Bait
Herring
fishing with herring bait for salmon -
plug cut herring - whole herring - meat rig herring - trolling with
herring for salmon, stripers and large trout
Herring is
without a doubt the most popular salmon bait in the Pacific
Northwest. Frozen herring is used both whole and cut
to troll for salmon. It is usually rigged in a way that makes it
rotate. The preferred method for rigging herring in the rivers and
bays is by cutting the head off the bait with a compound angle on
the face of the bait which causes the bait to spin when pulling it
through the water. This method is called cut plugging herring or
plug cut herring. The type of roll and speed of the roll is
determined by both the hook placement and the angles on the cut.
their is a bit of an art to rigging a herring in this way and
probably as many ways to do it as their is fisherman that do it. My
saying on this is that their is no perfect roll since no two
baitfish die in the same way. Many fisherman believe that perfect
roll - often referred to as "that slow roll salmon love" is of
utmost importance to the point of being obsessed with it. I believe
if its fresh, spinning and shinny its good to go and you will always
catch more fish with your bait in the water than in the boat with
you while you screw around with it looking for that perfect roll.
For those that arent as good with plug cutting herring or just
prefer a more lazy approach a bait head or if your from the great
lakes region - a meat head is the way to go. These are also
popular with ocean salmon fisherman. Their are many styles of heads
available on the market today but basically they all do the same
thing - they make your bait spin. Some have adjustable spins some
dont. They make them for big baits, small baits and strip baits.
Important factors when selecting frozen herring for bait is the
quality of the bait and the freshness of the bait. See the herring
in the photo above notice the bright scales and white eyes, these
herring are fresh but thats what you want in frozen herring. When
purchasing tray packed frozen herring look for bait that has most of
its scales still on with nice bright coloring and clear eyes. Stay
away from freezer burnt bait. The key to good frozen bait is it is
starved and shocked to make the firmest bait and for scale
retention. If it has some blood in the package it has been partially
thawed and will be soft. For saltwater or the great lakes fisheries
fresh quality herring isnt as important as it is on the pacific
coast. The fish in the ocean are very aggressive and will hit most
any bait that comes close enough to them. The fish in the great
lakes dont move from salt into the freshwater so they act a bit
different than our coastal fish. The fish that come into the rivers
from the salt get real picky which makes quality bait real
important. If you are new to trolling with herring a great way to
speed up the learning curve is to go fishing with an expert Guide.
Give me a call I can help show you how to fish with cut plug herring
and while we are learning we will be catching some nice salmon
Call Captain Dennis Hull "Bite Me Guide Service 503-551-6369 or email us to reserve a date for some salmon fishing with herring
Introducing a new
line of soft plastic baits from Baitrix in Port Alberni B.C. 
These baits are more realistic than the real thing and the best part is you don't need ice or a brine to fish them. They are made from a very durable plastic which allows for many fish caught on the same bait. The Plastic is impregnated with "Reeflex" - a powerful chum scent which makes these baits very effective for bottom fish, halibut, bass as well as a variety of salt and freshwater species. The baits have the fins molded in at an angle to give the perfect roll right out of the package. The plastic readily absorbs
scents and dyes making it very easy to color them to match your favorite pattern and to scent them up a bit. They can be plug cut or rig them in a meat head if you like. The Anchovies will be killer on the tuna and the herring will be deadly on the great lakes salmon and west coast ocean salmon. They are heavier
than real baitfish making them very easy to cast without weight. Use them in a rogue bait rig with a spinner blade, use them on a jig setup, use them on a mooching rig, use them in a meat head or clip or just cut plug them and fish them like a real herring or alewife they are without a doubt a must have for any serious fishing trip. The colored ones above were colored using bic Mark it permanent markers. When you color them up put them in a bag with some of your favorite scent oil the oil and the marker will absorb right into the plastic. We will have glow models and some strip models available very soon. We have them available for sale online now. Herring are packaged 4 to a pack. Anchovies are packaged six to a pack. Cut plug pre-rigged are packaged in packs of 2 or 4. Go here to visit the Baitrix home page to see the full product line up and order direct from them.
Due to shipping and handling difficulties and associated costs we have decided to have all orders for these great baits go directly to Baitrix.com instead of us being the middle man so that we can focus on our core products.
Copyright © 2003 Fish Biteme LLC. [www.nwfish.com]. All rights reserved.
Revised:
April 24, 2012
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