How mutch difference does it make using a herring strip along with hoochie?

Like night and day. If you want follows from interested fish, use the bare hootchie. If you want rod-ripping strikes, add a strip of herring fillet. You won't regret it.

FYI you can save a little $$$ by recycling the plug-cut herring that you've been dragging for the last hour when it will no longer spin from having the beveled cut edge curl out or the belly flayed open. Fillet these "trashed" baits, exposing fresh meat and stink for your hootchies.

Gunnar,

Some people swear up and down about the effectiveness of strips, but IMO I do not think it makes any difference. Matter of fact, I haven't used bait in years. Adding scent makes up for the difference. Plus my hook arrangement wouldn't be conducive to running a strip.

Add a little noise like a spinner blade or Spin N Glo and you'll be in business.

My .02 cents

Couldn't hurt.

Any one ever try adding a strip of squid or squid tentacles? i bet that would work.

What FNP said and I like to marinade them in a little WD-40 too.

I cut my herring into strips and throw them in a piece of tupperware with rocksalt and throw that in the freezer. That bait can be re-used multiple times before it gets too knarly. These salted strips stay on your hootchie longer and are ready to go--don't have to mess with cutting bait while fishing. I got this idea from John's Sporting goods in Everett. I also add power bait under the hootchie, in case the bait falls off.

I used to add smelly jelly on the hootchie, but I find that it leads to quicker discoloration / molding of the hootchie and twinkle skirt.

I've had good luck stuffing hootchies with powerbait too. I've also had good luck using herring strips. However when I find a school of fish it doesn't seem to matter too much one way or the other if it's there or not so long as I have used some sort of scent. At Sekiu last year we had several doubles where my son had a strip and I didn't. Go figure!

For summer kings a bait strip added has produced during slow periods, more times than not in my boat. When we used to have a blackmouth fishery down in the south sound (MA 13) I don't believe it mattered. (They were really agressive feeders.)

Rut Ro.... One less boat!

Holy cow, there's fish all over MA13 No...

He telling the truth!!!

take mikes lunker lotion herring scent and fill in the inside of the hootchies head. and the good thing is that squid often do smell like herring since they eat anything that moves

Downriggin...

Okay, well it's open anyway. I will be out there after I'm done chasing the coastal coho.

I often fish hoochies for both migrating and resident fish - and I hate fishing bait. I find myself messing around with it way too much.

To be honest this is mostly true of fishing cutplugs, but is also true of fishing herring strips as well. I find myself needing to check my gear much more often to ensure everything is working properly. I am a big believer of more time your gear is fishing = more fish in the boat. Constantly checking my gear cuts down on my fishing time so I fish naked gear most of the time. Instead of using a herring strip to add scent to my gear I use a paste or liquid scent which lasts longer and is a easier to apply.

The second big reason that I don't fish bait is that I usually only fish on weekends. It can be a big old funky mess when Sat rolls around after I have forgotten about the herring from the week before.

I have learned alot since my days of trolling cut plugs behind banana weights around Elliot Bay when I was a kid. I have paid special attention to some of succesful fishermen that I have come across. Quite a few fish gear almost all of the time.

Steve

SH...

I hope I wasn't ribbng you too hard... Many folks I run across believe MA13 sucks and therefore don't fish it, but I gotta tell you differently.. I'll agree the fishery is not like it was yesteryear , but there are still a ton of fish to be caught. Most of the time they are not in the spots people expect them to be.

Now is a great time to give Harestine a go for BM. A lot of sand lance spawning in Dana Passage along the beach... I'll work 40-80 feet of water and keep the gear (not weight) hugging the bottom- about 3 feet above is perfect.