Live herring: With live herring rigs, the key
is to keep the bait mobile and relatively healthy. Accordingly,
a single, small hook (2/0 to 4/0) through either the lower lip,
both lips or the nostrils will enhance longevity. When a more
secure rig is required, use a second hook tied with a salmon
hook knot (see this page) and bury
the barb under the dorsal surface behind the dorsal fin (see
diagram above). To prevent live bait from swimming off a barbless
hook, slice a short piece of vinyl from a coated paper clip
and slide it on the hook to provide a catch.
The West Coast technique most
associated with fishing live herring is mooching, where the
herring are best left to produce their own fish-enticing action.
The simplicity and light weight of mooching set-ups are well-suited
to limber, 10-foot rods. This technique is also conducive to
catching rays and consuming cool beverages after cutting the
engine and letting the boat rock gently around the back eddy
where large chinook typically rest.
Herring
strip: Slip
a prepared herring strip firmly into the teaser head (see this
page) while expelling all action-distorting bubbles from
the leading edge. Rhys Davis is the standard West Coast brand
of teaser head; current colour choices tend to be clear, blue
or glow pink in remote areas, with glow green or army truck
colours preferred elsewhere. The bait’s meat side must
rest on the plastic tab. Insert a toothpick to hold the bait
in place and trim the toothpick ends flush with the teaser head.
Breaking them off leaves weed-catching, motion-dampening stubble.
The injured-baitfish-like spiral action that chinook find so
tantalizing is imparted by bending the teaser head tab away
from the strip. Doing this leaves the two single hooks (4/0
to 6/0) further from the bait, and the greater the bend, the
quicker and tighter the spiral. Since a slow zigzag motion is
preferred, pull the hooks out behind the tail end of the bait
(see diagram on left).
You can also create a spiral
action by replacing one of the single hooks with a 3/0 treblehook
and inserting one of its barbs through the strip. Slowly draw
the line from the leader end of the teaser head’s blister
to increase the action. For either technique, tie the hooks
with salmon hook knots. The leading hook should be about an
inch and a half from the tail end of the bait, with the trailing
hook close to the tail end of the strip.
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