The Versatility of Herring
Herring are one of the top baits for salmon anglers from Alaska to California . There are endless ways to fish them such as mooching a whole bait , plug cutting for trolling , and suspending herring under a float to name just a few . Some techniques don ’ t require a specific size , such as using a fillet of herring as a bait wrap on a plug or used to stuff a scent chamber or clamshell style plug . But for those that like to fish either whole baits or plug cut them then the size of the herring can make all of the difference .
Looking in the bait freezer or fridge at the local gas station or tackle store and you will find trays of vacuum sealed herring . The size is based on a color system , and sometimes the only way you can tell the size of the baits is from the color of the label instead of the wording on the package . The color-coded system is based of five colors or sizes .
Black label herring are about 9 to 10 inches long . Most of the time anglers use black labels for halibut and sturgeon fishing . There are some other fisheries , such as off of Kodiak Island and northern British Columbia where the Chinook are absolutely huge and if you want to catch a big fish then use a big bait .
Blue label are 7 to 8 inches in length and are great for plug cutting and mooching for feeding Chinook . The larger baits are a bit tougher and give off more erratic actions as they are mooched . Lingcod anglers also use the blue label size rigged whole with a mooching weight and double 4 / 0 hooks . The larger herring makes it easy for “ ride-along ” lings that grabbed the bait and won ’ t let go even though they aren ’ t hooked .
Green label herring is the most popular , as the size lends to a variety of uses . They are 5 to 6 inches long and great for rigging whole with a helmet and trolling or even plug cutting and trolled or mooched . The fillets are also just the right size for wrapping plugs . Most of the time when anglers buy their herring by the case they choose green label for the versatility .
Red label herring are 4 to 5 inches long and just the right size for coho fishing , especially when using a herring helmet for trolling . Chum also take a red label herring that is suspended under a float near tidal waters at river outlets and streams dumping into Washington ’ s Hood Canal . If you are wondering if trolled herring works for landlocked Chinook , such as those found in Washington ’ s Lake Chelan and Idaho ’ s Lake Coeur d ’ Alene , the answer is “ yes ” and the red label is the perfect size .
Orange label are the smallest baits offered in trays for fishing . Just 3 ½- to 4-inches in length , the little bait is great for trolling for trophy trout . Kokanee anglers have even caught the landlocked sockeye on them . Orange label herring suspended under a float will also catch chums at the same places that other anglers are using red label , so if you get to the gas station late and they only have orange label they are still worth purchasing . You can also use them minced up in a clamshell plug or wrapped on smaller plugs such as the 3.0 Mag Lip . One other rigging option for orange label herring is to use them with a Spin-N- Glo and plunked or even to cut the in half and use them with eggs while float fishing for fall Chinook and coho .
jason brooks photo
When sharpening your hooks , hold the hook with the bend away from you so that the point of the hook is pointing at you and push it along the file away from you .
Don ’ t Let Dull Hooks Ruin Your Day
The hook is probably one of the most important and neglected piece of fishing equipment we use . Most don ’ t think much about the hook they are using other than size , style and if it can have a barb or not . Once the leader is tied or the lures are snapped onto our lines we put the rigging into the water and wait for the fish to bite . After a few missed bites , we tend to finally check the sharpness of our hook and then realize that the missed fish was because of something as simple as a dull hook .
To keep your hooks sharp keep a file handy . Once the hook has been sharpened it ’ s easy to keep that point by just using a few strokes of the file . I like to sharpen my hooks at the beginning of my trip as well as at the end , and a few times throughout the day . Especially after anytime I hook anything including a fish or should I snag on a log , rocks or kelp that might dull my hook . Same goes when I ’ m fishing saltwater , which has a tendency to dull hooks quickly .
The easiest and best way to sharpen your hook is to run it away from you while holding the file still . Hold the hook with the bend away from you , so that the point of the hook is pointing at you and push it along the file away from you . This makes sure you don ’ t accidently round the tip of the point at the end of the stroke . JASON BROOKS
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