Thread: Pilchard Rings

Can’t wait to try this out!

making your own ribbon bait rig


"Pilchard" in our area are Scaled and False herring (aka LYs).
They have an odd habit of striking at the ribbon strung between the openings of a "ribbon rig"
and become ensnared (gilled).
But the size of the hole determines the size herring that will stay stuck in the trap.
If the hole is too large, the fish swim through it.
If the hole is too small, the fish fall out as it is being reeled up.

Prior to the 1990s, most of these were painstakingly made one ring at a time.
And making the ring size consistent was a challenge.
After monofilament webbing became widely available through the 1990s, it quickly became the preferred material.
The mesh size is tied to consistent widths which assures more uniformity in what size herring it catches...

Anyone know why they strike at the ribbon?

Someone, I don’t know who, told me that ribbon rings work because the fish see the red stripe down the middle and think it’s blood. So they swim into it. Dunno if this applies in reality, but what the heck,…nothing else makes sense.

Don't know if they love the red or hate it, but they sure do go after it.

Originally Posted by SteveH

Someone, I don’t know who, told me that ribbon rings work because the fish see the red stripe down the middle and think it’s blood. So they swim into it. Dunno if this applies in reality, but what the heck,…nothing else makes sense.

That sounds like a reasonable explanation.

I've seen people use black ribbon. They hit them also.

Originally Posted by Green_Steel

I've seen people use black ribbon. They hit them also.

Red wavelengths are filtered out by water at about 20 feet, looking black. I still like the theory.

The size LYs you can expect to catch with different size mesh...
LY-netting-SardineSizes.JPG