How to Hook Salmon Eggs for Bait

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Salmon eggs are a great fishing bait that can allure a wide variety of fish, including salmon, steelhead, and trout. [1] If you plan on using salmon eggs for bait, you need to create a sack, or roe bag, so that the eggs don't float away. To do this, you'll have to purchase specialty mesh sheets from a fishing store and create the bags by hand. From there, you can secure your salmon eggs to your hook using a special type of knot.

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Tying a Roe Bag

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  1. You can purchase spawn nets, or 4 by 4 inch (10 cm × 10 cm) mesh sheets, online or at a fishing store. These sheets are created specifically to hold eggs as bait and usually come in packages of 25 or 50.
    • Yellow sheets are better if you’re fishing in murky water.
    • Red sheets are more alluring to fish if you’re fishing in clear water. [2]
  2. The more eggs that you place in each roe bag, the larger your bait will be. If you are fishing for larger fish, like trout, you’d want to make the roe bag bigger to better attract them. If you are fishing for smaller sized fish, like sunfish, make the roe bag small enough to fit in their mouth.
    • You can purchase salmon egg bait at a fishing store or online.
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  3. Bait floats are small plastic balls that will keep the roe bag floating in the water in stronger currents. Adding these small bait floats to the roe bag will prevent it from scraping the bottom and can prevent your bait from getting caught on rocks. [3]
    • The bait floats should be about the same size as your salmon eggs.
  4. Carefully grab the four corners of the mesh and bunch it up over the eggs. Then, twist the top of the mesh so that it creates an egg sack. Twist it 2-3 more times to secure the sack in place. [4]
    • Do not squeeze the eggs or you may pop them.
  5. Wrap a piece of thread around the top of the bag 5-7 times. Then, tie the end of the thread with a knot to hold the eggs in place.
    • You can use a special type of string called Tackle Spider Thread, that will hold the bag in place without having to tie a knot.
  6. Use a pair of scissors to cut 2–3 centimetres (0.79–1.18 in) from the thread to remove the extra mesh from the top of the bag. You should now have a tight bag of eggs that you can use for bait.
    • If you don’t plan on using the bags immediately, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
    • Most roe bags are 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) in diameter.
    • If the roe bags look white or discolored over time, it means they are going bad and you should create fresh bags.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Tying an Egg Loop Knot

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  1. Pull the line through the eye of the hook until it reaches the bent part of the hook. Use your fingers to hold the line in place as you move onto the next steps. [5]
  2. Take the long end of the line and wrap it around the hook and the other side of the line. Start as close to the eye of the hook as you start wrapping and work your way down the hook. [6]
    • Keep the line as tight as you can as you do this or your line will unravel.
  3. While still holding onto the line that you originally thread through the eye of the hook, take the other end, or tag end, and thread it through the eye. Push the tag end through so that there is 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) of the line coming out of the other side of the eye. [7]
    • Your line should now form a large, loose, loop.
  4. Hold the tag end against the hook so that it doesn't move around. This will secure your loop in place as you move onto the next steps. [8]
    • If you don’t hold the tag end of the line up against the hook, then your loop will come undone as you go onto the next steps.
  5. Wrap the bottom portion of line around the hook and both ends of the line. Continue wrapping it and pull it tight to secure everything into place. [9]
  6. Pull the tag end of the line while still holding the loops in place and the rest of the line will go through the eye and tighten the knot. Pull on both free ends of the string to tighten the wrapping even further. [10]
    • You can cut the excess line on the tag end to make the knot look neater.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Attaching the Roe Bag to the Line

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  1. Pull up on the top portion of the knot so that you create a loop that’s slightly larger than the size of your roe bag. You’ll be tightening the line around the roe bag to secure it in place. [11]
    • If you tied your egg loop knot correctly, the top loop of the knot should be easy to pull.
  2. Place the pointed end of the hook into the center of the roe bag. Puncture the bag all the way through so that your hook goes through both sides of the mesh. You should now be able to slide your roe bag up and down your hook. [12]
  3. Slide the roe bag up the hook, as close to the eye as you can. Then, take the loop on the top of your egg loop knot, and wrap it around the center of the roe bag. [13]
    • Using an egg loop knot will prevent your roe bag from becoming detached and floating away as you fish.
  4. Tighten the loop enough to keep the roe bag in place. Now, when you fish, your roe bag will be attached to both your hook and your line. [14]
    • Don’t pull on the free end of the line too hard, or you will sever your roe bag in half.
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      Things You’ll Need

      Tying a Roe Bag

      • Spawn nets
      • Salmon eggs
      • Small bait floats
      • Thread
      • Scissors

      Attaching the Roe Bag to the Line

      • Fishing hook
      • Fishing line
      • Roe bag

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      References

      1. ↑ https://lakemichiganangler.com/pages/salmon_trout_eggs
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/96l1sUjYdvI?t=45s
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/96l1sUjYdvI?t=2m3s
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/X-YQiKKOHQU?t=53s
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/R-Gsv32EoXM?t=43s
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/R-Gsv32EoXM?t=1m22s
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/R-Gsv32EoXM?t=1m53s
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/R-Gsv32EoXM?t=2m4s
      9. ↑ http://www.animatedknots.com/eggloop/index.php
      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/R-Gsv32EoXM?t=3m8s
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/BD8qQfBWSgA?t=23s
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/BD8qQfBWSgA?t=35s
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/BD8qQfBWSgA?t=37s
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/BD8qQfBWSgA?t=46s

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