Egg question

[jd39]

What's the lesser of two evils if you mistakenly get dirt/mud on eggs while cleaning the fish riverside:

1. leave the dirt/mud on and cure up anyway
2. wash the dirt/mud off, I've heard that washing the eggs, having them contact water before being cured is a no-no if you want quality eggs

Or are you just out of luck if you're dumb enough to get your fresh eggs dirty like I was?

[chongo469]

I always do a quick rinse of my eggs before and after getting the blood vein out and then cure them.....

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

my opinion is that it won't matter.

wipe off as much dirt as you can with a moist paper towel (or dry paper towel). and then cure them up. Any leftover sand/dirt is probably going to be inert material, that will just wash off in the first cast.

people overthink eggs too much, IMHO.

One thing I would not do is clean the fish at the riverside. I really don't want the dirty river water, bacteria etc. from the riverbank etc. getting into the fish flesh. I prefer to clean the fish at home, on a clean sink or cutting board, and use clean running water from the faucet. You can just toss the guts into your yard waste bin, which is picked up every week (rather than tossing into the garbage can).

I see people filleting fish and rinsing the fillets in the Duwamish water (yuck). I'd worry a thousand times more about the cleanliness of the fish meat rather than some dirt/mud/sand in the bait.

[racfish]

Watch out what you say about the Duwamish. I made a comment on the dirt pcbs and grime in the Duwie and had a few members disagree with my assumptions on the cleanliness of the Duwie.

[strider43]

Watch out what you say about the Duwamish. I made a comment on the dirt pcbs and grime in the Duwie and had a few members disagree with my assumptions on the cleanliness of the Duwie.

the duwamish is a known dumping ground all though harbour island and all of the industrial area above

[racfish]

I totally agree. Dont forget how the rendering plant on Interurban dumps its waste in the Duwie. I dont eat fish out of the Duwie. I give those fish away to others.When I said that in an earlier post I was jumped on about how wrong I was. Oh well to each their own opinion.

[Steelheadin360]

Dont let your eggs hit water... effects the way the cure reacts with the egg

[Gringo Pescador]

When I said that in an earlier post I was jumped on about how wrong I was. Oh well to each their own opinion.

I'm sorry Rac - I did not intend to "jump on" you. Just to disagree as to the taste of the fish being any different from an equal shape fish in another river. Next time you run into me I'll buy ya a beer to make up for it - you'll know it's me, I'll be the one glowing in the dark

[jd39]

Thanks all, will just try to wipe it off and cure them from there. From a previous experience eggs did seem a little different once rinsed off before they were cured, after cure I couldn't tell but it was my 2nd batch ever. They didn't catch fish but I doubt it was the baits fault. I seem to only be able to catch salmon on spinners (well jigs with pinks). Will figure out eggs sooner or later.
As to duwi salmon, they return from the same ocean every other salmon out there was in to my knowledge. I wouldn't touch anything that was a resident though, same with Elliot Bay and a lot of Puget Sound unfortunately. So far I've only been skunked at the duwi but I'd eat a salmon that's only passing through.

[RiverChromeGS]

wipe off as much dirt as you can with a moist paper towel (or dry paper towel). and then cure them up.

Boom theres your answer.

[NFCustom]

Just brush the mud off with a paper towel. It is absolutely essential that you do not get your eggs wet. When an egg meets water the embryo starts to accept the water and the hatching process begins. Skeins that are rinsed will still work but they will not absorb the cure because each embryo has already absorbed the water when rinsed. It's kind of like taking sponge fully absorbed in water and trying to add more water to it.

[Mike Carey]

interesting, I always rinse my skeins. I'll try curing without rinsing. Thanks.

[toxicavengr]

I have heard many theories on eggs and different methods and I have never worried too much about rinsing my eggs, to each his own I guess, but I don't use a store bought cure either so I don't know what effect rinsing would have on those types of cure.
I prefer to keep the eggs as natural as possible and just cure with salt.......I also bleed my fish out at the river but bring my fish home whole and butterfly the fillet so the meat never touches river water... personally, I don't worry too much about rinsing the eggs.