Originally published in June 2015, this article has been completely updated in 2026 with new photos, videos, and professional guide tips to help you rig the perfect cut plug herring.
The cut plug herring rig stands as the ultimate pro guide secret for targeting trophy Chinook salmon across the Pacific West Coast. In this comprehensive guide, you will master the essential rigging techniques and watch three step-by-step videos that demonstrate exactly how to rig a cut plug herring for maximum action.
During the peak summer months, ocean-bright Chinook salmon focus heavily on packing on weight before their upstream migration. These powerful predators switch into high-gear feeding mode, and herring remains the most plentiful baitfish in the North Pacific. By cutting the herring bait at a precise angle and removing the viscera, you create a wounded, tight-spinning presentation that Chinook (King Salmon) will aggressively target for an easy-to-grab meal.
Achieving a tight, uniform, and continuous roll with your herring is a lethal method for catching selective saltwater salmon. To see how to combine your bait setups with precise downrigger trolling tactics and tons of other salmon fishing information, check out our master manual inside the FishinBC.com Ultimate Guide To Salmon Fishing.
Herring Selection: Finding the Perfect Bait
Frozen herring is widely available in packages from various manufacturers. For the best results, match your bait size to the local baitfish swimming in your area. When shopping for frozen bait, manufacturers use a standardized color-coding system on their trays to indicate the size of the herring. Use this quick reference guide to match your bait size with the correct hook setup:
- 🔴 Red Label (Small – 4 to 5 inches): Best suited for coho or smaller spring salmon. Pair these with lighter 2/0 or 3/0 hooks to avoid deadening the bait’s natural action.
- 🟢 Green Label (Medium – 5 to 6 inches): The most popular, versatile choice for general West Coast trolling. These pair perfectly with standard 3/0, 4/0, or 5/0 tandem rigs.
- 🔵 Blue Label (Large – 6 to 7 inches): The prime choice when hunting massive, mature late-summer fish. These larger baits demand heavy 4/0 or 5/0 hook configurations.
- 🟣 Purple Label (Extra Large – 7+ inches): Reserved for true trophy hunting in heavy currents, and for halibut fishing. Rig these monsters with stout 5/0 to 6/0 hooks to ensure solid penetration.
Once you determine the right size, inspect the packages closely before buying. Vacuum-sealed herring generally offers the highest quality, but pay close attention to the packaging style.
Modern plastic trays are ideal because they protect the delicate scales and skin of the bait. Many manufacturers are phasing out older cardboard trays because frozen herring tends to stick to the cardboard, tearing the sides of the fish when defrosted. You should also evaluate the freshness of the bait before heading to the register. Some shops sell leftover, freezer-burnt inventory from the previous season before putting out fresh stock. To ensure optimal performance, sort through the freezer until you find the highest quality product, and let someone else buy these older packages.
You can easily spot old bait by looking for a heavy buildup of ice crystals inside the wrapper. Aged herring often features cloudy eyes, loose scales, and overall poor belly condition. If you choose vacuum-sealed packages, remember to pierce or slice open the plastic to relieve the pressure before the bait thaws. Leaving the package pressurized while it thaws damages the delicate tissue, leaving you with mushy, unusable bait that won’t hold a hook.
The Importance of a Quality Herring Brine
Once you select your bait, proper brining is the critical next step. A high-quality herring brine toughens the skin, locks in the brilliant natural scales, and ensures your bait holds its shape through hours of trolling. The brining process is incredibly simple and requires only basic ingredients found at your local supermarket.
🐟 Related Article: Herring Brine for Trophy Chinook Salmon Fishing
💡 Pro Tip: Dedicated brining always maximizes your performance on the water. However, if you are short on time and find yourself heading to the boat launch with a frozen package of gas-station bait, do not panic. Slice the package open and pour a cup of clean ocean saltwater directly inside the wrapper. The ambient saltwater accelerates the thawing process, separates the delicate fish from the freezer tray, and prevents the skin and scales from tearing when you separate the baits.
Cutting the Herring: Achieving the Perfect Angle
To begin prepping your cut plug herring rig, place the baitfish on a clean cutting surface and use a long, razor-sharp fillet knife. For ultimate consistency, utilizing a commercially available herring cutting miter box is highly recommended. These specialized jigs lock the bait into position, ensuring your angles remain perfectly uniform from bait to bait.
