It has everything to do with the wee bitty fish in this pic...



I've adapted the Old Harbor bend I learned in Kodiak back in 2012 into my own signature fNp hangback version. The first bait I put in the water didn't last 5 minutes before being stripped by a Westport king. The first local salmon to succumb to my newfound discovery would end up on LMWS's tag on my next trip out.



Each passing season has seen my confidence in this rigging blossom... to the point that it has become my go-to bait rig. Not just for herring, but also for anchovies. In 2014, it accounted for well over 1200 bites spread over Westport, Buoy 10, and Grays Harbor. Many of those were stripped and there's absolutely no doubt in my mind where the magnum toothpick eventually ended up.

It begs the question as to how much harm I might be inflicting with the hidden surprise within each of those stripped baits. Thoughts of the urban myth of razor blades within Halloween apples comes quickly to mind.... trick or treat?

From a physician perspective, potential threats include secondary bowel obstruction or worse yet bowel perforation with secondary peritonitis.