Hi Go Gan thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this herring action! Yes indeed - herring fishing is a total blast and often has way more action (less "down time") than fishing for other species. Thanks again and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi canid song many thanks for tuning in and that's crazy to hear about the tiny herring mixed in with the smelt! Haha great point - frying up those little ones makes the bones basically melt away! All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Piscatorian thanks for watching! Yes indeed this was a pretty intense bait ball - there is a fish processing facility right near this area that discharges tiny bits of fish remains into the water, which attracts millions of herring!!! All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Beentheredonethat Originals many thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed this herring footage! How cool - your boat sounds like a sweet setup! You nailed it - if you can get into a nice school of herring the bucket will fill up quick and be a WAY better approach than paying top dollar for pack after pack of herring. If you are keeping them for salmon trolling, you'll want to be a little more delicate with them to avoid scales coming off. But for halibut bait, fill the bucket and you are all set! Good luck out there and I'd love to hear how it goes! Calm seas and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hey Captain Mike that dehooker sounds like a great tool - I'll have to check that out! It doesn't take long for your hands to get a full slime coat when you are touching each one. Plus as you point out the herring would lose less scales if you didn't have to grab them. I haven't tried to keep them alive for Ling fishing but perhaps I'll give that a go next season. Do you tend to get way better results with live herring vs. fresh cut herring? Last year was a generally down year for herring in SE AK as well from what I gathered. The commercial herring fishermen (mostly out of Sitka) struggled and it seemed like they were a little harder to come by in the Juneau area. Some spots are filled with herring (and humpbacks) but are 200-400 ft deep which isn't ideal for sabiki rigs. I tend to pickup herring only when they rise to less than 100ft at these types of spots or I target bait balls around coves where I troll for salmon. Glad to hear that you are seeing initial positive signs of improved herring numbers! Tight lines! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac In my area Ling fishing can be dramatically better with live bait. Herring, sand dabs, kelp greenling all work. I could send you a pic of the sabiki dehooker they sell at my local fishing shop if you replied with your email address.

@@4stringmanagmaildcom Many thanks that would be great if you wouldn't mind sending across a picture. My email is captainzac@fromrodtotable.com If you are wondering what From Rod to Table is, that is a site I am just getting started on - focused on "Catching and Cooking Alaska's Bounty".... lots of room for improvement but I got it up and running this year (link below). fromrodtotable.com/ All the best and tight lines! Captain Zac

Hi there Patrice many thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this herring bonanza! In Petersburg where we were fishing this day there is a fish processing facility that discharges tiny bits of fish remains into the water, which attracts millions of herring!!! A bucket-full of herring like this provides a great source of halibut bait for about a week of fishing every day. Halibut love fresh herring! I hope all is well on your end! The weather is getting chilly here in my offseason home in PA (in the 20's and 30's in the morning) - I bet it is much warmer where you are farther south! All the best my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Peeling Line thanks for watching! Yes indeed it is a bonus when you can have a blast catching the bait before heading to the fishing grounds! I recommend size 4 sabikis - depending on the brand that would be a 10-12lb test main line and a 6-8lb test branch line. Do you ever use sabikis to catch bait in your neck of the woods? Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Game Of 64 thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this herring footage! I typically stick to salting them in a bucket after I catch them since I use herring as cut bait to create maximum scent dispersion (halibut really key in on scent). That said, I'm sure if you did go through the effort to keep them alive, it would probably be a great bait for halibut or anything else in the sea! Thanks again and tight lines! Captain Zac

Hi Gene thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this herring video! I appreciate the tip. In the past I've experimented with larger weight and sometimes more weight causes the rig to move so quickly through the water column that I catch less fish on the fall. Sometimes when the fish holds the weight up it leads to more fish getting hooked. I suppose it depends on how concentrated the bait is and what depth. A heavier weight would do a great job keep the rig from tangling - those sabiki rigs are so hard to untangle once they are fouled!!! Thanks again for stopping by and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi boydscj7 thanks for tuning in and I'm glad you enjoyed this herring action! Do you find that the A-Scope makes much of a difference vs. the traditional sonar display? Tight lines! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac A-Scope is a setting on your traditional sonar. It basically shows you in real-time what your transducer is picking up. There are some good videos to show you how to turn it on your Chartplotter.

I'll check it out - thanks for the tip!