Line up the head of the fish with the guide groove in your cutting block and sever the head with one single, fluid downward stroke. Avoid sawing back and forth with multiple cuts, as this creates ragged edges and small tears in the delicate skin, causing the bait to blow out quickly under the pressure of trolling. If you find yourself struggling to slice through clean in one motion, upgrade to a longer fillet knife. Once the head is removed, carefully insert and swirl the tip of your knife to loosen and clear the viscera from the stomach cavity, completing the preparation of the bait.
Rigging the Hooks and Leader for Trophy Salmon
To maximize your hookup ratio on large salmon, always deploy a twin-hook tandem rig. For targeting heavy 30- to 60-pound Chinook, I prefer a robust 40-pound fluorocarbon leader paired with dual 5/0 Gamakatsu Octopus Hooks or Owner hooks to provide the ultimate strength and stealth in the water. Secure both hooks to the leader using a series of clean snell knots.
While dual 5/0 hooks are the gold standard for massive summer fish, you can easily scale down to 3/0 or 4/0 tandem rigs when fishing runs of smaller-sized Chinook salmon. When preparing the rig, position the trailing hook roughly 3 to 4 inches back from the leading hook—a distance equal to about three to four fingers apart. This precise spacing allows you to pin the rear hook deep toward the tail of the baitfish. If your hooks are spaced too closely together, you cannot position the trailer far enough back, leaving your bait vulnerable to short-striking salmon that nip at the tail and escape without finding the steel. If you choose to scale down, utilizing premium wire options like Owner Cutting Point Hooks ensures you retain maximum penetration even with smaller profiles.
Hooking Up the Cutplug Bait: Step-by-Step Herring Rig
To properly seat your tandem hooks, start by holding the trailing hook. Insert the point of the trailing hook into the long, high side of the bevelled cut, immediately adjacent to the spine. Push the hook completely through the thickest part of the meat, exiting the point out the side of the fish near the lateral line. Pull the entire trailing hook and leader completely through this entry hole and leave it hanging loose until after the leading hook is rigged.
Next, take your leading hook and insert it directly into the firm meat on the high side of the herring right next to the spine, pulling the leader tight until the front hook sits firmly against the flesh to serve as your main pulling hook. It is critical to anchor your hooks into this high side of the cut because it contains the structural support of the spine. Avoid rigging into the short, low side of the cut; the meat there is thin and lacks structural integrity. Hook inserts on the low side creates excessive water resistance that easily slices through the soft tissue, tearing your bait apart and ruining your roll.
Now that the leading hook is in place, take the trailing hook and secure it into the side of the herring toward the tail. You can insert the trailer on the same side as your pulling hook, or place it on the opposite side to ensure you have exposed hook points on both sides of the bait. Because the tail hook connects with the vast majority of striking salmon, always make sure it is positioned perfectly straight and remains razor-sharp.
Testing the Roll: Ensuring Perfect Herring Rig Action
Once you finish rigging your herring, you must test its action in the water alongside the boat before dropping it down to the strike zone. A perfect cut plug bait exhibits a tight, rapid corkscrew rotation that resembles a high-speed drill bit or an auger revolving through the water. If the head spins tightly while the tail sways out in a wide, lazy arc like a propeller, the action is incorrect and may be ignored by hungry salmon.
If your bait lacks that tight rotation, inspect how your hooks are seated in the flesh and adjust or re-rig the bait entirely. It is never worth wasting your valuable time on the water fishing with an unproductive setup. Experienced West Coast anglers who consistently land trophy Chinook will pull their lines every 15 to 20 minutes to check for weeds, verify the roll, and immediately replace any bait showing signs of skin tear or wear.
Herring Rig Videos
I’ve attached three videos that show how to make a cut plug herring rig. These are good videos to learn the process or to show to your crew before heading out.
Your Turn: Master the Cut Plug Herring Rig
Rigging a cut plug herring is an essential West Coast skill that takes practice, but the rewards are unmatched when a trophy Chinook salmon slams your line. Whether you are prepping Red, Green, or Blue label bait, focusing on a clean, single-cut bevel and anchoring your hooks into the firm high-side spine will keep your bait spinning perfectly all day long.
Now, I want to hear from you:
- What is your go-to bait size and hook configuration when targeting big summer salmon?
- Do you prefer running a mismatched hook setup, or sticking with identical dual 5/0s?
- Do you have any other tips and tricks?
Leave a comment below and share your experiences on the water!
Excellent tips and I love that fish cleaning station.