Snapper Fishing - straylining techniques

Straylining is probably my favourite form of fishing. Although circumstances sometimes dictate that 8, 10 and even 15kg tackle be used, there are other times when 4 and 6kg outfits suitable, and these lighter outfits are not only effective, they are also a helluvalotta fun!

So what exactly is 'straylining'?  My interpretation is that it involves the use of rigs that allow baits to float down through the water column as naturally as possible. Just the weight of the bait may be enough to do this in some instances, in others it may mean the addition of small sinkers to get counter the effects the current. On the whole, if the additional weight used just manages to get the bait down to the bottom, and is small enough to be placed directly on top of the hook without impeding hook-up chances, it's straylining.

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Two one-ounce sinkers is generally my limit before changing to a running or ledger rig, but on very big baits with equally large hooks (say 8/0-10/0), a couple of 2-ounce sinkers can realistically be used in tandem.

What to use

In all forms of straylining, long rods and efficient casting reels are a big advantage, because the ability to cast out and cover the surrounding area can make all the difference.

Ideally, the rod should be around two or more metres long with a light, sensitive tip, as these rods feel bites better and set hooks more efficiently.

The reel can be either a freespool or spinning type, as long as it holds at least 200 metres of line and is suited to the rod. A quick retrieve will also help, particularly in setting hooks, and this is made easier if the spool is well filled: the bigger the circumference, the greater the amount of line retrieved per turn of the handle.

Where to fish

The tactics and methods used for straylining are similar to those used when fishing the rocks - except that the angler has a far greater choice when it comes to location and positioning. This can make a big difference: instead of putting up with overly shallow and rugged territory, fishers can anchor or drift in a way that makes landing hooked fish more likely. For example, it may be possible to anchor up in deep-ish water and yet still berley fish out from dense cover in shallower water. It is obviously a big advantage to know which spots are suitable for straylining. The first step is to identify the places that are likely to attract snapper, and the second is to understand the advantages and limitations of various straylining outfits.

Snapper tend to be attracted to places that promise the basics of food, shelter and reproduction (just like us!). These three fundamental ingredients are made more (or less) attractive by the water temperature and depth, tide strength and direction, as well as the composition and structure of the seafloor terrain.

Although snapper are very adaptable and tolerate a wide variety of water temperatures, they tend to be more prolific in warmer waters, so the North Island holds a lot more snapper than the South.

The key to consistent snapper spots everywhere, as usual, is structure. Anything that breaks up or changes current is a likely haunt, particularly if it also harbours food. Much of the time, suitable structure is covered by water that is too deep to be visible from the surface, so your fishing chances are always improved by the effective use of a fish finder.

Fish finders can give anglers a huge advantage, but if you don't know what you're looking for, or find positioning the boat correctly a mystery, they're almost useless. As a rule, do not concentrate on trying to identify snapper on the fish finder, especially in shallow water; instead, try to recognise territory that looks suitable. Although possible snapper action may show on the fish finder as low mounds hugging the sea bottom, this certainly isn't always the case. There will be times when nothing shows on the fish finder, yet every bait is pounced upon within seconds, and other times when it appears that the water is full of fish - yet none bite.

Look for structures such as reefs, pinnacles, drop-offs, canyons, headlands and gutters, particularly in areas of active water influenced by current, swell or both.

In nearly all instances, fish numbers will be higher on the structure's exposed side (to the current or swell), rather than the protected side, and the best fishing will tend to occur while the tide is running. The top and bottom of the tide is best spent either moving to another spot or refuelling oneself with food and drink.

If you don't have access to a fishfinder, look out for craypot floats as they tend to be set over the same types of structures we're looking for.

Positioning the boat

Try to position the boat to suit the situation and the style of fishing chosen. When fishing a shallow spot with only a light current, it is in your interest to cast out from the boat, away from the noise and shadow generated by the vessel. This is because the larger fish are naturally more cautious so hang back further in the current. (Ever wondered why there only seems to be small fish directly under the boat in shallow water?). This means that you will need to leave some space between you and the target zone in order to allow the berley and lightly weighted baits sufficient time to drift down to where the better snapper are likely holding.

As shallow water is often associated with less current, the wind direction will usually need to be taken into account. When an opposing wind direction is stronger than the tide flow, your fishing lines will often angle back under the boat, making the fishing unpleasant and often less successful. If the water is flat, however, this can largely be overcome by tying the anchor rope to a stern cleat.

The only real disadvantage to this is that the berley may tend to drift down along the anchor rope, possibly deterring some fish because of the noise of rattling anchor chain while others may swim your line around the anchor rope after being hooked. Judicious positioning of the berley dispenser and anchor rope attachment point can make a big difference to your cause, but it's better to avoid this scenario altogether if possible.

While the wind direction may mean that it's impossible to fish your favourite spots with the wind and tide going the same way, there may be places that offer 'side-on' fishing. Not the best, as it tends to get one side of the boat rather cramped with fishing bods and rods, but still preferable to lines disappearing under the boat.

