spring time
Well-Known Member
I went to berry's bait on the weekend for bait and they said they don't make the herring strip anymore, is this true maybe I should start to horde if I find some
herring strip
- Thread starter spring time
- Start date
danthewire
Active Member
Nope, no more, good luck finding some.Haven't made it for almost a year.Dan
S
solarwind
Guest
They have it at Canadian Tire in Gordon Head.
scott craven
Well-Known Member
It shouldn't burn because it's frozen in a block of water...
Great for winter springs !
Great for winter springs !
Highliner
Well-Known Member
I've never tried strip. Do you guys just use a single treble hook hanging free?
Highliner
www.salmonboats.ca
Highliner
www.salmonboats.ca
scott craven
Well-Known Member
I've used a single siwash hanging free about 1" from
the tail end of the bait.
the tail end of the bait.
Highliner
Well-Known Member
E
Even-tide
Guest
Since the pre cut strip has been unavailable I've been cutting my own like this web page describes.
http://www.michigansportsman.com/Tips_n_Trix/Cut_Bait.htm
way better value and quality, haven't been using the borax though.
I usually dry salt my anchovies and whole herring so tried cutting strip when it's like a piece of jerky, this works very well as it's not so delicate and easy to cut.
here's one brined then cut down to match small bait.
http://www.michigansportsman.com/Tips_n_Trix/Cut_Bait.htm
way better value and quality, haven't been using the borax though.
I usually dry salt my anchovies and whole herring so tried cutting strip when it's like a piece of jerky, this works very well as it's not so delicate and easy to cut.
here's one brined then cut down to match small bait.
If your cutting your own strip there are some tips that will allow you to cut it near the same quality as Rhys did. You need a supper sharp small knife to start with. I've used a small red handled knife purchased at Trotac...it has a serrated blade and stays sharp a long time. The blade should be stiff and thin. I catch my own mature herring in the fall when they ball up in Sooke. Make sure they are layed out flat before you freeze them, this will make cutting the final product much easier. Pat them dry before you put them in a freezer bag, as any frozen water on the herring will make scribing the shape more awkward. Only take a few herring out of the freezer at a time the night before you intend to use it. Wait a few minutes and scribe the shape down through the scales and skin while still frozen...this will prevent scale loss and the edges of the strip will be crisp not ragged. Do 3 to 4 pieces both sides. Once you finish cutting the scribe lines on the 4th one you can go back to the first one and take off the fillets. If you take to long the last ones will thaw enough that cuts will start to become ragged and rough looking. The better your knife the more frozen the bait can be while you cut it and the better the finished result will be. Sprinkle pickling salt over the strip and keep in a sealable container in the freezer until the morning. Rhys's knives were made from grinding down metal files into blades. If you ever paid him a visit he loved to show you how sharp those blades were...he could shave the hair clean off your forearm in one easy pass. Strip works good for springs, works even better for northern coho!
I have a small mesh dip net with a fairly long handle. If the seagulls are sitting on the water and also diving in the centre the herring will be immature ones. (3 to 7 inches) If all the birds are hovering above, slowly moving with the school and diving from a height of about 10 to 15 feet up..they are mature herring. The mature herring will not usually ball up as tight and will move along a few feet under the surface in a compact school. The birds have to stay in the air to move with them and use the height to dive down 2-3 feet in the water to get them. When I see this activity I head over and make an attempt to get some. The trick is to get in to the birds quickly, keeping an eye on the exact spot on the water the birds are diving to. Don't take your eye off that spot. Slow down at the last second and if your on the money scoop into the school. Take only what you are allowed and what you are prepared to package later. It is easy to take way to many. I usually dump a lot right back. Keep a good tall bucket with water in it to reduce scale loss.
I've stuck the fresh caught stuff in a teaser head and fished it right away. I kill them first by pinching behind the eye...too hard to handle when they are flipping around. My favorite coho fishing was casting buzz bombs into a ball up. The trick is to get close enough to cast into the birds...but not too close that you scare the birds away and the ball breaks up. Once you achieve this the next challenge is casting right into the middle of the birds without the buzz bomb landing one of them. If you manage to hit the water, chances are good there are coho feeding under the bait ball.
