Herring Fishing with a Sabiki Rig

‘Silver darlings’ or ‘The silver of the sea’ name it any, but the popularity of herring as a tasty fish remains unmatched, untouched. Most of the sea creatures feed themselves with herrings, and they are in abundance in the ocean. Not just sea beings, humans also consider herring as a fish to taste and relish to get all the nutritional elements from it.

Thus, it will not be wrong to say that herring fishing dominates the fishers, mostly regarding the commercial aspect. The fish that is high in demand will be a favorite of the fishermen. Quite naturally, due to the profit, it earns them. Also, no matter how much you fish the herring, it’s always in abundance in the body of water. So, it’s all a win-win situation when it comes to herring fishing.

Knowing the Herring Fish

Herring is not a large fish. It is, in fact, a small bony fish. An adult herring will be no more than 15 inches in length, barring some rare exceptions. Although small, it’s a fish too pleasant to the eyes. The small head, the perfect even-shaped tail, the silvery coruscating sides, and the slight blue back, this fish is charming to a T. The beauty of the fish is top-notch, yet the fish easily surpasses that level in satisfying your taste bud. Also, there are about 200 species of herring. So there is no one type of herring.

But when it comes to herring that is edible, we have three. Atlantic, Pacific, and Araucanian; these are the only three herring that are eaten and relished. You can eat the fish salted, smoked or pickled, or randomly cook it the way you like to; the taste will be there and how! This oily fish is full of Vitamin D and fatty acid, thus high in demand among health-conscious consumers.

Catching the Herring

We have already talked about the abundance of the herring in the water body, yet anglers or fishers hardly go fishing for the herring as a sole purpose. The purpose always remains to catch large fishes, and in between, if you fish some herring, that’s the bonus. Yet, due to the abundance, one can hook multiple herrings.

Things You Need to Catch Herring

A light fishing rod with a soft tip
Monofilament fishing line
Fishing reel
Small Sabiki lures with small hooks
Swivel weight or a fishing lure with a large hook

The size makes herring a fish that is not solely targeted, and these are mostly caught as bait fishes. Herring and mackerel are similar to look at, especially the size, but their nature is entirely different. Mackerel is the edgy one of the two and herring, the calmer one. So, when the herring has taken the bait, you will experience a slight jiggle on the line.

The delicate small fish, due to its small, thin mouth, is easy to lose, especially if you pull the rod too harshly to get hold of the fishes. So, when you know the herring has taken the bite on the hook, pull it gently so that you get some uninjured, healthy herrings. Keep in mind that the pull has to be firm but smooth.

The Best Way To Catch Herring

If you know a little bit about fishing, angling, and fishes, you will know about shoaling. Shoaling is when a specimen of fish stays in the water body in a group. Herring wades in the river in a shoal. That is why you can catch it pretty easily with a fishing net or a rod with a Sabiki rig. The Sabiki rig is no specific technique.

It’s just a way to tie multiple hooks on your fishing line instead of just one at the end. So, either you can attach a big fishing lure at the end of the fishing line and prepare for catching large fish with that and herring with the multiple fishing hooks, specifically Sabiki lures. Or, you can tie a swivel weight at the end and keep the line and rod well-balanced. The hooks or lures remain the same. Keep in mind that the herring is a calm sort, so any harsh movement on the rod will spook the entire shoal.

How To Make A Sabiki Rig

It’s no big wonder that more than setting up a fishing rod with line, reel, and hook, we are directly emphasizing on herring feathers or Sabiki lures. Why not, when that is what will get you the herring fishes. We assume you have your long but light fishing rod with a soft tip well-prepared with your favorite fishing reel and line. Keep in mind that you will need a long fishing line dangling from the rod tip. That is where you will hitch the lures and weight.

Step #1 – Take The Fishing Line End Through The Hook Eyelet

Take your fishing line and insert the end of it through the Sabiki lures or herring feathers or the very basic, size six hooks. You can use as much as you can, depending on how long your fishing rod is. A 10-12 feet fishing rod will easily have 6-8 Sabiki lures well-knotted on it. Make sure the gap is ample between the two lures or feathers.

Step #2 – Tie The Swivel Weight

So, you have inserted the fishing line through the eyelet of the lures. Now the first thing you need to do is work with the line end. Choose your favorite knot to tie the swivel weight or fishing lure at the end of the fishing line. We prefer a surgeon knot. The weight or the fishing lure will be well-tied and easy to remove, too, if you need to change the weight due to the water condition.

Step #3 – Tie The Sabiki Lures One By One

When you have tied the weight or lure, now start with the Sabiki lure or herring feather at the bottom. Take about 10-12 inches of the fishing line and pull it up. You now have a double line in your hand. Now hold the lure or feather in one hand and wrap the double line on your two fingers, forefinger, and the middle, two times. Then take the hook or feather through the loop two times. To close the loop and tie the hook correctly, pull the hook with one hand and the line with the other ever so slowly, and your hook or herring feather is well tied and ready for catching the herring.