Tech Tricks
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 many 40kg+ Spaniards 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 (anchor sinker) which has forward facing wire arms which help it bed down and grip the sand or debris on the bottom. Many of these sinkers have fixed arms 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 down. Once your slide bait rig is set up with the bait, attach it to this taut main line and put it into the water. The wave action and line angle will gradually coax it out to the sinker. This approach allows you to cover a broad area of water and lets you deploy a large (often live) bait out as far as you can cast the To sinker
grapnel sinker. For large baits and 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. There are numerous types of slide bait rigs on the 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. 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 the shore, the rig slightly kinks the line and limits the bait’s transit shorewards. Slide baiting is very popular in NZ 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 helps to get baits out more efficiently. Many hard-core anglers use overhead reels for this type of fishing, but large spin reels and Alveys will do.
To rod
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Mono is reputed to give the slide bait rig a smoother transition down the line, so many anglers solely run mono. However, for increased capacity, some anglers load their reels with braid and just use mono for the final 100-150m that the rig slides on. If they hook a predator which takes heaps of line, they always have a good capacity of braid backing line, which will increase their reel’s line-holding abilities. If you want to add a mono leader or a top shot of mono 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 mono leader easily, or for the top shot to exit and enter the guides without fouling. An FG knot is shown here, however PR knots and similar could be used.
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Attach the main line or leader to the solid ring with a sliding uni or blood knot. This part of rig needs to be 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.
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Once your sinker has bedded in the sand, attach the slide bait rig to the main line. The arm of the rig needs to face towards the sinker and the spiral portion towards the rod. Hold the front of the slider rig and the main line (going to the rod) between your left thumb and forefinger. Pass the line around the side of the rig furthest from you, then between the main arm and opened clip before winding it around the spiral closest to your left hand. Repeat five or six times or until the main line runs straight through the wire spiral. Close the clip, making sure that the lumo bead is still directly under the spiral. This will stop the clip from opening under extreme pressure once the spiral is resting against the solid ring.
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For setting up your basic SEQ surf rig you’ll need a 1.6mm or 1.8mm slide bait rig, some 20-40lb and 60-80lb mono or fluoro, live bait hooks and a grapnel sinker. Quality scissors or mono shears will also be useful. If you’re going to target toothy creatures you may want to use wire instead of heavy mono.
If you’re targeting mulloway, snapper and the like, a mono leader will suffice. I usually attach two or three hooks to the leader using a simple snell. How large the hooks are and how far they are spaced apart depends on the bait. For large tailor, Spanish mackerel and sharks you’ll need a wire leader. You may decide to run only a short length of wire between the hooks and then use mono as your main portion of hook rig leader. The leader configuration is generally determined by the target species.
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For the attaching the sinker, use slightly lighter line than your main line. This will break first if the sinker becomes snagged, so you won’t lose the rig. The length between the sinker and the swivel will be around 0.51.5m, 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 to the sinker and the other to the swivel.
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Attach the hook rig leader to the swivel on the slide bait rig. I keep this leader less than 1m long in turbulent waters as it decreases tangling with the main line. However, in stronger currents and when using larger live baits, a longer leader is desirable.
Rig in use
Light lifting of the rod tip, and turbulence on the bottom, will help the sinker to grip the sand. This will allow you to keep the main line tight, aiding the bait’s journey down the line. With the sinker set in the bottom and the rig on the main line, add the bait to your hook rig and put it in the water. Tensioning and slacking of the line will help to coax the bait out until it reaches the solid ring. Sometimes you can use the current to your advantage for this. Inset: When you want to wind in, a solid strike of the rod will lift the sinker from the sand. Once retrieved, your rig will look somewhat like this, the same as it does in the water. You then unclip and remove the slide bait rig from the line so you can cast the sinker out again. JULY 2016
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