...I've never heard of "deboning" bait...
...Duke....YA JUST CAN'T BEAT LIVE BAIT!!.....
.....if I'm fishing a current/rip...I'll hook the frozen/thawed herring thru the nose (whole), drift them out and twitch them from time to time... Reason -1 - to try and add some life to them, and possibly entice the Predators into striking...-2- to keep it off the bottom from my uncle spidey...
someone showed me another trick too....put some slices in the rear half to "liven" your offering up abit... (I've inserted a mouse-pic)....
....If I'm chunking Herring, I chum the waters I plan on fishing....very small chum bits...and my bait doesn't end up being too much bigger than the chummed pieces...
......but the best thing, of course.......is
LIVE BAIT!!