My question is how much leader should I run? Going on trip up to the cape this Friday and want to get set. Guessing that I should be running a longer leader off rocks to improve landing chances (assuming I get a hook up!). Have done a couple trips up that way live baiting and straylining for snapper and know how rough the swells get. Having enough leader to get a wrap to land is important. Also, enough leader to help protect from break offs and keep my OTL attached! Of course I know much of that is technique and hard pressure to keep the fish from diving.

Any advice is welcome!

rykk

But if you have Instagram I would ask JE (Joe) Wilds or Muzza Murray Wootten. They both have YouTube channels which feature them regularly doing exactly what you are talking about, fishing stickbaits off North Cape-Spirits landbased. I suspect, if you're using Joe Wilds' favourite lure, you may have watched them too!

From what I've seen, they have the stickbait a good couple of metres from the rod tip when they cast - and given the rod Joe Wilds uses is 9ft, I think, MB's recommendation would mean you have a leader of about 4m. I don't think an extra metre or so wound on the reel would be critical, and cause more issues than it would solve.

Sure, it's tiger country, but high line angles from a long rod seem to negate some of the braid on rocks issues.

The other thing I'd say, is having watched endless vids (dreaming!) filmed around Coro and Far North, almost all hits happen within a few metres of the rocks - not at the very extent of the cast. I guess that makes sense, as kingies would be cruising the weed line trying to trap any bait - and that tallies with my observations off the rocks.  So I'd angle my casts more along the coast than straight out.

Good luck. It looks like hours of casting at times, for a moment of incredible action that makes the toil worth it!

Looks like you're doing everything right. Well done.