NJ Saltwater Fisherman Forums

NJ Saltwater Fishing Reports and Information => Tips, Tricks and Things to Consider => Topic started by: blynch on February 24, 2008, 07:22:36 PM

Title: Catching Herring
Post by: blynch on February 24, 2008, 07:22:36 PM
Any tips for doing this?  I know they are very potent baits but i can never catch them!!
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: Luna Sea 5 on February 24, 2008, 07:25:20 PM
great question, im interested as well
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: IrishAyes on February 24, 2008, 07:42:31 PM
Last year I did the Delaware River in Trenton near Katmandu.  Anchor up in the channel (where they usually run) and drop over a sabiki rig or just tie on three gold hooks.  Some guys like to put a gold sequence on the hook to add glitter, but it's not a necessity.  You can only have three hooks on one rig.  Jig up and down a few time and you usually end up with three fish.  Sort of like mackeral fishing.  You are allowed thirty five fish per man a day.  You also must keep YOUR catch in YOUR container (cooler, bucket, etc).  Believe it or not, they were enforcing this to the hilt last year! 

I brought them home, filleted them out, salted them down and had bait for the season.  I wrapped them in aluminum foil and they lasted great.  This year, I may try vaccuum sealing them.
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: Pops Soul on February 24, 2008, 07:43:09 PM
Sabaki rigs are the way to go, if you fish the Delaware river remeber when you buy them from most places they are a 6 hook rig, on the river a 3 hook rig is legal, I believe Sportsman Center in Bordentown sells a 3 hook Sabaki rig or you make 2 rigs out of 1 if you buy the 6 hook rig. Plain Gold hooks were the standard rig for years. 4ft leagth of 12 lb. leader sinker loop in the end for a 1 or 2 oz sinker 3 dropper loops for your hooks and a barrel swivel to attach to your main line. I use a Number 4 gold hook when tieing my own.  t^
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: IrishAyes on February 24, 2008, 07:54:06 PM
Skip, I was cutting the extra hooks off and leaving the teaser on the rig.  If you saw the rig it looked like a five or six hook rig, but there were only three hooks on.   TT^
It does turn heads.   rofla rofla
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: catfish hunter on February 24, 2008, 07:55:04 PM
when I live line them up here in the raritan river I wait till low tide and hit a creek that is shallow enough to see them,I then take a older cast net thAt is ripped up already and watch them as they cross rocky areas then land the net on top of them ,we dont get the runs like we used to anymore so it is alot of work I used to do this alot now only find myself doing it 1 time a year just for the memory.also sabiki rigs can't be beat or shad darts rig w/ gold hooks on a droper
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: mgm on February 24, 2008, 07:58:51 PM
Used to catch them below the Farrington lake dam with a fly rod and a small gold spinner used for shad or herring.  Don't know if that is allowed any more.
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: wingshooter on February 24, 2008, 08:01:54 PM
used to catch them in the inlets,, just a 6 foot rod smll 1 ounce sinker and 3 small gold hooks,,,,cast out and retrieve
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: Pops Soul on February 24, 2008, 08:19:14 PM
Here is another Tip if you use Sabiki rigs.
To store them is always a problem. Take an old 35mm plastic film container, cut 2 small slits one in each side enough to slip line into. Drop your sinker into the container, wrap the rig around the outside of the container, put the swivel in the container through the other slit and put the cap on the container. It's not perfect but helps.  I attached a picture I drew hope it helps explain things ;D
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: IrishAyes on February 24, 2008, 08:22:40 PM
 TT^
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: catfish hunter on February 24, 2008, 09:15:17 PM
Used to catch them below the Farrington lake dam with a fly rod and a small gold spinner used for shad or herring.  Don't know if that is allowed any more.
they still come up there to spawn but not many last year I was over there playing around looking for turtles and I netted 2-3
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: Treebeard on March 05, 2008, 03:48:25 PM
Up here in my neck of the woods on the Hudson, many guys Scap net them (like an Umbrella net)in the creeks and tribs that feed into the river.. Another popular method is to use a "Stoolie", which is basically a Herring-looking "decoy", usually soft plastics like the big Storm swimbaits with the hook cut off to avoid snagging in bottom.. The idea is to  cast and slowly retrieve the stoolie, drawing in other herring looking to spawn with it..they are then scooped up with a dip net.. This is much easier to do with 2 people.. one to retrieve the stoolie, and one to net..In addition to soft plastic Herring imitations, some guys do well using large spinnerbaits as the Stoolie.
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: IrishAyes on March 05, 2008, 04:23:20 PM

The idea is to cast and slowly retrieve the stoolie, drawing in other herring looking to spawn with it..they are then scooped up with a dip net..


