Straylining

Straylining (or floatlining as it’s known in Australia) is a very effective method of fishing with bait. It involves casting a baited hook (or snelled rig set up) and letting it sink through the water column. The concept of straylining is that the bait looks as natural as possible as it drifts through the water, using little to no added weight.

There are 4 factors needed for a successful strayline session – structure, current, bait and tide, as well as wind doing in the same direction as the tide/current.

This is because you use the current to add movement to your bait, which increases the natural presentation. In most instances, the weight of the bait should be enough to get your set up down to the bottom, but sometimes you may need to add a small sinker. It’s important that any extra weight added is small enough to be placed directly on top of the hook without affecting the hook or bait.

Bites can occur anywhere between the surface and the bottom. When your bait hits the bottom, it pays to move it regularly to attract the local fish. This will also stop it get buried in the sand or eaten by unwanted bottom feeding species like eels and crabs.

Straylining is ultimately a shallow water fishing style, usually up to 30-50 meters.

Snapper is usually found in locations with underwater structures like reefs, pinnacles, drop-offs, canyons, headlands, and gutters. These areas usually have active water influenced by current, swell or both, and this means they usually harbour food sources as well.

All these factors contribute to a good snapper hunting ground. This is because snapper love cover – they use it to hide and prey on their next meal, and they’re scavengers, so they prefer to wait for their lunch to flow past rather than going out hunting.

Similarly in Australia, snapper come on the bite around October through to April. But like New Zealand, you’ll still be able to find them all year round. Snapper is most common throughout the southern waters from Coral Bay in Western Australia to the Capricorn Group in Queensland. The bays along the Victorian coastline see good numbers showing up during peak season, which runs from November to February.

Straylining requires both a light line and leader to make the bait look as natural as possible, and the lightest weight possible (if needed) to get the bait to the desired depth. Berley is a non-negotiable so get the berley trail running as soon as you hit your fishing spot, to let the snapper know lunch is coming.

As with any fishing style, the argument of braid versus mono as your mainline is relevant for straylining.

Braid has very little stretch which makes it more sensitive, so you’ll stay connected to your bait and know when it’s been eaten. But it can handle less abrasion than mono. So you need to be conscious of your fishing environment as snapper are known to run for cover once they realise they’re hooked, which can lead to break offs.

However, some of today’s high performance braids are rounder, thinner and lighter, meaning they will offer less resistance in the water which improves the natural presentation of your set up. If the fish are particularly wary, this can improve your chances of a hook up. But you’ll need to consider if you can keep your line away from the underwater structure, long enough to reel your catch in.

Our Hyperglide® 13x Braid is constructed from 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.

Mono has more stretch which means it can act like a shock absorber, and its high level of abrasion resistance decreases the chance of break offs if fishing near structure.

If you choose to fish with mono, a 6 – 10kg breaking strain line will be suitable. This will give you enough durability to handle some impact with underwater structure, but also be light enough to maintain the natural movement of your bait.

Your leader is always important. For straylining, you need to consider what level of abrasion resistance you need from your leader, as it will possibly come into contact with underwater structures, but also the tough jaws and teeth of the snapper you’re chasing.

Your decision to use recurve or J hooks can come down to personal preference, but there are some factors to consider.

If you’re fishing with J hooks, you’ll need to strike when the bait is taken to set the hook. This can work well in shallow water but depends on what mainline you’re using and if you can feel or see when this happens. It also increases the risk of foul hooking or gut hooking a fish, which makes release almost impossible.

A strayline rig is really simple. You can use either one or two hooks tied on to a meter or so of trace with a small 1/4 ounce (preferably) sinker sitting on top of the hook/s. 

Snapper are scavengers who will eat almost any type of bait – they are just there for the free lunch! But always match the size of your bait to the size of your target. Pilchards, mackerel and kahawai/Australian salmon are all good baits for snapper, and while fresh is always better than frozen, any bait will work.

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.

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.

Fishing is all about balance. Match your mainline to the size and style of your rod and reel. Match the weight of your leader to your mainline, target species and environment. Match the size of your hook or lure to your leader. And lastly, match the size of your hook to the size of your bait.

At every stage of your gear set up, consider what species you’re targeting, what fishing style you’re using and what environment you’re fishing in. Set yourself up for success by using a balanced gear set up.

- Present your bait and berley in conjunction with each other at the correct depth where the fish are holding aka the strike zone

- 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

Some video guides and fishing action from some of our team.