TOPIC:

I recently watched a fishing show where the anglers were using meat strips and cut herring to catch Columbia River kings. They used large paddle flashers and the meat rigs were fished using downriggers like most of us do around the south end. The difference was these guys were using a coloring agent to stain the bait and added a squirt of some scent to the meat strip. The scent makes real sense, do you guys think a dyed meat strip is worth the effort, cost and the possible mess consequences on your body, clothing, and boat? Is there a color that will work well on Lake Michigan?

I buy whole herring from Slez's and thaw just enough to take apart without hurting the scales. Then put in a gallon size ziploc and pour enough Pautzke fire brine to cover them in whatever color you want to use with about a cup and half of salt. Let brine for about 24hrs. I've only used the blue, green and natural. I like the green the best. Makes them nice and stiff so you can put a slight bend in them so they roll nice. I leave them in the bag of solution and keep them cold. Not to messy on the boat. Dripping solution wipes right up and doesn't stain your boat or fingers.

I have not used any dye, but yes I do use scents from time to time and not just on the big lake. Most of the time for meat rigs I use Herring oil or scent if I do not have oil. Tuna in different flavored oils have been used in the Brads cut plugs for several years also with some success.