Straylining is to me the most challenging, skillful yet rewarding way in which to catch snapper.
By the very nature of this style of fishing you will soon learn a lot about the way in which fish feed at different times of the tide as well as thetime of the year.
In the summer the spawning snapper come into the shallows and channels, whereas in the winter those snapper that choose to miss the winter migration, live among the kelpy reefs and shorelines.
These rocky, kelpy areas have an abundance of food such as cat's eyes, limpets, crabs and offer shelter from the winter storms. Over the winter, snapper's metabolism slows down and they largely live off their fat reserves, making them less interested in bait.
The technique of strayline fishing is as simple as it gets. Tie a hook onto the end of your line, and if the tide will not allow your bait to sink to the bottom you will need to thread a small sinker onto the line first.
Get lots of berley flowing well away from the boat and down on the bottom.
I lower a berley bomb in my Wobbly Pot to a metre or two off the bottom. I cast 7/0 hooks rigged with either squid or pilchards well astern so they sink down into the berley trail. Always keep your forefinger on the line and when the snapper bite hard you must strike hard and fast.
Keep your rod tip high and wind down on the fish while always keeping a bend in the rod, this keeps the tension on the hook so that the fish cannot throw it. Remember that the summer fish are spawning fish so only take what you need and release the rest.
