Powerbait vs. Power Eggs: The Debacle

Trout are some of the most popular sport fish in the United States, with thousands of anglers across the country targeting these fish each season. However, few states have existing trout populations. In those that do, these fish are often either inaccessible and/or harder to catch for the novice or casual fisherman. As a result, much of our country's trout fishermen primarily target hatchery trout introduced by the ODFW. The Mt. Hood area has lots of popular and secluded lakes filled with these trout.

A typical hatchery clone in all of its colorless glory. 

Fishing for hatchery trout is different from targeting their wild counterparts. As opposed to silently creeping along a wooded stream while delicately casting finely tied flies, hatchery trout fishing tends to consist of hurling out gobs of bright orange goop. And that venerable goop is, of course, Powerbait.

So many choices, of which none will work. 

I've waxed eloquently in the past on the virtues of this mysterious paste (to read one of these musings click here) but since then I've done a lot more fishing with and experimenting with this unusual stuff. They've also came out with a whole new variety of colors and flavors. And of course, there are the Power Eggs.

Okay, they've been around for awhile, but I've never really fished with them until fairly recently (I'll get into that later). However, on the internet there is HUGE debate between the two, with dedicated proponents of either party staunchly advocating in favor of their favorite. I've seen people argue about Powerbait COLOR less than this. COLOR. 

I might be exaggerating. 

The point is, a lot of trout fishing beginners are daunted by the array of choices in their tackles stores, so I'll compare the two major Powerbait products and also talk about color. 

Powerbait: The Original 

Fun to play with, not to eat.

As aforementioned, my prior thoughts on Powerbait have been included in the blog, but I thought it would be reasonable to update my thoughts on the strange radioactive gunk. This stuff has been around forever, and is the standard manufactured bait throughout the country. I've caught ridiculous numbers of trout on various colors.

Nothing whets the appetite quite like finding these things stuffed with orange paste.

People have heated opinions of colors, and will often "secretly" guard their favorites to other fishermen and the public. I personally hate this, as there's nothing to lose from telling a fisherman what's working when you've already successfully caught several fish. In addition, I doubt that color actually matters as much as fishermen think it does. Sure, there are general rules like light/dark depending on the water conditions, but I've seen days where nearly every color worked extremely well. Sure, there are other days where you'll see one guy catching all the fish, but that could easily be due to other factors.

Like telling everyone on the Oregon Fishing Forum that they "haven't stocked it yet."

So what color is the best, exactly? I've seen beginners at tackle shops completely overwhelmed by the ridiculous array of choices. In many cases, the colors they ultimately ended up selecting were ones that were pretty to them, or the most vibrant. Although I'm sure these have all caught fish, it's important to remember that Berkeley doesn't test their colors on fish. Although I previously stated that color might not be as important as proper presentation and cooperative fish, there are still favorites that stand out among the angling community. They vary like crazy, but my favorites are the incomparable chartreuse, rainbow, pink, white, and orange. I believe that these colors represent the widest range available to most trout and trout fishermen, and I have caught fish on all of them. 

The secret ingredient (granulated white sugar)

Scent is what makes Powerbait effective. The unique, strangely musky odor that doesn't resemble anything familiar is irresistible to freshly stocked trout and even ones that have been in the water for awhile. There are also additional "flavors," of which my favorite is garlic. Even non-trout species such as carp and bluegill have eaten Powerbait confidently, much to the distress of many anglers. Nothing surprises an angler fishing for stocker trout quite like a twelve pound carp! 

Or a six inch Bluegill.

Fishing with Powerbait is simple, and can also be extremely adaptable. The standard way of fishing this stuff is to take advantage of its buoyancy and fish it off the bottom on a hook small enough to suspend it. Fishing this stuff under a bobber is a common mistake, as often the bait ends up floating on the surface next to a bobber. Old Powerbait that loses its buoyancy can be fished this way, as can Powerbait on a heavier hook that sinks it, but the stuff is designed to be fished from the bottom. In addition, it can also be used to tip spinners and other lures, and is effective when slow trolled or back bounced.

Power Eggs: Powerbait 2.0

I love how the Power Eggs color line eliminates all the BS colors.

When I first heard of Power Eggs, I didn't really have much of an opinion on them. I thought they were just some additional crap that Berkeley came up with to try and vary their product line. However, I have been fishing with them a lot more in the last season and I have been very pleasantly surprised by them. They have numerous advantages over Powerbait that would make them ideal for many fishermen. 

A nice rainbow that fell for a pair of orange Power Eggs.

For starters, I'd like to say that in terms of effectiveness these work just as well as Powerbait. They utilize the same scent and are available in most of the popular colors that I mentioned earlier. Gulp!, a different product line of Berkeley, also makes eggs that work very well. I particularly like the garlic scented ones, as their additional scent (enough to send me into a fit of coughing spasms even after being soaked for an hour) often gives that edge on crowded days on the water.

About five minutes after this picture was taken, a van pulled up with about fifty girl scouts.

Now let's talk about how these are different. There are numerous advantages of Power Eggs that have resulted in me using them much more recently. For starters, they are made from a foam like material that is much more buoyant than the Powerbait paste. A single egg can easily float hooks up to a size #10 baitholder, and the #8's I usually use will work well when baited with two eggs at a time. In addition, they are significantly sturdier and stay on the hook much better. This is great with fish that like to nibble on the bait, as the foam Power Eggs will withstand more sampling. On a recent outing, I only lost a single pair of the garlic-scented eggs (and limited out in the process) and that was due to a "bizarre carp incident" that takes way too long to explain within the confines of a blog post.

The same goes for my attempt at wrapping individual Powerbait nuggets in nylon mesh.

However, there are a few disadvantages to the eggs. For starters, the rubbery material that lends them numerous advantages also has its downsides. I've found hookup rates on the stuff to be less than with Powerbait. Exposing the hook point makes things better, but it took many, many missed fish to figure this out. Environmentally speaking, it isn't very biodegradable (despite what the company says) and it's very likely that littered eggs will be consumed by hungry trout who can't digest them easily. However, this is rarely a problem because they stay on the hook so well.

In conclusion, Powerbait is  essential in the tackle boxes of any fisherman who prides himself on his ability to catch mass-produced hatchery fish. These stockers essentially destroy any ecosystem they're put in, so we might as well do our part and try to keep as many as possible. And to do that, we need Powerbait. Whether you prefer the paste, nibbles, nuggets, or eggs, it's time to bait up and go out there to catch some trout! Also, I don't have a ride from Trillium Lake and it's getting dark. 

Happy fishing,

Kamran Walsh