I was wondering if you could explain the difference between sulfite and borax eggs cures. Furthermore, are there times when one is superior to the other, for example do Kings prefer sulfite cured eggs over borax?
Cheers, Mike
Mike, many of the commercially-produced cures like Pro Cure, Pro Glo, etc. are sulfite cures…in that, sodium sulfite is one of the main ingredients. Usually, there’s other stuff in there too like dye and maybe some sort of “bite stimulant.”
Boraxed eggs are just that — baits rolled around in a bowl or Zip-Loc of Borax (not Boraxo). Borax helps toughen the outer membrane so the eggs will fish longer but doesn’t add any flavor or color.
Generally speaking, kings and other salmon prefer bright red salty eggs so go with sulfite eggs while chasing them. On the other hand, steelies like a sweeter egg, so Borax or Jell-o cures are better for them.
Both species will cross over and eat the other type of bait, but you will definitely do better by matching your bait to the species you’re after.
Okay, so it’s not exactly a secret, but roe is one hell of a productive sturgeon bait. Ever since we started catching diamondbacks on eggs years ago while fishing for salmon on the Sacramento River, I always wondered why the sturgeon guys didn’t use the stuff. After all, we caught pretty good numbers of fish boondoggin’.
Well, as it turns out, sturgeon guys are a crafty lot and small groups of anglers had been using salmon roe and keeping it quiet. Since then, the lid has been blown off the story and everybody’s using it.
Before we get too far along here, a few quick pointers. First off, don’t cure your eggs with a sulfite-based salmon cure…sturgeon don’t like eggs cooked that way as much — unless you’re in freshwater. In salt, plain is better. Keep in mind, that the cure isn’t quite as important in briny water since the eggs won’t milk all that much. If you want to add something, soak the eggs in scent first.
