Kav -
Have you tried circle hooks?
I've had good luck with them and very few gut hooked fish.
The Gamakatsu circles have a slight offset that makes them easier to work into the jaw and out the snout.
I sometimes will hook the herring next to the anal fin if I want it to swim into deeper water. Then there are the times I like to hook them near the doral fin and then hold my rod over my head so that the herring stays on the top sending out distress ripples...that ruckus on the surface sure does ring the dinner bell.
Mike
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