Herring have made a comeback in numbers over recent years and are now a viable target in many areas when fishing from breakwaters, piers, jetties, and rock ledges during the autumn and winter. Fishing for herring is simple fishing, but often a way of building up a bait supply for other fishing adventures. It’s also a great way to spend a few hours doing something different, plus a fresh herring for supper or breakfast is difficult to beat.
Rods
Rods rated to cast 2 to 4ozs are plenty for herring, even when lifting a string of three or four of them up from the water on to man-made structure. A suitable option are the multi-tipped rods designed for smaller species such as flatfish and mullet. Choose the intermediate or heavy tip option for this type of fishing.
Reels
Fixed spool reels are the best choice with the above rod. Sizes 6000 to 8000, the latter with a shallow spool option that holds in the region of 400-metres of 20 to 30lb braid line.
These bigger reels will cast further but also give greater cranking power when working sets of feathers at longer range and in deeper water.
You will be constantly casting, so look for a reel with a good line lay and load the reel with braid about 2 mm below the rim of the spool. Also, try to wet the braid before starting to cast by washing water over the reel spool. This will reduce the chances of wind knots forming in the braid during the early cast, especially when using lighter lead weights.
Mainline and Leader
Although mono line is fine for this type of fishing, the braid will cast further when using light 2oz leads, sinks quicker and catches less tide pressure due to its thin diameter in the 20lb breaking strain compared to the same mono. It has no real stretch, so puts maximum rod tip movement into the feathers even at range and sets the hooks well when herring take the lures.
There is no need to fish a shock leader on 20lb braid when sensibly casting 2oz weights, but if you’re casting 3 to 4oz weights, change the main braid line to 30lbs.
Feathers
The feathers need to be tied on small hooks, as herring have very small mouths. Size 6 to 8 hooks are a good all-round choice, but some days the herring can be very choosy and faintly hit the lure but miss the hook. The smaller Sabiki type feathers on tiny size 12 to 16 hooks can then take fish when other rigs won’t.
Herring are attracted to flash in the water as they feed on tiny prey fish that tend to be in small shoals. Choose tinsel wing type feathers. Anything with a crystal flash tinsel tail and body, white feather lures with a lumo green bead in front of the hook are good, also Grub type feathers with a lumo plastic body and tinsel tail.
In clear seas, instead of using a lead weight, use a big spinner or small pilk for a weight. This, when jigged up and down with the feathers, helps to draw the herring in by reflecting light off the body and appearing like smaller fish try to catch prey fish. Another tip to try is a luminous green lead weight that has been charged via your phone torch if it’s dusk or Tronixpro UV Torch. This latter tip is a real edge in the early mornings and late evenings when the herring shoals are tight to the surface.
Leads and Attractor Rigs
Keep leads as light as you can. Just enough to cast far enough, plus keep a tight line to the lead when working the feathers. Using a weight that is too heavy sees the feathers sink too quickly, and often the herring are at a set depth in the water column. A lighter lead sinks slower and helps keeps the feathers in the feeding band that little longer.
Slim casting jigs in sizes 20g, 40g and 60g should cover most situations as herring are present mostly during calmer days with settled seas. Silver and pearl colours work best.
Bass Wedges also work well in the same sizes, but these flutter down in the water and again are worth trying when the fish are that bit more difficult to entice.
Another edge when fishing at dusk and dawn is to add a short section of luminous tubing to the treble hook shank of the lure. Charge this with light, and it will glow adding more attraction to the lure as it works.
Bait
Adding tiny slivers of mackerel or squid strip to the feathers can be another way to improve the number of bites you get by adding more movement and scent. The fish slivers need to be a third the length of the feather lure itself. Cut the strip thinly with a tapered end. Put the hook once through the thick end of the strip to maximise movement.
Technique
You can often see the herring shoals moving in as there will be birds working over them. Also look for agitated surface water in calm seas as the herring, especially at dusk and dawn, will be just below the surface with the prey fish they are eating disturbing the surface water as they try to avoid the herring below.
Cast well beyond the shoals, count down the lead for a couple of seconds, then slowly work the feathers back through the shoals lifting and lowering the rod while retrieving line as weight falls back. This lifts and lowers the feathers in the water column, simulating a bait fish shoal.
Keep counting down the weight each cast until you find the fish. Mostly they will be between mid-water to the surface. Typically, deeper by day, shallower at night.
Days that are dull with a cloud cover but with a settled sea are best for shore herring, but they can be taken from deeper water on bright days just up off the seabed.
