A basic question on float lining/ stray lining

[NAGG]

Here is one for the offshore fishoes

How the hell do you stop a line tangle when stray lining

So a basic ball sinker running down to the hook ..... typical snapper rig in shallow to medium depth.

I cant remember it being a problem in the years gone by ....... but it is giving me grief atm.

should I use a stopper or swivel to stop the sinker from running up the leader and braid ?

chris

[Short Fuse]

I don't really notice line twist giving me any problems with braid. It certainly seems to handle it better than mono does.

Years ago, I used to do a lot of float lining for snapper. We would anchor up current of a reef patch and get a good berley trail happening and float lightly weighted pillies down the berley trail on either 8kg or 10kg mono. After a couple of hours hard fishing, particularly when using Alveys there would be heaps of twist in the line to the point that it would develop twist bunches that would not go through the guides. By then, we were generally ready to try a different spot, so once we were underway we would cut the leaders and terminal bits off the gear and run a 100 metres of line out the back and drag it along under power.

The water pressure would force the mono to unravel. After being towed for a minute or so, there would not be any twist left in the line at all. I reckon the same method would work for braided lines as well if necessary. Give it a try and see how it goes.

cheers

Jeff

[NAGG]

I don't really notice line twist giving me any problems with braid. It certainly seems to handle it better than mono does.

Years ago, I used to do a lot of float lining for snapper. We would anchor up current of a reef patch and get a good berley trail happening and float lightly weighted pillies down the berley trail on either 8kg or 10kg mono. After a couple of hours hard fishing, particularly when using Alveys there would be heaps of twist in the line to the point that it would develop twist bunches that would not go through the guides. By then, we were generally ready to try a different spot, so once we were underway we would cut the leaders and terminal bits off the gear and run a 100 metres of line out the back and drag it along under power.

The water pressure would force the mono to unravel. After being towed for a minute or so, there would not be any twist left in the line at all. I reckon the same method would work for braided lines as well if necessary. Give it a try and see how it goes.

cheers

Jeff

thanks Jeff

It's not so much line twist as such ...... its the bait / hook tangling (twisting around) the main line with the sinker in the middle

It's the sinker going down first & the trailing bait / leader spinning and wrapping around the mainline ....... the focus point often being the leader knot

[Bremic]

I also used to float baits down a berley trail with 8 or 10kg mainline. I always had a short leader of 15kg though, for a bit of wear resistance, maybe 50 - 60cms long, joined to the main line via a swivel.

[Moonlighter]

Put a swivel on the top hook to connect your leader to.

[NAGG]

Put a swivel on the top hook to connect your leader to.

So how does that work ?

If the sinker isn't riding on top of the bait ..... there will still being a problem ..... .even the sinker above the leader and swivel would give the same problem ( if not worst)

A solution or two is that ..... 1 ) Don't cast 2) lower the bait slowly so that the sinker is pushing down on the bait ( very much in the same way as you don't throw an anchor ... always use a slow / controlled lowering

Chris

[Jason Green]

How about a small keel weight like you use for trolling slimeys I picked a couple up from Barra Jacks in Rocky earlier this year around pillie size they are
have not used them but thought they might be handy to have on the boat for drifting


Sent from my iPhone using Ausfish forums

[Short Fuse]

The issue of the sinker running up the line is pretty common in floatlining. Because there is more pressure on the bait than there is on the sinker, it sinks a bit faster. If there is any bend in the bait, it will spin and twist up with the line above it. You get a similar situation with spinning baits on a paternoster rig. All you have to do is restrict the sinker's ability to move up the line. We used to use the smallest split shot crimped to the leader an inch or so above the sinker. These days you could just use the float stops that are used when fishing for luderick.

Put one on your leader, tie the terminal gear to the end and slide the float stop down against the sinker and it will hold it in place and eliminate the tangle.

cheers

Jeff

[NAGG]

The issue of the sinker running up the line is pretty common in floatlining. Because there is more pressure on the bait than there is on the sinker, it sinks a bit faster. If there is any bend in the bait, it will spin and twist up with the line above it. You get a similar situation with spinning baits on a paternoster rig. All you have to do is restrict the sinker's ability to move up the line. We used to use the smallest split shot crimped to the leader an inch or so above the sinker. These days you could just use the float stops that are used when fishing for luderick.

Put one on your leader, tie the terminal gear to the end and slide the float stop down against the sinker and it will hold it in place and eliminate the tangle.

cheers

Jeff

Bingo Jeff ..... & there you have it - Ta

I couldn't remember what I would do .... all those years back and now you have reminded me - We used to use an elastic band tied around the leader . generally I was fishing shallower water ..... not 40-60m like I will / have been

Chris

[3rd degree]

Like Moonlighter suggested open the eye of the top hook and slip a swivel in place.

I normally only run mono for float lining and if I use braid I run about a 15ft mono leader which gives plenty of room for sinker to move.

Here's what some of my rigs look like...

