Winter Straylining

With August now upon us, cold winds and rain are the norm. The fish are in hibernation mode for the most part, as are most anglers! While freshwater and squid anglers are busy, along with the bluefin tuna anglers, it always ceases to amaze how snapper anglers put their boats away at what is a fantastic time to target them!

Just recently, I was discussing this with a very good Auckland (NZ) charter operator. Business for him is pretty skinny at this time of the year because he targets depths of 30-50meters around the back of The Noisies and up Kawau way.

At this time of year, these areas can be very hit and miss. His paying customers know this and wait for the spring season when the fish start their migration runs from further north and east. He also notices there’s a lack of know how at this time of the year by most anglers – how to target snapper in winter, and where to find them.

So, here’s some guidance on how to target snapper in winter, particularly using the straylining technique.

Straylining is a great way to target snapper in winter. The beauty of this technique is that it’s mostly suited to shallow water fishing, between 2 and 15 meters. It can of course be done in deeper water as well, but for winter you’ll be mainly targeting the shallows.

Straylining uses the current, as you want to drift your bait back to the structure you’re targeting with the lightest possible weight (sinker) to get your bait to the bottom.

Getting your boat positioning and current direction right can be a bit experimental as the tidal flow is forever changing.

A strayline rig is really simple. You can use either one or two hooks tied on to a strong meter or so of trace with a small 1/4 ounce (preferably) sinker sitting on top of the hook/s. You can use circle or recurve hooks if you don’t like to strike, or J or suicide hooks if you like to strike your fish.

Attach your trace to your mainline with either a swivel or a joining knot such as a back to back uniknot. In the shallows, pesky barracuda are not as common as they are in deeper water, so swivels are less likely to be attacked by them.

Occasionally, you may have to drift the bait further back to find the bottom as the current may lift the bait off the bottom and it’s the bottom where the snapper may take your bait – at first.

Tip - you can tie a rubber band around the trace (trimming off tag ends) on top of the sinker to keep it from sliding up and down the trace. Helps to prevent tangles and keeps the weight directly on the bait meaning when you hit the bottom, you can stop letting out line immediately.

Fresh is best for all fishing, and it’s the same for winter fishing. Kahawai will show up in your burley trail so if you are using pilchards, cutting them in half and baiting up will likely see you catch a kahawai.

You can make efforts of course to trawl through kahawai schools pre anchoring up over your chosen snapper reef. At this time of the year, kahawai makes great bait, as does freshly caught squid or jack mackerels.

Smaller baits do work well during winter as the lethargic snapper don’t need to make much effort to eat them, but when the big fish turn up to the frenzy of activity you’ve created, they’ll want the larger offerings, often muscling in past the pickers to get that meal presented.

Throw your bait out the back of the boat with preferably a free spool reel (a fixed spool or ‘egg beater’ allows less ‘feel’ to a strayline angler) and slowly free spool your bait back.

I prefer to use 6-10kg mono fishing line rather than braid for winter fishing as it has more stretch to it for tentative bites.

When you first start fishing, the bait will likely hit the bottom and then you wait for the bite. In winter, this may take a few minutes and you may notice a minute between bites once they start. This is simply the beginning of the feeding period. As they feed, more will show up, and the burley will also start ‘working’, bringing in more lethargic snapper who by now, will be getting more active as competition for food is now in order.

The fish you start catching maybe small but persistence is important. Be careful upsizing baits too quickly to try to catch bigger fish. While they’re competing, they’re still just looking for any food, and they may even start taking baits midwater so as you’re dropping them down, so be prepared for mid water action.

Remember elephants do eat peanuts and the same can be said for snapper. When you start getting a series of ‘horse like’ takes, only then should you think about deploying your larger baits.

Of course, every fishing trip is different, and it depends on the fish in the area, so sometimes the bites will just stay steady. With no big fish in the area, fish up to 3kg will grace your bin. These are preferred by most anglers anyway, but in my experience, at least one bigger fish will attach itself to the line over a period between tides.

Don’t fret if you miss it – if it was over 10lbs you were likely going to let it go anyway.

1. Fish tend to feed better at sun up and sun down, when there is less noise on the water from other boats. There will also be less bird activity.
2. Turn your sounders off and try not to make too much noise on the boat – this will increase your chances of bringing the fish out from their hiding spots.
3. In cooler water, you should get a full 6 hours out of an 8kg bomb. Don’t over cut the plastic and make sure it goes into an onion sack. Check its progress throughout your fishing trip.
4. If you are using 2 hooks on your strayline rig, make sure you fix it with a snood. This will allow your bait to last longer and makes your rig IGFA legal in case that monster PB comes along.
5. If birds show up in your trail, you may have to add a heavier sinker than you like and become quite good at deception i.e. casting away from the birds, so your bait drops quicker through the water column before the birds can steal it.
6. Keep an eye on your boat position. A drifting anchor can be dangerous if you are fishing with current back into structure.
7. Fish descalers are a good tool to have. When you catch your fresh kahawai, scale it over the side of the boat, as this will add attraction to your burley trail. It’s also easier to pierce the skin of the bait with your hook.
8. Using recurve hooks will give the fish a better survival chance, just don’t let them have much line in free spool before striking.
9. Chose spots in close to islands, away from boat thoroughfares as this will mean less noise in the water.
10. Preparation is key. Take time to find a good weather window and the right location, and always ensure your boat and gear are in good working order.

You may be surprised just what you catch if employing the simple techniques described above. At the end of the day, it can be used all year round but in winter, it can be very effective and bigger fish can be caught.

You don’t need as much ice in your bin I’ve noticed over the years in terms of caring for your catch, as it’s cooler anyway. The money saved here better to go into your burley.

Keep an eye out for weather windows – winter really does throw up some silky smooth seas at times. All you need is a little motivation, a beanie and some suitable clothing.