Cutting Your Own Herring Strips

Adapted from Capt. John King's two-page article "Professional Preparation and Care of Cut-Bait," first written in 2004 and updated May 26, 2009 on MichiganSportsman.com. Originals with 24 step photos: Page 1 · Page 2.

"The definition of luck is when opportunity meets preparation!" John found homemade herring strips cost about 70–75% less than store-bought strips, and out-fished them by his estimate by at least 50% in head-to-head tests. It takes 15–20 minutes (plus thaw time) to make 24 pieces.

What you need

• A very sharp fillet knife, scissors and a cutting board.
• Kosher or pickling salt.
• 20 Mule Team Borax laundry booster. Not laundry soap.
• A large jar. (John switched from zip-top bags to a pickle jar in 2009; it leaks less.)

Herring sizes

Orange Label (4" to 5"), Red Label (5" to 6"), Green Label (6" to 7") and Blue Label (7" to 8"). Green Label was John's choice for cutting strips. Cut strips fish in either a Magnum or Super Magnum head; see the Fit Guide.

Thaw and brine

1. Break the vacuum seal before thawing. Open the whole package, or the herring dehydrate as the juice is pulled out.
2. Keep the herring oil. The white lines on the bait are frozen herring oil. Don't wash it off.
3. Thaw about 30 minutes. Not too long, or the tail fins dry out.
4. Add Borax, then salt. A good handful of Borax sets the scales, which hold the color and shine. Then a matching handful of salt. (If you must measure: 1/2 cup of each.)
5. Add about 16 oz of water and let it continue thawing for about an hour.

Cutting the strips

1. Start filleting while the herring is still slightly frozen and firm.
2. Make an angled cut right behind the gills, then turn the knife and slice toward the tail. Draw the full length of the blade; don't drag it.
3. Leave the tail fin on one fillet (the "A" side), which matches the meat head and looks more natural. The "B" side, without a tail, still catches fish.
4. Snip off the head with scissors. Leave the backbone in; it stiffens the fillet for a natural spin.
5. Trim the belly so the fillet is just over 1" top to bottom, and remove loose rib bones. Keep the length under 6", or it may not spin. Angle-trim the front to match the head.
6. Check the fit in a spare meat head.
7. Return the strips to the original brine. Never rinse them. "Scent is the deal!"

Storage

• Refrigerate at least 8 hours. The strips firm up after about 12.
• Brined bait stays in prime condition for about a month in the refrigerator.
• Don't refreeze bait; it gets softer every time.
• Re-brine used strips to restore the scent. John used re-brined bait for the less fussy early-morning set.

Fishing snippets

• Use dry, good-quality toothpicks; wet ones won't go through the skin. Snip the ends neatly.
• Check every bait before you set it. It must spin. If a meat head has lost its curve, re-bend it.
• Blouse out fly skirts. Big, gaudy flies can slow the spin.
• Fish warm, out-of-temp fish for the early bite, then work 46–38°F water after the first-light bite slows.
• On an 8' beam boat, run 2–3 riggers, not 4.
• Shallow fish: 60–80' leads keep them biting on meat.
• Deeper than 50': start with a 20–30° cable angle. Deeper than 100': 8–10' leads.
• Rigger rods: 25–30# mono.
• Deep releases: size 16 rubber bands on an S-hook at the back of the cannonball break at about 4.5 lb. Size 32 bands break at about 7.5 lb.
• Sharpen even new hooks, and check hooks and leaders after every fish.
• Don't run just one or two meat rods. "Load the spread and go for it! The more scent in the water the better."
• If there are no fish in your area, move. Deep fish (100'+) may not bite early, then "at 9am all hell breaks loose."

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