How to Fish the Annual Herring Spawn

It's been a few years since i first learned how to fish herring during the Annual herring run. Since that time, its one of the
events i look forward to each year. 1) It is an exciting event to simply just witness 2) Saves you a Ton on bait 3) and it's a challenge and science to find out where the fish are.

It is a cat and mouse game, but with experience, it is tipping towards the CAT...or in this case the "Anchovy"
I wrote an article to share my knowledge. I will continue to add information and update the article as needed.
I wanted to get this article out before the end of this years herring season so others can use it. --Lost Anchovy

Click Here for full Article
http://thelostanchovycom.ipage.com/kayak-fishing-tutorials/how-to-fish-the-annual-herring-spawn/

Thanks for sharing Keith 

Very cool, that looks like a ton of fun

Thanks for sharing Keith 

I love to share my knowledge if it makes others more successful. I've fished a lot over the years and by far sex herring is the  one of the most effective
baits in the ocean, short of "live bait".  IMHO.

Great job documenting it Keith!  Thanks.   So with all the different places they might run how do you figure out where and when to go?  Do you rely on word of mouth from someone you know that hunts for them all the time?

lol'd @ cats comment because its true.  Raccoons and skunks too

Great job documenting it Keith!  Thanks.   So with all the different places they might run how do you figure out where and when to go?  Do you rely on word of mouth from someone you know that hunts for them all the time?

Rey, Its a combination of things. 1) I have networks 2) Ncka 3) CDFW website 4) Data from past year (I Scout), but here is a secret....passed on to me by Kirk Lombard himself (The man...The legend). Check the live cams around the bay and look for diving birds

@Crash
hahah the Cats, skunks and racoon are real. Lol. They can smell that stuff a mile away, even if you close the garage door, they scratch at it.

cool, thanks for the write up.  if they show in alameda, i'd like to give it a go with a sibiki.  if not, i'll give you 25 cents a bag 

Cool article. Thanks for sharing.

If you want to freeze them on a tray, I'd recommend laying them on the tray, freezing for an hour or two, THEN vacuum sealing. That way the vacuum won't deform your bait.

cool, thanks for the write up.  if they show in alameda, i'd like to give it a go with a sibiki.  if not, i'll give you 25 cents a bag 

Ryan, I'll give you a two bags in exchange for any fish caught on them.   I don't wanna rip you off! lol. 
No worries buddy, I got you when we fish this year.

@Alex
good idea Alex, i'm gotta definitely try that. Although the sandwich bags are cheap and get the herring the way I want. I'll try both ways and update the tutorial
accordingly.

Love to catch my own bait! Thank you Keith for the educational post. 

I've noticed a spawn near coyote point.
Do you expect more than one spawn at the same location?

I've noticed a spawn near coyote point.
Do you expect more than one spawn at the same location?

It's is my understanding that they don't spawn in the same place twice. This is from a conversation I had with a cdfw data collector and it's been the case all the years I've hunted them.

I brine them in salt then freeze them.

Last year was the first time I really got into them, and loaded a cooler. Vac packed em and then tried them for rockfish and the non existent salmon this year. I never caught a thing on em! I was shocked. Thought I was going to clean up on the lings with em, and now we don't even have a crab season...so they just sit frozen in the freezer from last year. I'm not real motivated to get more this year with so many taking space in the freezer already. The only thing they worked for were tipping sabikis for smelt to catch halibut last summer. They were almost too big for salmon fishing and trying to get them to roll was difficult. The only way I could get them to roll was plug cut them shorter than normal. Most were too big for any of the bait roller contraptions.