Check out steeply sided reefs, both barely submerged and exposed, as there will usually be some point at which both the tide and wind align to provide more pleasant fishing.

Matching spots with tackle

Having found a likely spot, will you be able to fish it with stray-line tackle? In nearly all instances, if the water is less than thirty metres deep and not subjected to a lot of current, straylining is a viable proposition - if you use the right tackle.

For example, because light nylon has more stretch than heavy monofilament, the lighter weights tend to be less effective in deeper water because much of the angler's striking pressure is absorbed by the elasticity of the line. Therefore, the deeper the water and the bigger the hooks used, the more the situation suits a heavier line.

However, there are also certain advantages to be gained by sticking to thinner lines. Because they cut through the water better, less weight is needed to get baits to the bottom. This can mean that you are able to keep straylining while other anglers with heavier gear have to change over to running- and ledger-rigs. Keep in mind that, while the old rule of 'the thinner the line, the more the bites' remains true in this situation (if you're any good!), if the bites can't be converted into boated fish, that's not much use. Thus, use a weight of line that can set hooks!

In most instances, 6-10kg tackle is just about right. Rule of thumb dictates that the cleaner the territory, the shallower the depth and the smaller the fish likely to be hooked, the lighter the line weight used. I've found that 8kg tackle is a good way to start in unknown territory - but don't sweat about the best line weight too much (unless someone is hauling them in and you're not, as it could be one of the reasons).

The choice of hooks, sinkers and trace will depend on the situation. For general snapper fishing I tend to start with 5/0 and 6/0 hooks (slim and sharp like Gamakatsu, Owner and Wasabi), a half-ounce ball sinker and 18kg nylon trace. I change these as necessary.

Of these items, the weight of sinker used is the most important. Remember that we only want to use as much lead as is necessary to overcome the current and get down to the bottom. If the bait is still able to roll around a little rather than be tethered to one spot, so much the better. Obviously, if the bait is immediately lifted off the bottom by the current, you'll need to add more weight. If the bait requires a sinker that is more than an ounce or two, it is generally better to change to a ledger or running rig (although, as previously mentioned, really big baits will stand larger).

Nylon trace material should also be kept to a minimum, both in length and thickness - the less a fish can see the better. I generally use around half a metre. That's enough to sew in and out the bait two or three times, allows for two or three half-hitches and still leaves three or four inches sticking out past the rigged bait. This is tied to a short double on my mainline with a No-Name or Albright knot.

Berley Up!

A spot's potential is more likely to be realised by using berley - but only if it can be distributed in a manner that will draw fish to your bait and there are no barracouta around (it seems likely that the drifting pieces of berley are attractive to 'couta).

This means that, while it is a simple matter to effectively berley shallow water subjected to a gentle tidal flow, more specialised berley distribution methods must be adopted for deeper, faster current situations.

In the first scenario, the berley can be dispensed from the stern of the boat, either from a berley pot or a tethered frozen berley bag, provided the boat is positioned at the right angle and distance from the target area. A bit too far away is better than too close, as one can always release some more rope or draw fish out of their area with berley.

Berley released from the surface into deep or deep-ish water with some current present is a waste of time and can even be counter-productive. The berley materials are carried a long way from the boat, well beyond where your baits are positioned, and in all likelihood never actually makes it to the bottom. While you may have caught fish while berleying in this manner, I'm afraid that's coincidence only.

A better option is to get the berley down to where it can reach the target species. This means weighting the berley (preferably frozen berley in a mesh bag for a longer release time), tying it to a 4-5mm thick cord and dropping it down to a metre or two off the bottom.

To keep the berley cord away from hooked fish, the weight should be heavy enough to keep the cord angle as vertical as possible (if you need a huge amount of weight, you probably shouldn' t be straylining here!), and tie it off in a position well forward cockpit. Just which side of the boat it's tied to is determined by how the boat hangs on the anchor as a result of the combined influences of wind and tidal flow. And as it's obviously in everyone's interest to have the berley flow wafting past his bait, keep that in mind too.

Berley should be kept just off the bottom because there is very little current actually on the sea floor and less chance of snagging berley bags in rugged territory.

The time-honoured practice of tying berley to the anchor chain should only be used if you are sure that the boat, anchor rope and tide will all be aligned with each other. Otherwise (if you think about it) you will be berleying fish away from your baits! (Berley bags that are tied to anchor ropes cannot be checked to see if they need renewing, either).

For those who still want to do this, the bag should be tied to the top of the chain with moderately thick nylon (60-80-lb). The clanking of the chain helps to deter snapper and sharks from ripping into the berley bag itself, and the top of the chain is lifted just off the bottom by the weight of the boat for perfect berley distribution. Should a shark be brave enough to take the bag, it snaps the nylon instead of causing anchor rope problems.

Now you are in a position to think about 'kicking snapper butt'!

 

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