Fishing live herring for salmon can cause anticipation and excitement that will have you getting out of your seat many times if done right. Generally you will either have to buy your live herring or do was done when there were more herring around.

When there are large schools of herring being driven to the surface, you can “rake” the herring which is driving a large metal peice with little needles sticking out. This will not kill the herring, however it will have a limited life. Generally it is best to keep the herring in a dark container.

Most people will use a bucket with a dark garbage bag lining the sides. The rigging for live herring includes a small banana weight, a five foot leader, and a hook to hook through the head of the herring. Once the herring is taken to the desired depth, all that is left is to wait for a fish to take advantage of this sitting duck.

It is important that the rod tip is moving a little as the herring is swimming around. If it stops moving, this means the little guy has run out of steam and it is time to hook up a new bait fish.

  Live squid fishing for salmon is one of the most fun ways to catch salmon. To catch squid it is best to be in under 70 feet of water and ideally in about 30 feet of water. You can often catch salmon or halibut on the squid jig as well. In some areas there are lots of little flat bottom fish that can be annoying as well.

If there are lots of salmon in the area feeding it is the most fun. There are spots along the coast of Vancouver Island and Alaska where this is a possibility. There is a spot fishing Ucluelet that can have some good live squid fishing during July. Any time you are trying to catch salmon on live bait the timing has to be perfect and we would always suggest having alternative methods to catch salmon.