herring substitute

[jollyroger]

I live in or near albany. No herring to be found between here and Toledo to fish the Yaquina. You might think I am crazy, looney or simple despirate...I have some shad from May that has been vac packed in the freezer for sturgeon bait. What about cutting into strips, brining, bluing and running with a rotary salmon killer??? Shad and herring are in the same Genus. Shad is basically a big herring. Slimey, smelly stuff.

Is this worth a try of should I revert to some hardware?? Hoochy mommas or something????

DONT WANT TO STOP TROLLING YET!!!

[Threemuch]

No herring. Bummer. If I could not get herring, I would first call anyone who could, and beg them to ship me some. If you know someone up here in portland, send em a check and have em pack a styrofoam cooler full. Ship it overnight.

If not, I would get anchovies or sardines, and stick them in an RSK. You can try what you were talking about with shad, but good luck, their flesh is mooshy. Salt heavily first. I would pass on shad.

If no chovies or sardines are available, I would drag hardware, crocodiles in blue tiger stripe or green tiger stripe are good herring imitators. Big Apex are good herring imitators too, maybe in grey, white or green.

Hoochies are better for early salmon in the open ocean in my opinion. Good luck.

[jollyroger]

One of the guides was using fresh shad this spring for springers on the south santiam (drift fishing). Thats what made me think of it for trolling.

I know its a little less firm but the skin is just about indistructable.

Hoochie mommas are a spinner (big blade with prism tape in various colors) that have a hoochie looking deal over some big beads and a wick to put scent on. That little store in Philomath seems to be quite proud of them. That seems to be his answer to our bait problems. LOL. Maybe???

[Lipripper]

A short drive up here t G I Joe's in Salem will get you some herring.

[FM2]

Hi JR, I believe Dennis or Maire at Tillamook Bait will probably ship you some of their purple or green label herring. Give them a call, they have numbers right here on ifish.

Good Luck!

[Krome Brite]

Whole shad for springers, Jolly?

BTW, probably too late, but Hayden Meadows (Jantzen Beach) GI JOES got herring, too. images/icons/wink.gif