love to hear any tricks you might have…
Thanks!
JD says
Jeff, get a bottle if Atlas -Mike’s Brite & Tight & follow the directions. Super easy!!
jerry k says
One thing I found, if you mess-up you can wash off what ever & start over, I’ve used to much borox,redid the roe & caught fish.
Jon says
I cured those skeins we got from that Sacramento hen last week. They turned out pretty good and I’m gonna go do some drift some on the American this weekend! Definitely gonna try this new stuff too.
JD says
Cool! Good luck!!
Glenn Duralia says
I would like to comment on a post you did a few weeks ago. You commented on where do fish pills go. Is there a product out there that is bouyant and environmentaly friendly?
Thanks for the morning posts.
Glenn
JD says
No, sorry… Not to my knowledge.
Glenn Duralia says
Hey JD
Salmon in the Sac. River near Sacramento. Do those fish prefer a sulfite based cure? I live in Redding, we fish Chico, Corning and Anderson with sulfite based cures. Early or late in the season would you not fish a sulfite based cure in our area? Or do these fish crave that as they move north to us?
Take Care Glenn
Chris says
Marshmallows are environmentally friendly
JD says
Ok…
jerry k says
excellant bait! I also use Pro cure.
Jeremiah says
Thanks for the info. I have been wondering about this stuff. I don’t think I’ll change what I’m doing but this sounds like a great option for curring up roe while on fishing trips in a hurry so you can have super fresh roe the next day. I’m going to put a jug of this in my road trip bin!
joeE says
80% borax
20% Cherry Jello
Caught lots of fish with this recipe.
any color Jello you want will make
different shades for your roe.
Much Cheaper
Is borax where the illegal sulfates come from?
Erik says
Do you ever add sulfites to the Oregon legal cures? If so how much would you say is alright?
JD says
Erik, I have not, so I’m not much help. I would say use sulfite sparingly… As whatever cure you are using already has a curing agent in it. Too much may burn your bait !
dean says
I wish you posted this 2 months ago when I ruined a couple skeins of Alaskan silver roe with a home made cure concoction