Drifting above schools over a clear sandy bottom I found that having the sinker running along the bottom seemed to increase hook-up rates. Whether that was because the bait needed to be near the bottom, or as some writers suggest, the sand kicked up by sinker is an attractant, I am not sure. But what is sure - bites did increase if the sinker hit the bottom.
Using a boom rig for deep water fishing for puka is ideal. The weight can be slung a few metres below the boom on lighter line than the main line. If the sinker hooks up on the bottom it is easier to free. Some booms come with a longer tube section that helps stop the hook and trace from tangling around the main line as the bait descends.
When using a boom it seems that whole baits work best. Whole pilchards, yellowtail, piper and the like, all work well. Now don't ask for a scientific explanation because I do not have one, but towing baits backward seems to work best.
Rig the whole fish bait by placing the hook deep through the body just in front of the head with the hook point pointing toward the tail. Take a couple of turns around the body with the trace, and then a half hitch around the tail.
(Actually, as a brief detour, I have noticed when using whole fish bait like a piper as a popper when chasing kingis, that rigging the bait backwards gets more hits. It may have something to do with the fact that is difficult to rig whole fish baits to swim forwards without the bait spinning.)
If cut baits are the option, try cutting the bait into strips rather than cubes. Long thin strip baits hooked up at one end give the bait a chance to wriggle about as it moves through the water. Movement does seem to trigger more bites.
Boom rigs can also be used as a form of downrigger. Rigging a lure such as a Rapala on a boom rig catches fish, including snapper. But I have found most success using soft plastic baits off a boom rig.
Sand-eel soft plastic baits are lethal rigged this way. Sand-eel soft plastic baits look a bit like a very thin piper head and body with a very thin tail ended in an abrupt bulb. These baits require very little movement to set the tail working and a very slow drift on an almost windless day is ideal. In the U.K. these soft plastic baits are routinely used instead of fish bait. But other soft plastic baits will work well too.
Drift fishing does not necessarily mean using a boom rig. There are a number of drift sinkers now available. These are variations on a theme of a long tube with a weight at one end and a clip or loop at the other. This is designed to have the heavy end of the tube near or on the bottom, and the tube keeping the baited line off the bottom.
I have used these with some success but find them most useful over a relatively clean bottom of sand or mud. They are ideal for estuary fishing, or drifting along clean channels.
Drift bait fishing is a highly effective way to catch fish in all depths of water. It can be used over schools in water less than 10 metres deep. In water over 20 metres deep it can be more effective than anchored fishing because of the problem of accurately placing a boat in current and/or wind.
Besides, on a nice calm day, what could be a better way to recharge the batteries, than drifting along with bait bouncing near the bottom, occasionally being grabbed by a fish. Boom times.
Isn't it interesting to see and hear about fishing and fishing tackler from all parts of the world?
