ive always been a firm believer that you don't need "the perfect roll". just get something down there that spins somewhat smooth and tight, a little tail whip isn't the end of the world either. ive seen more than enough unguided guests fishing the most haywire cutplugs youll ever see, come in with 40-50 pound springs, theyre just fish, not exceptionally smart or picky on most occasions. typically 6-8 oz weights are more suitable for mooching, you don't want to be playing a spring with a 14 oz hunk of lead flinging thru the air, 8 oz is bad enough, or just run em off the downriggers, much more simple and no 8oz ball of trouble swinging around your head while netting a fish. as for the angle, it all works, most guys I work with use a fairly blunt cut, maybe 20 degrees, and then another 20-45 on the compound, depending on what kind of a roll you are going for. usually cant go wrong with something that rolls tight and fast, that way it can be fished at almost any speed. best way is to start with a really basic cutplug, once you get that down stat tinkering around with angles, hook placements, etc. the placement of the toe (top) hook is the biggest factor in the type of roll you will get. 2 5/0 gammys tied about 7'' apart is pretty standard.
THIS!! ^^^^
When I see people recommending "Youtube It", my first reaction was to implore you....DON"T Youtube it!
If you do, you'll see 50 different ways of doing it, with 50 different "experts" telling you that their way is the only way.
The truth---- Mr. Chevy captured it perfectly. Do a reasonable beveled cut so you have a high side and a low side, then experiment with hook placement to make it roll or flutter or do ANYTHING other then just getting pulled lifeless through the water.
It cracks me up seeing the "experts" taking 5 minutes to rig up a herring---"expertly" auguring out the guts with the tip of a knife, "expertly" cutting a vent in the rear of the herring, "expertly" managing their hook placements at about the same speed someone would do an autopsy...
Meanwhile, the freaking springs just went on the bite---lop the head off your herring, get the hooks in and throw the freaking thing in the water!!!! If it doesn't spin, yank it out of the water and reposition the hooks so it DOES spin.
The bite might not wait for you to "expertly" get that all-important vent cut in or "expertly" do anything else to the herring---get it wet!!!
Full disclosure: I've fished plug cuts for 30 years and have never yet cut a vent in a fish, so best take my advice with a grain of salt...
Also, Full Disclosure--- I never take the guts out---they make a nice oily slime trail as they spin through the water. I'll sometimes pluck out the dangling pieces of intestine if I think they're effecting the roll; that's about it
Yes, cutting frozen is better then cutting when slacked out---a cleaner beveled cut = a plug that will be easier to get rolling. And brining? Absolutely. Hard bodies last longer when getting pulled through the water and put up with more abuse.
Buy the best!!!! You guys are spoiled---you have the best quality tray-bait herring. Top of the Line? Northern King Vac Pacs. Blue Water is also good but Northern King is as good as it gets.
Don't be afraid to use whole herring! Sometimes that outproduces plug-cut, and vice-versa. Switch it up---know how to rig up both
My one word of dissension with what Mr. Chevy says: 5/0 gammys???? Maybe with black or purple label herring? I would suggest matching hook side to the size of the bait. Are springs hook-shy? Probably not. But a pair of 5/0 hooks in a plug cut made out of a green label herring will not do you any favors in the action department--- my rule of thumb: 3/0 in a green label, 4/0 in a blue label, and 5/0, well, maybe....
My favorite "cover all the bases" for whatever size herring I'm using = a 3/0 tied behind a 4/0
Yes, hooks that are tied so you can slide them up and down the leader are dandy for tightening up a plug cut to make it roll better but they're a pain to tie and more importantly, I'm not sure I trust them when fighting bigger springs-- hooks that are tied into the leader sometimes get two different hook sets. A hook that freely slides on a leader will usually get pulled down to the trailing hook during a fight and can put undue stress on the single knot remaining between you and the fish
Just make sure that whatever hooks you end up using, keep them SHARP.
