To prepare a strip bait is very easy.
- Cut a strip of fish fillet or squid (even in width and thickness) in a long length about 2.5 times the length of your hook shank. Width will be dependant on your hook size.
- Cut the rear end into a point.
- Cut the front end square.
- Push the hook through from the fleshy side so it sticks out of the skin side with enough length so the square end goes about 1cm past your hook eye onto your trace.
- Wrap the square end around your trace and fix with a cable tie, so it is tight and cannot slide back.
This strip can now be used in many ways.
- As it is for slow trolling or drifting.
- With a skirt for slow/medium trolling and drifting.
- To enhance your Kona's, Squids and lures for fast trolling.
- You can add weights to the line to get it deeper for drifting or trolling at any speed.
- You can troll it on your downriggers with or without your skirts/lures.
- On a drift in a chum line.
- With and without a steel trace.
The best bait for strip baits is belly shine from any game fish like Bonnies, Dorado, Tuna etc. but you can also use fillets from smaller bottom fish, Mackerel, Mozzies and so on. It is very simple as you can prepare this from fish previously caught and have a container full of pre-paired strips of fish and squid and a pack of cable ties and side cutters, or you can use freshly caught fish or bait fish and on the larger fish it means that they will then already be gutted when you cut the belly out and the rest you take home.
Personally I do not like using sardines here as their flesh just falls apart when used in this way and sardine fillets are best prepared inside out and wrapped all around the hook shank with ghost cotton.
This is very simple and effective and you can catch almost any fish from inshore Snoek, Big Game and Sailfish. It even works for large reef species.
PS: I used a piece of cloth for the pics, did not like the idea of bait on my desk.