Hi David many thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this herring video! Good question - although I don't eat them, I have heard of some folks filleting and eating the large ones or pickling them. I imagine if you seasoned and smoked the fillets it probably wouldn't be all that bad (they are after all very oily which makes for good smoked fish). Of course - if you can use a herring to catch a halibut that's a definite upgrade in table fare! Thanks again for tuning in and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

they sell them canned in most every grocery store

I tend to just jig the sabiki up and down the water column until I get into the herring. Yes I've caught bait off of a dock with a sabiki rig - of course the bait has to be there to catch it. Yes some folks catch shad on slightly larger sabiki rigs. Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi @gjbingham thanks for stopping by. Generally if baitfish are schooled up in a "ball" they will strike a sabiki rig but sometimes even if they aren't striking you will still snag them. The primary bait fish up here is herring but the other one that shows up is a hooligan (smelt). Tight lines! Captain Zac

Hi Penn704z thanks for watching! You are right that finding them can be the trickiest part. In this case near Petersburg, there is a fish processing facility right near this area that discharges tiny bits of fish remains into the water, which attracts millions of herring! When there aren't fish processors around, I've had luck finding them near marinas and in coves. To locate herring in a cove I like to cruise the main-water points created on both sides of the cove and watch the sonar for bait. If that doesn't work then I work my way towards the back of the cove. Often in coves (e.g., Lena Cove) near Juneau, the herring will be in 15-40 feet even if the water is much deeper. Also, I've had a lot of luck catching herring in passes (such as North Pass where the water flows between Lincoln Island and Shelter Island). While the bait is deeper here (150-300ft), sometimes it can be so thick that over 100ft of depth will be solid herring! The humpbacks know this as well and are often spotted in this area! Feeding whales generally are a good indicator of where the herring are! All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

If you have a fish finder it helps to stay on them but you can watch for gulls. Lots of gulls gathering and skimming the surface is a great indicator of baitfish. When they're staging up to spawn in coastal water it's even better because you'll see the surface boil from how tightly they're packed in.

Hi notpc48 thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this herring action! Haha yes indeed - a cast net throw (where permitted) would fill up a wheelbarrow full of them! Great idea - small herring for bait and the larger ones as table fare to go with the halibut you catch! All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

I am all set and ready for the big herring spawning coming up soon in the Georgia Strait of BC. Where I am (Nanaimo), I expect it to be in about 2-3 weeks from now.

@@notpc48 Wow that's awesome! I've heard the herring spawn over in that area is one of the best around. Good luck!

BTW: Try taking the larger herring and after cleaning them (head on), rub them down with salt and put them on the grill for 2-3 minutes on each side or when slightly charred. Squeeze some fresh lemon over them and enjoy! 😋🐟

Hi The Reef Robber (cool screen name!) thanks for tuning in and glad you enjoyed this herring action! Good luck tomorrow - tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac thanks.

Thanks Kevin! I'm glad you enjoyed this herring how-to! It is awesome when you can quickly fill a bucket of herring and then go halibut fishing! All the best and tight lines! Captain Zac

Hi Jonna thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this herring footage! I typically use a 1oz sinker at the bottom of a sabiki rig. Thanks again and tight lines! Captain Zac

Hi Carlos thanks for watching and CONGRATS on the nice coho while herring fishing! Great job landing such an awesome fish on the light gear! Your heart must have skipped a beat when that light bait rod doubled over with a salmon on it - what a blast! I've actually never mistake-caught a salmon while herring fishing but have caught flounder, sculpin and once caught a baby ling cod! I appreciate you watching my videos - much more 2020 footage to come! All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac yes my heart skipped a few beats I thought I going to loose the salmon Thanks again for your awesome videos

Pacific Herring - www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=herring.printerfriendly Tight lines! Captain Zac

Hi canid song many thanks for watching! Haha getting people away from their screens and on the water can be tough! I'm up in Juneau right now so can't comment exactly on the Petersburg herring run but I assume that if you are seeing birds swooping around and seals in the area that the herring must be nearby! The good thing is that you'll know pretty quickly whether they are in or not - the schools are usually so thick that you'll either catch a ton or you'll realize pretty quick that they aren't in the area. Best of luck - I hope you crush'em!!! Calm seas and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Mike! Yes indeed - Geoff was in rare form slaying double after triple after quadruple herring hookups! A master of his craft indeed! Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Charles thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you enjoyed this herring action! Sorry to hear that the herring didn't cooperate for you last time but hopefully with a new sabiki rig you'll be in luck next time you give it a try! Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Erick thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this herring catching footage! This video was taken in Petersburg, Alaska - just a little bit south of Juneau. Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac thank you!

Thanks for stopping by! This was actually in Erie, PA, over the holidays. The Erie tributaries are an awesome steelhead fishery! Tight lines! Captain Zac

Hey @barbarcreighton6726 nothing wrong with smoked herring - we were on a fishing excursion so we chose to harvest these herring and use them as halibut bait. Thanks and tight lines! Captain Zac