rigging cut plug herring

[Bait O' Eggs]

I have a problem with getting a cut plug herring on the hook consistently. One time it will roll beatiful and more of a drunk surfer the next time. I purchased a jig to get the cut angle proper which has helped. I think my problem lies in the upper hook placement, though it may be something else. Is there instructions or photos on the web which can help with this.

[Fishin' Freak]

There was an illustraion in this years Spring Chinook issue of STS, I know if you do not have the issue you can order it from Amato Publications.

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Tight lines and long drives

[cts258]

what is STS?????

[Bait O' Eggs]

Fishin' Freak
Thanks for the info. I just called them and they have an issue avaiable for 3.95, and best of all only about 1 mile from the house. thanks again

RT - when you get that picture posting figured out this would be a good set of photos to post.

[Fishin' Freak]

CTS- STS is Salmon, Trout, Steelheader it is a magazine.

[Fishin' Freak]

Bait O' Eggs - If you want I will scan the picture tonight, and try and get it posted on here for you. If I can't get it on here I will E-Mail it to you. Just let me know.

[Oakie Drifter]

Ohhhh, that would be a great picture to have!!! I too, have had problems being consistent in hooking those buggers on. Just in case you can send it to me too, heres my email address. BEV4FISH@aol.com THANKS!

If you bought a jig for cutting the bait it works great for me to put the top hook in just next to the back bone(on the high side), and go through the spine, and out the low side. I hook the trailing hook way back, in and out on the same side so it is opposite the other hook. I have kept herring rolling perfect for long periods this way. Some guys dont even hook the trailer, just let it hang. Good luck.

FF, that would be great if you can post a cutplug graphic! One of these days I shall learn to attach pics & graphics to posts. - I'm a bit confused how you put the upper hook thru Corky. In from the topside & out thru the lower side? Sounds like it could be similar to what I do? -- Before I suggest a hookup, let me remind you to poke a hole to release vacuum pressure then carefully remove herring from the package so as to keep as many scales intack as possible (this will give it better flash). I use a Gilly Cutter (other good ones), take out the entrils, and slightly enlarge the anal vent for better water flowthru to prepare the herring. You can do this the night before with several of them to brine overnight to toughen them and add a little sodium scent. Use the big purple packs for 'Nooks & the med. blue packs for cohos. To hook them, I poke the lower hook, as far back into the inner cavity as possible with out tearing the bait, thru the medial line on the longer side of the cut and pull out enough line to have the super sharp hook dangle back by the tail. This will keep the lower hook more stable in the strike zone than putting it thru the shorter side of the cutplug where that would spin the hook around in a larger diameter circle where it can get missed by a quick striking fish more often. Then I poke the upper sliding hook about 3/4" inside the cavity up thru the back very near either side of the backbone at the front of the cutplug; on the shorter side of the backbone for a wider roll (good for a slower 'Nook troll) and on the longer side for a tighter quicker roll (good for a faster troll for cohos). If you aren't getting hookups experiment with the upper hook placement and actions. Check your herring often for both action and cleaning off debris. Also, vary your trolling speeds and depths until you start connecting. Try an occacssional light spray of WD40 or injecting baitoils such as Pro-Cure sardine or my baitfish formula, posted formerly. - RT

[Jim]

RT

I have always enlarged the ventral hole but have never known anyone else! What ratios do you use on your sodium brine?

Oh yah...I also leave the trail hook dangling.

This is a great time of year isn't it!!

Jim

[Sandybar]

Thanks ZaQ That was great to see a picture along with a explnation of how to succesfully rig your herring

[Bait O' Eggs]

I picked up the April/May STS magazine today at Amato Publications in Milwaukie. This place is quite a library of fishing books. There had to have been 100 fishing books for sale in their lobby area. They have a large selection of slightly damaged books for 50% off. They mostly had GI Joes type price tags on them like they had been returned from stores. Very reasonable priced books, that looked like they had been read one time at the most. Anybody buffing up their library may take a look at this.

The description given in the magazine is just opposite of RT's method above. RT brings the 1st hook (tail hook) out the long side, and the magazine brings the first hook out the short side of the bait. I guess that tells me their is more than one way to get this thing to roll. Anything must be better than the poor roll I get sometimes.

