I mentioned something in another post and a member told me the the weight (4oz) I was using was "ridiculous." Now I'm wondering if I've got this whole fishing thing wrong. 

I'd always been under the impression that you need enough weight to stop your bait from being washed back up into the rocks and kelp. I have never had any luck straylining but I'm wondering if I am doing it wrong?

Do you guys use weights when fishing off the rocks? If so, what size is average or adequate for you?

Should I be straylining more and using different rigs? 

All advice is much appreciated as I would dearly like to improve my catch rate. 

Cheers!

 

If straylining the key is to stay in touch with your bait but also give it enough time to sink down in to the depths. Feed line out as it drops down. Same for if its getting washed back in to you. Retrieve some of the slack so you are constantly in touch with the bait.

I can understand that it moves more naturally with the current, but are you using larger baits in order to make sure they sink to the bottom? What do you do if you need to hit a deeper patch of water a bit further out?

I'm very curious now as this is a whole new type of fishing that I haven't really explored. 

 

When the fish are feeding it does not take them long to come in and compete for a potential meal and a floating bait just gives it more hang time for the fish to fight over.

For bait I'll often use 1/2 pilchard or whole squid, and sometimes i'll stuff the 1/2 pillie into a baby squid as it keeps the whole lot on the hook a bit longer. 

Straylining certainly sounds more appealing than lugging a box full of lead weights up and down the coast on a blazingly hot day, only to lose half of them to snags and weeds.

But, I often have trouble with the bait being washed back in towards the rocks - by the action of waves. I would like some way of overcoming this. I intend trying a balloon - if the wind is offshore, it should push the bait out. Wont work if wind is onshore though.

Anyone got any pearls of wisdom on this.

I either fish a 12 or 14ft surfcaster off the bricks for the extra leverage when the fish is on  

 

Selection of territory has a lot to do with it, too.  The ground I fish landbased does not have current going sideways past at 5kt, and I make a habit of fishing direct into deep guts or off the ends of points.

 

I use a 7ft rod and either SL30 or SL50 overhead, or same length and BTR6500 or 3500.  I'm not going to a longer rod to give fish more leverage, though my son often uses a 10ft rod but otherwise the same gear and set-up.  His theory is that he gets a longer reach out past sharp rocks when landing fish, but it's his only reason (and he's turning in his opinion a bit now...)

 

So I only fish my feet, and burley up large.

I think I'm gonna spend the money I save on weights and spend it on xtra burley. 

I am also thinking about investing in some aerodynamic weights that won't affect the casting, trying to cast a balloon is a nightmare sometimes. 

There's obviously heaps I've yet to learn and hoping to finally break through this invisible barrier between me and some fat snapper. Getting married next month though, so it'd probably have to be a mid-April mish as I don't think the mrs would appreciate me spending wedding $$$ on bait. 

Cheers for the tips!

 

Try the lethal knot (well wrap) below. I use this off the rocks for all my straylining and its brilliant. Don't need a double either - can just make a loop.

 

http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/uploads/20060721_124630_TreeTurnJoinerc.jpg -

 

Personally prefer to go with the above knot and a leader. I fish 8kg alot off the rocks and tie a leader of rod length plus a metre or so of 40 or 60lb. Does me really well.

 

Man I wanna go rock fishing again.