Mid River 11-15

Tried beads for the first time a few weeks ago-no luck. I had them over orange and then blue sacs and pinned them just the way the shop  showed me. They had one set up on the wall .
Tried just the blue sacs in the same area later in the day and had some action. Maybe I'm not setting them up right or the fish just turned on later but I'll stick with sucess and just go with the eggs.
Good luck next time= if you dont freeze. Im about done till late march or april, unless we are up X country skiing this winter and get a fair day.


  Just saw your other post on the spring flies- right on - I wear my turkey face netting and light gloves-darn things still get in and bite.

Never had to think about the egg condition after mid Nov. I generally stop fishing then till late march or early April, I appreciate the tip though,  just in case for the odd occasional winter trip.   Thanks.

creamy can be good in my opinion... in many ways other than fishing as well...lol... i find sacs produce well all the way in to early january sometimes. keep in mind that browns are beginning to spawn and will continue to spawn for a while now. and steelhead love brown eggs best. i have 2 quarter pound containers of loose steelhead eggs that i cured last spring. on my last outing i tried them out. i only had blue pink and orange netting and also took a buddy of mine out for the day so we purchased some store bought salmon sacs as well just in case we ran out. sure enough, i had not one take on the salmon sacs, but 10 on the trout... so needless to say, don't count out the sacs or egg patterns just yet. estaz patterns should be productive as well... i usually start using brighter nymph patterns in late fall early winter. come january, i strictly use custom tied all natural dubbing and feather nymphs and they work great. the salmon river is very abundant with nymphs, and in my time, i've come to find that it is the winter time when the steelhead start realizing this. remember they come from the lake and they don't eat nymphs in the lake, so it takes them a while to catch on. not to say a nymph wouldn't work right now, but it wouldn't be my top choice this time of year. for big wets and streamers, i would use them down low and i would be very happy and content to roll even just one fish... that is with no weight i'm referring to...

dont forget about summer run steel which spawn in feb and march... so in reality there are eggs in the river for just about all of steelhead season. and for some odd reason trout eggs work best on trout

ORIGINAL: metalslayer

Salmon eggs work just fine for me.

just as they have for me as well metal... but there have been too many times where in a comparison test that trout have prevailed for me. especially when i'm using trout and hooking fish and everyone around me is using salmon and not... it's no secret either; i think most veterans would agree with me. they are smaller, softer, and have a different scent... all key factors in triggering a strike. i will add though that if you cure your own salmon eggs, they will work much better than store bought i have found as well...

yes just as i said i've had more success with home cured salmon rather than store bought. but to be honest, my recipe allows eggs to be refrigerated for 6-12 months, and if frozen 12-24... the eggs i used 2 weeks ago have been stored since last march so that is going on 9 months. this is definitely an objective discussion rather than subjective, it all comes down to trial and error and what you think works best. i encourage anyone to try it though. since i was a little boy i was always told about trout eggs working better, and i have learned myself through trial and error that they do. this is now my 3rd season since i've gone back to using anything other than flies since some time around 1993. honestly though, i encourage all to experiment. another example; this past weekend my friend fished ellis cove and had a 20 hook up day. one of his better days ever since the mid 90's he claims. he started with flies with no success and then went to his home made brown trout sacs on the fly rod. he was one out of maybe 25 guys in sight who were mostly fishing egg sacs and no one came close to hooking as many as him. try it; that's all i can say. remember, it's not that i don't think salmon eggs don't work, i just believe from my own experience that trout eggs work not better but much better. i let it rest on that note...

Nightwalker chunks work well - tipped on jigs too.
I was going to buy some instead of the little waxies - oh well - perhaps next trip.
 
I think most folks resorted to usingthe Berkely pink worm instead of live worms. The pinkies work well all throughout the winter.
I have no idea what makes a fish hit a rubber pink worm when the water temps are in the 30's - especially considering there is no natural food in the river at that time of year that even slightly resembles a bubble-gum colored worm... Another fish mystery !!
 
I gotta agree with DB - IMO for whatever reason brown trout eggs seem to work better than salmon or steelie eggs - especially in the later months of the year - could be that the Brownies are spawning in Nov & Dec and their loose eggs are more plentiful.
 
I don't use too many eggs, but when I do I don't even bother curing them or skein. I just rinse them and put in individual freezer safe packages to prevent freezer burn and they hold up well for me and milk when fished. I like tying up skein sacks when it is partially frozen - no ooey gooey mess to deal with.
 

I too believe that trout eggs work better---just w/ salmon eggs so plentiful----I have/see no need to slit a brown.

If I can get 1---where I fish almost makes the prospect an impossibility--did get 1 2yrs ago though.

I loves garden hackle-specially in Spring

so drake when are we gonna butt heads up there?

i've got just about the same thing going here. used to go up every t day, now not every year. have always done better in early november and mid to late december anyways. don't forget to bring a face mask and **** cup for the brawl out in kasoag parking lot....all are welcome...place bets no later than 12 midnight the night before... lmao...

those late night sledders can be a trip and a half. i've yet to get one myself. maybe it's better off because i would be too inclined to just drink even more...

Metal - if you feel inclined to chase after a strange 2-legger hoe, the DSR would be the perfect place.
 
Afterall, when you get home smelling like fish, your better half won't be suspicious about it..
 

Just got back from 4 days of slow fishing. I dont know if it was the full moon or the up and down temps but it was pretty slow. White eggs took 2 big steel, blue eggs took 9 trophy size suckers and chubs. Nothing on beeds(pearl,pink) One small brown on a pink worm. Thats it for 2 guys in 3 days. Once again stayed away from the crowds lifting up river. I went to altmar and seen many lifted, I mean hooked below the fly only section. Great time had by all though. Good food,beer,fire,friends. Its like a new river to figure out, many new holes because of the flood. Many holes gone/changed is a bit of a bummer but It will be fun to find new ones again.
fishon