If you fish single salmon eggs, roe sacks, or sand shrimp for steelhead and salmon, the egg loop is non-negotiable. Piercing a soft bait with a hook destroys it; the egg loop traps the bait in a loop of leader instead, so it stays intact for cast after cast.
The tie:
- Pass the leader through the hook eye front to back. Pull about 8 inches through.
- Lay the tag along the hook shank pointing toward the bend. Hold it there with your thumb.
- With the standing line, wrap 8-12 times around the shank and the tag, working from the eye toward the bend.
- Pass the tag end back through the hook eye, back to front — same direction as your standing line.
- Pull both ends slowly until the wraps tighten. The result: a small loop of leader hanging off the eye, bound to the shank.
To bait it: pull the loop open with one finger, slide an egg or roe sack inside, and let the loop snug back down. The bait hangs in the loop, the hook point rides clear.
On a hookset, the leader pulls tight against the shank, the loop opens, the bait slides off, and the hook drives into the fish. Worth the practice.