Straylining and dropper (ledger) rigs are usually the first methods that people try as they’re easy, relatively cheap and can deliver good results
Straylining
A simple strayline rig can be put together in seconds and a dropper rig is super quick if you use a pre-tied flasher rig.
What you'll need
- Baitrunner style spin or overhead reel
- 6-7-foot rod (15kg rating)
- 10 to 15kg monofilament (~300m)
- 7/0 hooks
- Swivel (4/0 – 6/0)
- Optional light sinker (0.5 to 1oz)
How it's done
You can choose to use a leader with a swivel on the simple strayline rig but many fishos elect to tie the hook straight on to the mainline.
If there’s a strong current running and you find that you are not hitting the bottom with your bait, you can use a small ball sinker running freely above the hook.
Try not to weight the rig too much though as the aim of the game here is to present the bait to the fish as naturally as possible. Use a minimum of a 7/0 hook – circle hooks are a good option as fish can hook themselves and they are easy to remove.
Cast your bait out the stern of the boat, at least 20 metres, and be prepared for a strike as it’s on the drop.
Ledgering
What you'll need
- Spin (minimum size 5000) or overhead reel (minimum 20 size)
- 6-7-foot rod (15kg rating)
- 10 to 15kg monofilament (around 300m)
- 50lb fluorocarbon leader
- 7/0 hooks
- Heavy-duty swivel
- Minimum 2oz sinker (go heavier in deep water and strong current)
How it's done
As a general rule of thumb, use dropper rigs in a minimum of 20 metres of water.
Dropper rigs (and flasher rigs – hooks with silver foil as an added attractant) can be purchased from most tackle stores pre-tied with a swivel at one end and loop for your sinker at the other.
If you want to tie your own, use two hooks on your dropper rig. Take around 2.5m of leader and tie two loop knots in the line.
Tie another loop at the end of the leader for your sinker. You can then thread these through and over themselves so that your hooks and sinker can be easily removed.
Dropper rigs should be sent directly to the bottom without casting.
Baits to use
There’s heaps of different baits you can use when straylining and ledgering and it really comes down to preference.
A fresh slab of kahawai can often be deadly when targeting snapper. Likewise, there will be occasions when pilchards or squid do the trick. Top Catch stores have lots of gourmet baits such as Bullet Bonito.
Don't forget berley!
The golden rule for straylining and ledgering is to deploy as much berley into the water as you possibly can. You want to coax timid fish into the bite when you’re sinker fishing and heaps of berley is one sure-fire way to do this.
