Fishing Guide

Straylining

Beginners guide

This article was written by Leigh Holtsbaum, an experienced saltwater angler from Queensland, Australia; and Blair Whiting, an experienced fresh and saltwater angler from Napier, New Zealand.

WHAT IS STRAYLINING

Straylining (or floatlining as its known in Australia) is an extremely effective way of presenting a bait to fish in the most natural way possible with minimal weight. In its simplest form, the technique involves floating a bait out behind the boat and letting it waft down with the current into the strike zone.

Straylining requires both a light line and leader to make the bait look as natural as possible, and the lightest weight possible to get the bait to the desired depth.

Straylining is a very popular method for chasing snapper in both New Zealand and Australia but it’s also a great way to target many other desirable species like pearl perch, jewfish and Spanish mackerel in Australia, and kahawai, trevally and kingfish in New Zealand.

Traditionally the method employed the use of monofilament lines however, today’s braided lines (like our Hyperglide® 13x) enable anglers to present natural looking baits, even when current is an issue, as the braid is able to cut through the water with minimal resistance.

No items found.

GEAR SET UP

Equipment used can vary to suit individual preferences, however, the use of conventional spinning tackle enables line to flow freely off the reel so that when the fish eats the bait it is able to feel minimal resistance and swallow it before setting the hooks.

Leigh fishes with a 4000-5000 sized spin reel on our GLADIUS® SW Spin rod, spooled with 20lb (PE 1.2) Hyperglide® 13x Braid.

Blair’s set up includes an Okuma Tournament Concept rod, with a Coronado CDX60 reel, which features a free spool option to let the bait run freely. Blair also uses 20lb (PE 1.2) Hyperglide® 13x Braid, which has 12 Japanese PE fibres, woven around a strong central core, giving it a robustness that holds its own against tough fighting species like snapper, kingfish and tuna.

No items found.

ENVIRONMENT

On the east coast of Australia, the most common environment for straylining is on reef structures in 20-50m. However, straylining techniques can be modified and employed in many different environments from the estuary to continental shelf.

In New Zealand, straylining is nearly always used near structure as this is where the burley draws the fish from. This makes it an ideal technique for use in shallower water (5-25 meters) but can be used up to 50 meters.

Leigh has straylined for estuarine species like bream using an unweighted prawn bait on an 04 hook and 4lb leader down a burley trail with great success, when the weighted baits wouldn’t even get looked at.

No matter the depth of water you’re fishing in, the technique remains much the same. However the line class, bait and importantly the sinker weight used, need to be modified to match the current and depth.

No items found.

HOW TO STRAYLINE

One of the most important aspects of straylining is boat positioning and with most boats equipped these days with an electric motor to spot lock on the mark, it takes away a lot of the pain of anchoring and re-anchoring to position the boat in the correct spot. Position the boat up current of the reef structure so that your baits will drift back onto the desired area.

In shallow water depths (down to 50m), the use of burley is key to success when straylining. Setting up a cube trail of cut pilchard pieces or using burley blocks that slowly dissolve and release at a steady rate will get this fish feeding.

Introducing a cut bait or whole/half pilchard with minimal weight to keep it in the trail will attract the attention of any hungry fish hunting through the burley.

Leigh’s preferred terminal tackle set up includes 20lb (PE 1.2) Hyperglide 13x Braid tied to 4-5 meters of 20lb Fluorocarbon leader. He then uses an FG knot to rig on a pair of snelled 5/0 C Point® hooks and a small weight (suited to the current). Leigh’s bait of choice is a whole pilchard hooked through the head and in the mid-body, as this will maximise hook exposure and is a bait that most fish will be enticed on.

Blair also uses 20lb (PE 1.2) Hyperglide® 13x Braid with a short length of 60lb Tough Trace with a single 6/0 DX Point® hook. He uses fresh kahawai or mackerel as bait, which is hooked once through to the top of the bait.

If you prefer using a smaller fillet or cut baits then a single hook can be more effective.

You can use recurve hooks, like our KL or KLT® hooks, if you prefer. These are ideal if the fish are actively feeding and running with your bait. By lifting the rod when the fish swims off with your bait, the recurve hook will roll into the corner of their mouth or jaw, effectively hooking themselves. Recurve hooks are ideal if you plan to release your fish, as it reduces the chance of the fish swallowing the hook.

The weight of sinker fishing in 40-50m of water ranges from 1/4oz – 3/4oz in order to get the bait into the strike zone.

When anchored, cast the bait up in front of the boat and let it drift back behind the boat. Keeping the bail arm open, and allow the bait to freely drift back. This allows the fish to take line freely when it takes the bait before you set the hook. Watching the line closely and as soon as it speeds up, lift the rod tip to allow more line off the spool before dropping the tip and closing the bail arm. then lift the rod to set the hook.

Once hooked play the fish as normal. If you miss the strike allow the bait to continue floating back and the fish will often return for a second bite.

Straylining is an enjoyable and effective way of targeting snapper in both New Zealand and Australian waters. There are many other desirable species that can be targeted using this method as it allows anglers to present bait in a very natural way and can be manipulated in many different ways and is only limited by the angler’s imagination.

For example – when targeting toothy critters like spotted and Spanish mackerel just add a short length of wire to the rig to avoid bite offs. The options are endless and for bait fishermen, straylining allows the best chance at catching that dream fish.

No items found.

TIPS AND TRICKS

  • Use weights that are powder coated in glow paint either green, white or pink – particularly in deeper water for added attraction
  • Match the sinker weight to the current and the depth being fished
  • Shallow water <40m 1/8oz – 3/4oz
  • 50-70m 3/4oz – 1.5oz
  • 70m+ 1oz – 4oz
  • If the current is running and you’re fishing in deep water, it pays to cast the bait up current in front of the boat and allow the boat to drift past it
  • In shallow water cast the baits away from the boat in various directions to cover more area and get it away from the immediate vicinity of the boat.
  • If you want to spice up your rig, use a Snapper Snatcher® rig with a single hook, to improve your overall presentation
No items found.
Scott and Mig from Fishing & Adventure share their tips and advice on their favourite way to target snapper
Scott and Mig from Fishing & Adventure share their tips and advice on their favourite way to target snapper

Find a retailer

Black Magic Tackle gear is sold exclusively via a network of over 800 retailers around the world.