Eggs, no right or wrong here. Just try both ways and watch what the hook does when checking the action, and which way hooks fish better. I need to check again myself. - Jim, I posted a long one on brines. I'll try to find it and bring it back up later. Meanwhile, post your brine for us. Thanks.- Steve

[Fishin' Freak]

Bait O'Eggs, I hope the article helped, I have never actually, tried fishing with cut plug herring, as a matter of fact have done very little salmon fishing period. But I must say, I am excited to go this fall.

[smilesforu]

I have seen probably a dozen different ways to hook a cut plug herring. Here is my favorite after the cut. No entrils... Use a solid tie set of hooks with whisker on top hook. Take bottom hook and poke from inside the cavity to the high side of cut plug. Follow the first hook with the second in the same hole so the herring doesn't damage any farther.
Now loop the top hook over the herring and bury the hook so the point enters a quarter inch back on the low side cut edge along the blue line. Leave top eye pointing towards the rear so you can bury the bottom hook. With the bottom hook go over the top and bury hook along back bone as far back as needed to get point coming out near tail. Now go back to top hook and set it so the shank is fully buried exposing only the eye.
Now slowly remove the slack line from the top hook to the hole on high side opposite.
Check spin....If spin needs to be altered put a toothpick down backbone so the herring curves toward the low side. recheck spin.

tight lines

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Marty
Steelheader.net

[Hookset]

Something else to ponder. Don't forget fishing a whole herring rather than a cut plug bait. A whole fish has more flash and better scent AND it's more realistic. You won't see a bass pro cutting heads off his plugs to fish only the tail section. I prefer to fish a bait that matches the size of bait in the water. Getting a good role isn't difficult. The lower hook is pushed twice through from one side to the other and back through, the upper pushed through the head from underneath and out the top. You want a slight curve in the fish which provides a nice roll. It's really not that hard.

hook

[dawhunt]

Hope,I can explain this right.I take the the trailing hook thru the low side at the blue line then take the second hook thru the same hole,then take the trailing hook back thru the fish (now the tricky part to explain),I then take that hook and push the shank back into the fish on the laterial line all the way to the bend in the hook,the hook should be sticking out the side of the fish now,I then take the second hook and do the same on the low cut side push the shank back into the fish only just above the blue line where there's more meat,you should now have a hook on both sides of the fish sticking out with just the bend and the barb straight out.Hooking the fish on the lower cut side will give it a larger slower spin,I believe thats what you want for chinook,if you do the same thing on the high side you get a much faster spin for coho.Hope I explained this right doing it this way makes it really hard for the fish to miss one of the hooks.The only bad part of this you can pick up more grass on your hook so you'll need to watch this. GO GETTEM !!! OH YEA,Ive only done this with solid tied hook,I don't know if it will work on the slider type ??

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Bob Dawson

[This message has been edited by dawhunt (edited 08-02-2000).]

[Katchun Release]

Now HERE'S something I know a little something about, having fished B.C. since '81, and usually returning with my boat sporting scales from one end to the other. I think one of the more important things that is often overlooked with cut plug herring is to have an INCREDIBLY sharp knife, clean it thoroughly after each cut, and make just ONE sweeping cut -- don't saw back and forth.

We did have one night in B.C., where we ran out of fresh bait and resorted to old dead herring that had sluffed off all their scales. They were soft, gooshy and disgusting. The Chinook LOVED 'em, and they didn't roll so much as slither. So much for having the perfect bait in order to get a hit. One never knows, and that's what makes it fun!!

Katchun, your episode with the Kings hitting less than ideal bait again brings to point that all the high tech in the world won't do any good unless you get your rig in front of biters! In big open water areas luck becomes more of a factor for success than up in rivers where the knowledgable locals know right where to put their bait for best results. - Anyway, another trick for fishers to try with herring is using small cutplugs, or even better, using the smaller whole herring rigged behind a Jet Planer for backtrolling tributary rivers. It works! Especially in the large holes with slow to medium current in the lower river. - RT

[dock rat]

There is an extensive article on plug cut herring fishing in the August-September 1992 issue of STS. It was written by Phil Pirone and Gary "Gilly" Gilchrist. It has a lot of diagrams as how to rig for different speeds and conditions and pushes the use of injected scents. The article is about 7 pages and has a tremendous amount of info.

[rhansme]

I have plug cut Herring many times. I usually fish the Head after cutting em. I have a lot of success with em. Just poke the front hook through the lips and leave the rear hook trailing. I was very successfull with hookups and very few got off. May just have been lucky but it worked for me. Maybe I just held my mouth just right?...Fishin is funny that way...