Pacific Herring
Pacific Herring are the small silver fish that hold BC's coastal food web together.
They're not a typical rod-and-reel target, but they matter enormously to anglers: they're the primary baitfish for salmon, halibut, and lingcod, and gathering them for bait or watching the spring spawn concentrate predators is part of fishing the BC coast.
Five major stock areas from Haida Gwaii to the Strait of Georgia define where they show up.
Scientific Name: Clupea pallasii
Also known as Hareng du Pacifique, Pacific herring
- Dark blue to olive on the back, bright silver on the sides and belly — countershading that makes them hard to spot from above or below in the water column.
- Slender, elongated body with a deeply forked tail and no spines on any fins; smooth, delicate scales that come off easily in hand.
- Most fish encountered in BC waters run 15–25 cm (6–10 inches); older fish can reach 30–35 cm but rarely larger.
- Easily confused with Pacific sardine, but herring lack the distinct dark spots along the upper sides that sardines carry.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Native to BC's coast; a pelagic, open-water schooling species that moves between offshore feeding grounds and nearshore spawning areas seasonally.
- Managed across five BC stock areas: Haida Gwaii, Prince Rupert District, Central Coast, Strait of Georgia, and West Coast of Vancouver Island.
- Spawn in sheltered bays and estuaries — eelgrass beds and kelp are preferred substrate — from the Great Bear Rainforest coast south through the Strait of Georgia.
- Juveniles and non-spawning adults school in open coastal and offshore waters; during spawn events they pack into shallow nearshore areas in enormous numbers.
Key Locations
- Strait of Georgia — one of the most accessible and historically significant herring spawning areas in BC, with spawn events visible from shore each spring.
- Central Coast and Great Bear Rainforest — massive spring spawn aggregations here draw humpback whales, sea lions, and seabirds, making it one of the most ecologically significant herring events on the coast.
- Haida Gwaii — a distinct stock management area with deep cultural significance to Haida people; spawn-on-kelp harvests have occurred here for thousands of years.
- West Coast of Vancouver Island — herring schools here are important forage for the salmon runs that draw sport anglers to this coast each summer and fall.
Specific Spots
- During the spring spawn, sheltered bays and eelgrass flats turn milky green from released milt — these are the concentrations that pull in every predator on the coast, and where bait-gathering is most practical.
- Herring school tight to structure — kelp edges, rocky points, and the mouths of estuaries — especially when baitfish-hunting salmon or seabirds are pushing them shallow.
- In the Strait of Georgia, herring balls often show on sonar in 10–40 metres over sandy or mixed-bottom flats, particularly near current lines where plankton concentrates.
Pacific Herring FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What are the best lures and bait for Pacific Herring?
Sabiki rigs in size 8–12 are the go-to for catching herring; gold or silver flash versions work well in BC's often green-tinted coastal water. As bait for larger species, whole herring (fresh, brined, or frozen) rigged on a mooching rig or cut into a plug-cut for trolling are foundational BC salmon techniques.
When is the best time to fish for Pacific Herring?
Late fall through early spring, adult herring move inshore to nearshore bays and estuaries to spawn, making them most accessible to bait collectors.
How do you catch Pacific Herring?
Most recreational anglers in BC target herring not as a sport fish but as bait, collecting them by sabiki rig or cast net from boats or docks near known spawn aggregations. Watching for diving seabirds or surface-busting schools, then dropping a sabiki rig into the school, is the standard approach.
What do Pacific Herring eat?
Herring filter-feed on zooplankton, tiny crustaceans like copepods and krill, by swimming open-mouthed through dense patches. They don't chase individual prey, which is why they don't take a hook the way a salmon does; cast nets, dip nets, or sabiki rigs (small multi-hook rigs tipped with tiny shrimp-imitating flies)...
Where do Pacific Herring live?
Native to BC's coast; a pelagic, open-water schooling species that moves between offshore feeding grounds and nearshore spawning areas seasonally. Managed across five BC stock areas: Haida Gwaii, Prince Rupert District, Central Coast, Strait of Georgia, and West Coast of Vancouver Island.
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