Damn, what a mean trick!   TT^  rofla
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: blynch on March 05, 2008, 06:42:50 PM
Would this work...

stoolie on the end of a sabiki???
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: mboy on March 06, 2008, 08:02:03 AM
My STOOL(ie) would scare them away :)
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: IrishAyes on March 06, 2008, 08:03:49 AM
Ahhhh, the ol' brown trout trick... TT^
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: Pops Soul on March 06, 2008, 08:21:59 AM
My STOOL(ie) would scare them away :)
Ahhhh, the ol' brown trout trick... TT^
You Guys are GROSS  :P
Rod we need a smiley that PUKES  ;D
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: IrishAyes on March 06, 2008, 09:17:40 AM
Pick one Skip
(http://www.getsmile.com/emoticons/smileys-91853/n/smiliechicken.gif)(http://www.getsmile.com/emoticons/smileys-91853/n/kotzen.gif)(http://www.getsmile.com/emoticons/smileys-91853/n/puke.gif)(http://www.getsmile.com/emoticons/smileys-91853/q/justsad.gif)
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: Pops Soul on March 06, 2008, 09:24:51 AM
# 3  please add that to our collection of smilies Thanks Joe
Brown Trout Trick, You know S*#t floats !  ;D
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: Treebeard on March 06, 2008, 11:44:41 AM

The idea is to cast and slowly retrieve the stoolie, drawing in other herring looking to spawn with it..they are then scooped up with a dip net..


Damn, what a mean trick!   TT^  rofla

It's ok Joe.. I tell'em my baitank is one of them  honeymoon-suite circular Jacuzzi's like they got in the Poconos!  TT^
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: mboy on March 06, 2008, 12:00:36 PM
Brown Trout Trick, You know S*#t floats !  ;D

Only if you are dehydrated!  t^
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: IrishAyes on March 06, 2008, 12:02:31 PM
 rofla rofla
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: Pops Soul on March 06, 2008, 12:54:20 PM
Brown Trout Trick, You know S*#t floats !  ;D

Only if you are dehydrated!  t^
  hhppy hhppy rofla
I hope this weather breaks soon, I think some brains are lacking fresh air  ;D
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: gagedylan on March 06, 2008, 03:02:29 PM
i've used a small, 1/2 ounce trolling weight, about two feet of mono leader, and a tiny bunker spoon on the end. cast and retrieve on ultra-light tackle
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: OffTheHook13 on March 08, 2008, 04:16:30 PM
A 1/4 ounce-1 ounce bucktail jig is good to use.

I've caught holdover bass on the jig.

It's fun on the ultra light tackle. ;D
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: ped579 on March 10, 2008, 12:27:18 AM
I have been using smaller bucktails at the Barnagat Inlet.  Went out a couple of times but no luck.  I had something on last week but I could feel the head shake and then a dead line the line snapped at the dropper loop.  I was using a white bucktail tipped with a white grub and a red and white teaser.

I was thinking of going out tomorrow as I have to be there to take pictures for a project I am working on.
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: OffTheHook13 on March 10, 2008, 06:26:13 AM
I have been using smaller bucktails at the Barnagat Inlet.  Went out a couple of times but no luck.  I had something on last week but I could feel the head shake and then a dead line the line snapped at the dropper loop.  I was using a white bucktail tipped with a white grub and a red and white teaser.

I was thinking of going out tomorrow as I have to be there to take pictures for a project I am working on.

Go getem... ;D
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: gcap818 on March 26, 2008, 10:37:26 AM
if your intrested is accumulating herring as bait for stripers,and not hook and lining them,then you might want to make a herring basket.

you can build the frame out of various materials, then wrap it with chicken wire leaving one end opened like a barrel.
attach a long handle and paint the whole thing black.

find a small creek where the herring/shad are moving upstream concentrating on where it narrows, or where they may potentially bunch up.   drop the basket in facing the open end down stream.  when the hering/shad move up stream, they'll enter the backet and you'll feel them hitting th netting.  when you know they're in, just lift the basket opened end first.

Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: IrishAyes on March 26, 2008, 02:09:45 PM
Never heard of that trick gcap.  thanks for posting it.   t^

BTW, welcome to the site. 
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: gcap818 on April 01, 2008, 10:41:45 AM
another trick to catching the herring in  the backet is to live line one, then throw him back in down stream.  reel him in slow towards the basket.  the other shad/ herring will follow him.  let some slack in the line so he swims in.   when the others follow him into the trap, scoop em up.
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: IrishAyes on April 01, 2008, 10:42:57 AM
 t^
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: surfrocket on July 25, 2008, 06:54:31 PM
sabaki rigs size 6 or 8. you will clean up on herring, catch 4 at a ti me. small weight and a slow bounce. works like a charm.
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: frank81586 on March 02, 2010, 08:48:43 PM
Anyone now any good spots to catch herring from the shore This is the first yr I am going to try to get some but dont now where to go so any info is good thanks
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: Tacklebox Joe on March 02, 2010, 09:35:32 PM
frank, welcome aboard. great site great people here. Just read back starting from the first page of this topic. You should get most of your answers
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: WATSNEXT on March 03, 2010, 07:17:16 AM
Frank #####
For herring Manasquan inlet
Then when you get one live line it and catch early spring STRIPERS
Title: Re: Catching Herring
Post by: nascarwarren on March 29, 2010, 08:51:37 PM
Interesting trick, thanks  clp t^
 and WELCOME to the site. grtn chrz