I'd say spike between the eyes but back a little. Although I usually just do the quick neck snap personally 

They're a great fish to use a beer batter with, eating some RIGHT now actually. Tasteyyyyyy. Caught a bunch on sunday and they were all great size too.

smoked herring fillets are pretty good too.

in a live bait tank! then i put a 7/0 in there back and feed them to the dolphin fish!

scale and bone them a little flour and herbs spices then into a fry pan with some butter and lightly sizzle!

I like to fillet my herring so there aren't any bones and then eggwash/breadcrumbs and shallow oil fry till crispy outside soft inside then eat with plain buttered bread. But my mum and dad like it when i scale, gut, head off then cut them into 2 cutlets. Mum then mixes fish masala, lemon juice and then come other ingredients i'm sure that i don't know then lets the fish marinate for a day in the fridge, next day fries it and tastes amazing. I like herring in fish curry too, i really rate herring. 

Fav way to catch them would be on a weekday after a surf in the dunsb/margies region when no one is around. Rod, light line, float and green straw.....nothing much more to say!

As goodz said - spiking is the best way to kill any fish.  I'd recommend a spike rather than a knife - seen too many knives slip or snap, with scary results.  We use an old screwdiver that has been sharpened to point with a grinder.  My technique to to put the fish on it's back and go under the gill cover and spike between the eyes from the base of the skull - this gives you some protection from the spike, but mostly is gives you something to push down on.  A quick wiggle of the spike will make sure its good and dead - fast.

As for cooking - my fav is fillet, skin and bone then just roll in a bit of flour, into a hot pan with a touch of oil and garlic.  add salt, eat with bread and butter.  yummmm

 Cook them just as you would cook a dhuey or Snapper. Being part croatian we keep them whole (obviously clean and gut them etc but leaving the head on)

Bit of olive oil on them, salt and pepper on the inside, and use a rosmary twig to brush them with oil. Put em on a bbq or a charcol kinda fire

 cheers everyone for the info. Sounds like there a good solid fish. Is there a certain size they should be? 

so whatever you think is big enough to eat!!!

hey guys,

need some info on berley and what you guys like to use.i like fishing for the basics like herring and tailor and gardies etc...i do use the packs you can buy in the tackle shops...now do you guys mix these with any other things..like i heard cat food is great.also tuna chunks?....has anyone any tips for me?...i use pollard too..what do you think i could mix it with..love to make the fish go crazy for once

thanks guys

You don't have to spike or break their necks if you drop them straight in to an ice slurry, the shock is enough to do it.

Best way I've found is to take them straight from the slurry and on to the BBQ hot plate. The scales peel off and the guts shrivels up into a little ball.

Just peel the fillet straight off the bone and down the hatch.

 For burley, i buy a bag of pollard ($1.50 from most tackle stores) and mix with some old cooking oil i use to fry fish in, bit of water and mix with your hands till a doughy sort of affect. Gets the gardies and herring bubbling!

when i was a kid the supermarkets would give u the oil from cooked chickens. that is killer for herring!! hard to find these days though. maybe some small independent supermarket might still give it out

 Go to a fish and chip shop, get the dregs from the fryers, that are scooped out and norally tossed, mix with pollard. I used to do that, all though it was many years ago - never had a better burley 

 as far as eating goes, fillet and fry until crispy around the edges . to kill the herring i just used to snap the necks and into cold sea water. 

and as for burley, pollard mixed with the fish and chip shop dregs gives you a nice oil slick and if you want it a bit firmer just ad a bit of flour. you can then throw out by the handfull or use a burley cage. using a wall plug or a bit of straw works wonders as a lure. 

To kill them, i just stick my index finger and middle finger either side of the gills, point the fish away from you, and pull back, breaks their neck instnatly and bleeds them instantly.

Tip, hold the fish tight.