Otter’s Embryo Eggs
The winter has released its grip on the Lake States, and steelhead time is upon us. As I get ready for the first steelhead trip of the year, I am tying some of Walt Mueller’s new Embryo Egg designs. This concept can be applied in two ways: (1) as a single egg on a hook, (2) as a pegged egg.
For a single egg on a hook, Walt punches a hole through one of his life-like Otter’s Eggs, and then forces a glass bead into the center of the egg. The size of the knitting needle that is used to punch the hole, and the size of the glass bead depends upon the size of the egg. For the 8mm egg, Walt makes the hole with a size 2.5 sock knitting needle and then inserts a size 8 glass bead. Walt then threads the hook through the egg, hook eye first, and finishes the egg with a bit of milking fiber. For all the bead and needle sizes see the handy Exel chart that Walt has created. It’s downloadable from his site www.softmilkingegg.com.
For the pegged egg, Walt threads a bead onto the tippet, going through the hole in the bead two times to help hold the bead several inches above the hook. I tie a single overhand knot through the hole in the egg, with the tippet. It doesn’t break because it never comes tight on itself, and it holds the bead a bit more securely. The hook is then tied on. Walt punches the appropriate needle through the egg, slips it over the hook and up onto the bead. The bead acts like the peg that holds the egg in place. It’s not only ingenious, but it looks like a million bucks. Look out steelhead.
See all of Walt’s great eggs and tying instructions at the site listed above, or click on Otter’s Eggs in the Links column to the right.
A palm full of Otter's Embryo Eggs just waiting hooks and steelehead.