From River to Rig: How to Cure Your Own Steelhead Eggs in Under 30 Minutes

Curing your own salmon and steelhead eggs doesn't require fancy equipment or hours of prep time. With just a jar of BorX O Fire and a kitchen spoon, you can produce firm, blood-free, single eggs loaded with attractant. Follow this quick step-by-step method and put more fish on the line this season.

4 min read • October 9, 2026

The Art of Curing Your Own Steelhead Eggs

For serious steelhead and salmon anglers, few skills are as rewarding — or as productive on the water — as curing your own eggs. Store-bought bait has its place, but there is something undeniably satisfying about presenting fish with eggs you have prepared yourself, cured to perfection and loaded with natural attractant. The good news? The process is far simpler than most anglers assume, and with the right technique, you can have a batch of firm, beautiful cured eggs ready to fish in under thirty minutes.

Roy St. George, a FishUSA product specialist, shows a quick method that needs only one curing product, a fresh skein and a kitchen spoon.

What You Need

St. George uses one jar of BorX O Fire in natural; FishUSA sells it in about five different colors. Beyond that, you need a fresh skein and a regular spoon from your kitchen.

Start at the River: Bleeding the Fish Properly

Before you even think about curing, the foundation of quality eggs is laid the moment you land your fish. According to St. George, this step is non-negotiable.

"Whenever you catch the fish, the most important thing to do is actually bleed the fish. Blood is actually the enemy of the eggs here — so you want to actually bleed the fish out really well so you have a really nice golden egg that's blood free."

— Roy St. George, FishUSA Product Specialist

Even with careful bleeding, St. George notes, there will still be a little blood in the membrane, but the process he demonstrates takes care of that too.

Stripping the Eggs: The Kitchen Spoon Trick

With a properly bled skein in hand, the next step is separating the individual eggs from the membrane, and St. George's trick uses nothing more than a regular kitchen spoon.

The method is straightforward: hold the skein firmly and apply gentle pressure while using the spoon to massage and stroke the membrane. The eggs will begin releasing naturally in single form, rolling free from the connective tissue with each pass. The goal is individual, single eggs rather than clumps, though St. George is quick to reassure anglers that perfection is not required.

"You're going to get a couple little chunks, but that's not going to hurt at all. You're still going to be able to use them as far as the bags go — tying those up. The majority of them are going to be in single form, but it's okay if you have a couple little chunks in there."

— Roy St. George, FishUSA Product Specialist

One important caveat worth noting: early in the season, when the first fish push in from the lake, the skein may not strip as cleanly. Those are juvenile eggs with a lot of membrane still in the skein, he explains, and they likely still have two or three weeks to go.

Preparing the Eggs for Curing

Once the eggs have been stripped from the membrane, they need a brief but important preparation step before the curing compound is applied. St. George transfers the loose eggs onto a paper towel and spreads them out in a single layer, allowing the surface moisture and any remaining traces of blood to be absorbed.

You want a nice dry egg when you add the cure, St. George explains.

Another benefit: fresh eggs are sticky and gooey and hard to tie into sacks. The cure dries them out a little, so they're almost single dry eggs that are easier to handle.

Applying the Cure: Less Is More

With the eggs dried and ready, it is time to apply the BorX O Fire. Don't overdo it.

"You're not going to do it excessively — you're just going to sprinkle it like if you were putting sugar on cereal or on strawberries. That's really all you need."

— Roy St. George, FishUSA Product Specialist

A light, even dusting across the spread eggs is the target. Once the cure has been applied, the eggs need to be gently mixed and turned to ensure even coating and to activate the borax compound.