Catching Herring

[blynch]

Any tips for doing this?  I know they are very potent baits but i can never catch them!!

[Luna Sea 5]

great question, im interested as well

[IrishAyes]

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.

[Pops Soul]

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.  

[IrishAyes]

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.   
It does turn heads.   

[catfish hunter]

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

[mgm]

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.

[wingshooter]

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

[Pops Soul]

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

[IrishAyes]

 

[catfish hunter]

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

[Treebeard]

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.

[IrishAyes]

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!    

[blynch]

Would this work...

stoolie on the end of a sabiki???

[mboy]

My STOOL(ie) would scare them away

[IrishAyes]

Ahhhh, the ol' brown trout trick...

[Pops Soul]

My STOOL(ie) would scare them away

Ahhhh, the ol' brown trout trick...

You Guys are GROSS 
Rod we need a smiley that PUKES 

[IrishAyes]

Pick one Skip

[Pops Soul]

# 3  please add that to our collection of smilies Thanks Joe
Brown Trout Trick, You know S*#t floats ! 

[Treebeard]

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!    

It's ok Joe.. I tell'em my baitank is one of them  honeymoon-suite circular Jacuzzi's like they got in the Poconos!