TECHNIQUES
Kyle Ackerman with an Englishman caught off the KZN south coast.
Part 2: Setting up your bottomfishing traces By Craig Stubbs
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N the first of this series of articles (see July/August 2021 issue of SKI-BOAT), we looked at rods and reels, and then spoke about that almost subconscious aspect — “feel”. Bottomfishing tackle can seem a little clumsy or cumbersome to start with, but after a while it will start to “click”, the gear will begin to make sense, and that all important feel will begin to develop. However, feel is nothing if you haven’t got the correct terminal tackle down in the deep, and that is what we are going to look at in this article. Straight off the bat, you will need to establish what likely species you are going to be fishing for, as there is no,“one size fits all” solution. In the same areas that you’ll find a slinger, with its rather small mouth, could be a big rockcod, with its colossal
jaws, and your hook, line and bait choice is all important. In order to give advice on the traces and hook sizes I would consider, I will break it down to three relatively welldefined categories. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, and no physical boundaries exist to stop fish behaving outside the norm. That’s the beauty of bottomfishing — one never knows what one’s next bite may be. PROSPECTING SHALLOWER WATER FOR “SMALLER” FISH (30–50m deep with common species being slinger, bream, emperors, soldiers, Englishman and rockcod) The action in this shallower zone can be very exciting. One generally doesn’t wait long for a bite, but the fish are often on the smaller size. Generally, the size of the hook is less important that the SKI-BOAT September/October 2021 • 23
