Northwest Fishing Reports

how do you guys make your herring roll in tighter or wider spins? and is thawed or frozen herring preffered? providing if i have to buy herring.

I like to create a banana shape that is either straighter, or more boomarangy by either how I hook it, or by using toothpics.

http://www.salmonuniversity.com/Herring ... _2011.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

thanks for the useful link!

I found the placement of the top hook can have a major impact on your roll, play around a bit and you will get it right how you like it. The hardest part to master is the cut. Some guys got the cut down, others use guides (kinda like mini miter guides) but no matter how you do it, learn to do it the exact same over and over. It will save you a lot of frustration and wasted bait.

Frozen herring won't stay on the hook worth a spit. Too soft and the hook pulls through to easy. You have to brine frozen herring. And that is a whole nother thread. Some guys on here can give you some excellent recipes and some step by step.

But if your wanting to use bait, be ready for the dogfish! They love fresh brined and any other kind of herring!

thanks!!! i might start out with fire brine at first just to get things started then when i have a better understanding of the basics ill move on to homemade brines i suppose

...

I just toss the herring in a ziplock bag or tupperware with this stuff overnight. for the cut, I just make an angled cut about the same degree as what you see in the pic, and then slide the guts out with the blade. if the herring is thawed they slide right out. I just do it on the cutting board over the gunnel, personally. the spin I can pretty much manipulate with just hook placement, but the toothpick does help. frozen herring can fall apart, so its important to learn how to kinda get it right hte first time. if you poke it with a hook or pick 20 times it will just disintegrate.




this stuff is kinda cool. I dont know how much it does under water, but as soon as you drop it in you can see it creating a nice trail.

The brine I use is a heaping cup of rock or pickling salt, 1/8 cup of Carnation powdered milk, a few drops of bait bluing, and water. Put ingredients in a sealable 1/2 gallon container, add water and mix. Toss frozen herring in the night before going fishing and you are ready to roll in the morning. The milk and bluing make the bait super bright and salt makes them tough. You can add your favorite scent also. As far as cutplugs, I only have one addition to previous comments. Take a sharp fillet knife and slit the anus a little larger. Helps lengthen the time you can run them by reducing blowouts. Just a vent for the water to flow through. Never used the Brite & Tite but looks like cool stuff to add a little color.

Excellent info! I really like this board!

...

im gonna have to try the brads plugs, but which model? size? color? i should have thought of that haha, but if i were to use the herring i wouldve worked it with the tides with a 2oz banana weight and let the incoming and outgoing tides take them out from the dock, but the brads seem like a great idea too

...

thanks!! gotta give it a try, im so tired of throwing jigs from early morning to evening with no success haha

if you live near Tacoma you can finally get the live herring from the Pt. Defiance Boathouse again. for the angles I use a miter box kind of thing, you can buy the plastic ones at some stores, mine is stainless steel. if you or someone you know is handy with tools they aren't to difficult to make.
heard good things on the Brads cutplug. pack it with a fillet of herring, sardine, anchovy, squid or tuna. a couple of the kings caught at the point recently have had anchovy and small squid in they're bellies in addition to herring. you could also put scent on the foam that comes with it. bought a couple a few years ago but haven't used them yet.