Bob Laskodi
10-17-2006, 04:58 PM
Egg fishing season has already started on a small scale for those rivers that have early Chinook runs, and will be going full bore shortly. The fall trout spawn will also be going full bore pretty soon, so the opportunity to fish eggs on streams that don't host salmon runs will also exist. In addition, many suckers, whitefish, and other stream fishies will also be spawning creating quite an egg smorgasbord for the angler. Here are some tips for matching the egg "hatch".
The size and coloration of the egg varies widely from the various fish species and the coloration of the egg is also affected by a variety of factors including fertilized vs non-fertilized, length of time in the water, amount of fungal infection, and many other factors. Most of the smaller non-trout spawning fish produce smaller eggs (3-5 MM) in a huge range of colors so it can be difficult to match the hatch. Coloration also varies widely making the choices all the more difficult. Trout spawn is best replicated with eggs in the 5-6 MM range and have similar coloration to salmon spawn (to be discussed later). Chinook spawn is best imitated with eggs in the 9-10 MM range, and sockeye and pink salmon eggs are best imitated with eggs in the 7-8 MM range.
Coloration of the egg can vary widely, so the hatch matching angler better have a wide selection of colors. Of course the best way of matching the egg hatch is the same as matching the more common "bug" hatch in which observing and seining the food available will provide the angler with the obvious clues they need to be successful. The following pictures of sockeye salmon eggs can provide you a head start from which to base your egg patterns.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/laskodi/JPEGS235a.jpg
This picture shows the coloration of relatively fresh sockeye eggs that are unfertilized and have been washed away from the redd. Note the translucent nature of the egg. One can see a small but significant variation in color between the various eggs that is mostly related to how long the egg has been in the water. The darker, redder shades are eggs that have been more recently expelled from the fish. After the eggs are exposed to the water, they swell (absorb) a small amount of water that will start a color change to a more orangish-red hue. The longer the egg is in the water, the more orangish it becomes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/laskodi/JPEGS231a.jpg
This picture shows the coloration of much older sockeye eggs, mixed in with some very old eggs that are infected with fungus that makes the egg lighter and more opaque. Note the wide range in coloration and opacity of the eggs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/laskodi/JPEGS227a.jpg
This last picture is a close-up of a variety of ages of eggs showing extreme color variation depending on the amount of time the egg has been in the water, and also the extent of fungal infection that greatly changes the coloration and opacity of the egg.
Flyfishers are some of the best entomologists around and are obviously interested in match the exact stage of the insect that trout are eating. Hopefully these pictures will help you get started on your quest to match the egg "hatch" with the same degree of preparedness.
The size and coloration of the egg varies widely from the various fish species and the coloration of the egg is also affected by a variety of factors including fertilized vs non-fertilized, length of time in the water, amount of fungal infection, and many other factors. Most of the smaller non-trout spawning fish produce smaller eggs (3-5 MM) in a huge range of colors so it can be difficult to match the hatch. Coloration also varies widely making the choices all the more difficult. Trout spawn is best replicated with eggs in the 5-6 MM range and have similar coloration to salmon spawn (to be discussed later). Chinook spawn is best imitated with eggs in the 9-10 MM range, and sockeye and pink salmon eggs are best imitated with eggs in the 7-8 MM range.
Coloration of the egg can vary widely, so the hatch matching angler better have a wide selection of colors. Of course the best way of matching the egg hatch is the same as matching the more common "bug" hatch in which observing and seining the food available will provide the angler with the obvious clues they need to be successful. The following pictures of sockeye salmon eggs can provide you a head start from which to base your egg patterns.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/laskodi/JPEGS235a.jpg
This picture shows the coloration of relatively fresh sockeye eggs that are unfertilized and have been washed away from the redd. Note the translucent nature of the egg. One can see a small but significant variation in color between the various eggs that is mostly related to how long the egg has been in the water. The darker, redder shades are eggs that have been more recently expelled from the fish. After the eggs are exposed to the water, they swell (absorb) a small amount of water that will start a color change to a more orangish-red hue. The longer the egg is in the water, the more orangish it becomes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/laskodi/JPEGS231a.jpg
This picture shows the coloration of much older sockeye eggs, mixed in with some very old eggs that are infected with fungus that makes the egg lighter and more opaque. Note the wide range in coloration and opacity of the eggs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/laskodi/JPEGS227a.jpg
This last picture is a close-up of a variety of ages of eggs showing extreme color variation depending on the amount of time the egg has been in the water, and also the extent of fungal infection that greatly changes the coloration and opacity of the egg.
Flyfishers are some of the best entomologists around and are obviously interested in match the exact stage of the insect that trout are eating. Hopefully these pictures will help you get started on your quest to match the egg "hatch" with the same degree of preparedness.