Technique
Get maximum distance with a slide bait rig BRISBANE
Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com
Over the last few years, slide baiting has become a popular technique for anglers targeting large gamefish from the beaches and rocks. This effective technique basically allows you to deploy a large bait further from the shore than previously possible. You don’t cast the bait, only the sinker. After you have cast the sinker, you attach the slide bait rig with the bait attached and float it out using the current, or coax
it out with gentle lifting of the rod tip. After numerous large Spanish mackerel to over 40kg were caught with this technique at Fraser Island, more anglers have been keen to try this exciting form of fishing. The sinker commonly used is a grapnel (sometimes referred to as an anchor sinker) which has forward facing wire arms which help it bed down and hold into the sand or debris on the bottom. Many of these sinkers have the arms fixed in place but some have a release system where the arms fold back when extra pressure is applied. This is
usually when the angler lifts the rod abruptly to wind in or a fish grabs the bait and goes for a run. Once the sinker has hit the bottom you need to do small lifts with the rod tip (without retrieving line), tightening and relaxing the line to get the sinker to bed into the sand. Once your slide bait rig is set up with the bait, you attach it to this taut main line and put it into the water where the wave action and decline of the line angle will coax it to gradually make its way out to the sinker. This approach allows you to cover a broad area of water and permits you to deploy a large (often live)
bait out as far as you can cast the grapnel sinker. For large baits, live bait sliders are ideal. Casting only the sinker and not the weight of the bait will greatly increase the distance out that the bait can be fished. Additionally, live offerings will be a lot healthier as they aren’t subjected to the forces involved during the cast, or from plummeting into the water. Slide bait rigs have accounted for some pretty spectacular fish in the few years that they have been fished in Australian waters and are fast becoming an essential piece of any serious beach or rock fisher’s arsenal. To sinker
There are numerous types of slide bait rigs on the Australian market these days, some locally-made and others imported. Some rigs can be made with hi-tensile wire ranging from 1.2mm to 2.2mm in diameter. Locally, anglers fishing the surf and rocks commonly use the 1.6mm and 1.8mm slide bait rigs. If larger sharks are your target, 2.0mm and 2.2mm would be your best choice to put the odds in your favour. The smaller rigs are used for lighter lines or where the target species is not likely to be large. Most slide bait rigs are of the non-return variety, which means they are shaped so
that a bait can only go down the line. If a live bait turns and swims towards shore, the rig slightly kinks the line and limits the bait’s transit shorewards. Slide baiting is very popular in New Zealand and South Africa, and there are specific rods made for this form of fishing, with tapers designed to increase casting distances with large sinkers. Their length increases the angle in relation to the water which aids in getting baits out more efficiently. Many hardcore anglers use overhead reels for this type of fishing but large spinning reels and Alveys will suffice.
To rod
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Monofilament is reputed to give the slide bait rig a smoother transition down the line, so many anglers solely run monofilament on their reels. However, for increased capacity, some anglers predominately load their reels with braid and just use monofilament for the final 100150m that the rig slides on. If they hook a predator which takes heaps of line, those anglers always have a good capacity of braid backing line, which will increase their reel’s line-holding abilities. If you want to add a monofilament leader or top shot of monofilament to your braid, you’ll need to use a low profile knot. This will let the slide bait rig pass from the braid to the monofilament leader easily, or for the top shot to exit and enter the guides without fouling. The knot that’s pictured above is an FG knot, however PR knots and other similar low profile knots could be used.
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Attach the main line or leader to the solid ring with a sliding uni or a blood knot. It is important that this part of rig is the correct way around, as the slider needs to rest against this solid ring once the bait is fully deployed. The sinker is now ready to be cast out and allowed to settle on the bottom.
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For setting up your basic rig for fishing the Southeast Queensland surf you will need a 1.6mm or 1.8mm slide bait rig, some 20-40lb monofilament or fluorocarbon, some 60-80lb monofilament or fluorocarbon, some live bait hooks and a grapnel sinker. Quality scissors or mono shears will also be useful. An alternative to heavy monofilament is wire, which may be required if you are going to target some toothy creatures like mackerel, big tailor and sharks.
The rig you can use for your bait can vary. If you’re targeting mulloway, snapper and the like, a monofilament leader will suffice. I usually attach two or three hooks to the leader using a simple snell. How large the hooks are and the distance they are spaced apart will vary depending on the bait being used. For toothy creatures such as large greenback tailor, Spanish mackerel and sharks, you will need to have a wire leader. You may decide to run only a short length of wire between the hooks and then use monofilament as your main portion of hook rig leader. The leader configuration is generally determined by the possible target species.
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For the attaching the sinker you will generally use slightly lighter line than your main line. This will break first if the sinker becomes snagged, so you won’t lose the entire rig and hooked fish. Generally the length between the sinker and the swivel will be 0.5-1.5m, depending on the ability of your outfit to cast this length and how far off the bottom you want the bait to rest. The swivel and solid ring combo should be supplied in the packet with your slide bait rig. Attach one end of the leader material to the grapnel sinker and the other to the swivel. 18
JUNE 2016
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Attach the hook rig leader to the swivel on the slide bait rig. I generally keep this leader less than 1m long in turbulent waters as it decreases the chance of it tangling with the main line. However, in stronger currents and when using larger live baits, a longer leader is desirable.