Hi wazzbat - I have used them both filleted (without luck) and as live bait.

When live baiting for sharks I put a single hook (around 9/0, 10/0 size) on a long trace about 2/3 of the length back along the fish, behind the dorsal.  

Great Dhuie bait, and have pulled up big snapper and Harlequin with live herring.

Big 12/0 straight through the shoulder on a paternoster.

Yeh prob my fav dhuie bait, caught my last few on a tail half of herring with the actual tail fins cut off so it doesn't spin. Just hooked once through the tail end on a red/gold black magic 8/0. Also caught queen snapper and harlequin on them too. Usually catch my own the day before or use some I've caught and frozen before.

They're a good bait cos the pickers don't seem to get it off easily.

when we have used herring i tend to butterfly the whole fish removing the back bone and only putting the hooks through one fillet leaving the other to flap around in the current

I agree with Russ, buttiflied herring is the way to go. Stops the fish from spinning and makes it look more lively than with tail and backbone left in. By cutting open the herring it creates a burley trail behind it of guts and blood that dhuys cant resist. I snell two 7/0s with the first hook going through the eye and the second hook goes half way down the fish. Have caught most dermerals with herring and are quite supprised of how small a fish can be and get hooked on this rig.

Love live herring for dollies and salmon as well.

I hate buying bait and very rarely do. Its much better to catch your own. 

My 2 biggest snapper from the rocks were caught using live herring... & 2 snelled 6/0 Circle hooks and a heavy running sinker to keep them down low :) But i still prefer yellowtail...

herring mate used to use them all the time off the busso jetty chasing kingies(mulloway) any livies we could catch in the wind herring were good, caught my first kingie on a live herring but ive also seen other blokes catch kingies on trumps and just about every time we cut one open they were full of baby leatherjackets...

Years ago my cousin was a deckie on a professional Dhuie boat which I went out on a few times. They had all sorts of bait on board but the only bait the skipper would ever use was butterflied herring. i caught my first Dhuie with them. Damn shame the skipper wouldn't let me keep it. Selfish I thought

MMMMmmmm!   All very interesting.  I might have to see if I can catch a few before heading out tomorrow.  Do you leave the head on when butterflying?  I'm just  trying to work out how to butterfly and take the backbone out without totally destroying the thing???

I cut em into big chunks and thread a hook thru that, works well but on a downside, stingrays love em even more.

Cheers
Dale

The way it was shown to me wazzbat was to pretend you are going to fillet the herring and stop just short of the head. Do both sides and snap the backbone off.

You should end up with the head and both flesh sides hanging down which you can rig whichever way you like. I was shown with 2 snelled 6/0's, 1 through the head behind the eyes, and the other through the flaps. The flaps (fillets) are suppose to move around with the water movement and entice the dhuie.

On a side note... Do you think that a dhuie would ever naturally eat a herring?! I couldn't imagine they would be high on the diet list normally.

nothing beats a live wrasse or swollowtail :)

I used herring (caught there) as tailor bait @ the Cut when i didnt have mullies. 

Filleted, then cut along the length of the fillet to make more.  Actually worked really well because the skin allowed them to stay on the gangs a bit better than mullies.

herring is great for sharks of the beach i tend to catch them and get the herring off the hook and on to a snell rig straight away as a live bait but be for i cast it out i cut a little slit in the belly to get some blood happening