How to Hook Salmon Eggs for Bait

Tying a Roe Bag

Place a spawn net on a flat surface. 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.

Scoop 6-20 eggs into the center of the mesh sheet. 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.

Place 3 to 5 small bait floats on top of the eggs. 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. The bait floats should be about the same size as your salmon eggs.

Grab the four corners of the mesh sheet and twist the top. 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. Do not squeeze the eggs or you may pop them.

Tie the top of the bag with thread. 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.

Cut the excess mesh from the top of the bag. 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.

Tying an Egg Loop Knot

Thread the line through the eye of the hook. 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.

Wrap the other end of the line around the hook 10-12 times. 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. Keep the line as tight as you can as you do this or your line will unravel.

Thread the free end of the line through the opposite side of the eye. 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. Your line should now form a large, loose, loop.

Hold the tag end against the hook. 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. 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.

Wrap the line around the hook another 10-12 times. 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.

Pull the tag end to tighten the knot. 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. You can cut the excess line on the tag end to make the knot look neater.

Attaching the Roe Bag to the Line

Pull the top of the loop knot to loosen it. 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. If you tied your egg loop knot correctly, the top loop of the knot should be easy to pull.

Puncture the center of the roe bag with the hook. 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.

Secure the loop around the roe bag. 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. Using an egg loop knot will prevent your roe bag from becoming detached and floating away as you fish.

Pull on the free end of the line to tighten the loop around the bag. 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. Don’t pull on the free end of the line too hard, or you will sever your roe bag in half.