116537

cheers

jim

[GBC]

Bottom line is you’re using too much lead. If the current is ripping and we need big leads we do the exact opposite of what you propose. We let the Sinker go over the side and freespool while hanging onto the bait then throw the bait downstream a bit. Water pressure keeps it away from the sinker and it wafts more naturally.

[Noelm]

What is "stray lining".? Must be a QLD term, like float lining.

[NAGG]

What is "stray lining".? Must be a QLD term, like float lining.

I think it's the Kiwi version .....

what do you call it ?

[Rob0046]

be careful how you rig the bait...chunks or square baits will twist , no matter what rig..1/4" x 2" strips of calamari tube work well , but I find the best is soft plastics soaked in fish oil..Rob

[NAGG]

be careful how you rig the bait...chunks or square baits will twist , no matter what rig..1/4" x 2" strips of calamari tube work well , but I find the best is soft plastics soaked in fish oil..Rob
Mostly fishing pillie halves , butterflied baits or slimie fillets

chris

[Noelm]

I think it's the Kiwi version .....

what do you call it ?
dont know, describe stray lining, never heard of it! as far as floatlining, all our Snapper fishing is done with tiny sinkers "floated" down, baits are carefully cut, whereas in QLD, big chunks are just blobbed onto a hook and tossed over, so, unless we are drifting, where bigger leads are used, (and most proficient fishermen don't drift for Snapper) we always anchor and lightly burley, using small "floating" baits.

[NAGG]

dont know, describe stray lining, never heard of it! as far as floatlining, all our Snapper fishing is done with tiny sinkers "floated" down, baits are carefully cut, whereas in QLD, big chunks are just blobbed onto a hook and tossed over, so, unless we are drifting, where bigger leads are used, (and most proficient fishermen don't drift for Snapper) we always anchor and lightly burley, using small "floating" baits.

that’s exactly how I bait fish for snapper ..... on the anchor or these days spot lock with the leccy. I then try to fish as lightly weighted as possible down a burley trail. Yes I would also call it fishing “floaters”. .... the kiwis call it stray lining as per the description - throw a stray line out the back and let it drift around.
Normally I would fish this way in reasonably shallow water ..... <30m. But I’m trying to do it now in 60m . Unfortunately that means more current and more lead which has created the problem.

chris

[Noelm]

OK, so stray lining is just another term for fishing light weight (floating) bait. I fish with my mate at Caloundra pretty regularly, and he lived down here near me for years, and we fished NSW methods (anchor, light sinker to suit current, and well presented baits) after a few years up there, he fishes with a big "chunk" of Mullet, just threaded any old way on the hook and very heavy line and sinkers, not too sure if the fishing was just so much better, so he reverted to "good old days" methods or what, when he comes down here to visit, he reckons we fish for Snapper with Whiting gear! funny hey.

[jackson4300]

We float line for snapper in 80m plus whilst drifting. Pillie on gangs with swivel on last eye. Piece of plastic that stops the sinker banging on swivel and knot and then sinker to suit conditions.
If you get to the bottom too heavy, if you go too long without a strike change it up.
I prefer to place the hooks into the top of the pillie, last hook should be through the head and mouth to stop the mouth opening, if you put them sideways and especially through the eyes, you normally will get a spinning bait.
Prefer to use mono, it helps to suspend the bait.

[NAGG]

We float line for snapper in 80m plus whilst drifting. Pillie on gangs with swivel on last eye. Piece of plastic that stops the sinker banging on swivel and knot and then sinker to suit conditions.
If you get to the bottom too heavy, if you go too long without a strike change it up.
I prefer to place the hooks into the top of the pillie, last hook should be through the head and mouth to stop the mouth opening, if you put them sideways and especially through the eyes, you normally will get a spinning bait.
Prefer to use mono, it helps to suspend the bait.

That's how we fish for mackerel .....

chris

[tunaticer]

I've always found a slow feed out for float lining give the best results....

[Dignity]

We float line for snapper in 80m plus whilst drifting. Pillie on gangs with swivel on last eye. Piece of plastic that stops the sinker banging on swivel and knot and then sinker to suit conditions.
If you get to the bottom too heavy, if you go too long without a strike change it up.
I prefer to place the hooks into the top of the pillie, last hook should be through the head and mouth to stop the mouth opening, if you put them sideways and especially through the eyes, you normally will get a spinning bait.
Prefer to use mono, it helps to suspend the bait.

Used to do this off Tempest, if you got more than 50 metres down without a strike, pull up and go again, they sit surprisingly high in the water column especially at night, during the day we would see big ones sunning themselves about 5 metres below the surface. You had to be on the flybridge though to spot them.
We also chase red throats this way off Fraser.

[NAGG]

I've always found a slow feed out for float lining give the best results....

Agree 100% ....... love using the baitrunner this way.

This is the same way we cube for Tuna except we do it with a game rod tucked under the arm ...... very exciting when they are taking cubes at the back of the boat 116567

[Noelm]

It sure is, caught hundreds of big Tuna doing that, the best going 95KG, and one memorable one off Narooma in my mates old ski boat, lots of laughs at the ramp, until my mate showed them the 71KG Yellowfin, caught right at the motor while Snapper fishing!