Stickbaiting has become an effective technique for a range of species due to advanced lure designs and tackle. Sammy Hitzke provides the low down on how to fish these fish catching bullets from the shore.

Wind the clock back three years and stickbaiting was a technique that was largely synonymous with the GT fraternity. Casting, sinking or floating baits in the 160 to 300 mm range were worth all the hype and equally as effective. But as its popularity boomed, lateral thinking fisho’s began to realise the expanding applications of smaller 70 to 150 mm stickbaits and just how many different fishing situations they could be applied. Aerodynamically designed for lengthy casts and packed with enough weight to hold their line in a stiff breeze, the introduction of this breed of lures was the ace in the hand that many beach and rock fisho’s were waiting for.
When compared to what was previously tried and proven in those conditions: a pillie on a gang of 6/0’s and the humble chrome slug, the stickbait can really prove its worth. They allow anglers to use larger profiled lures, making more commotion in the wash zones without compromising cast length. There is an endless array of retrieval techniques that will impart almost any action required to raise a bite and compared to a slug, the choice in colours and finish is second to none. Most of the time you don’t even want to cast your new shiny toy, in fear of a fish with teeth monstering it and scratching up that flawless bleeding pilchard hologram finish.
If by now you’re reading this article thinking to yourself, ‘Man these lures sound great, but what’s a stickbait?’ – then this part is for you. A stickbait is very similar to a long baitfish profiled minnow but without the bib. The lack of bib means the action of the lure remains entirely up to the angler and the situation they find themselves fishing. They also cast like a bullet. They come in virtually any size, from bream to GT spec and in both sinking and floating. The floating stickbaits work either completely on the surface or by diving to about one foot before returning to the surface when paused. The sinking versions can be worked in any part of the water column, from skipping across the surface to twitched off the bottom.

Skipping stickbaits over a nice foamy bomie in Northern NSW.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT STICKBAIT
When fishing off the beach and rocks, choosing a stickbait that suits the location and conditions you are fishing is critical to the success of your session. The best selection process extends to colour, size, weight and profile. As a general starting point, if I was to rig my rods the night before a day of gutter/rock hopping, I would tie on a 40 g, 120 mm sized sinking stickbait like the Maria Bullchop or the slightly lighter Departure Co Outcast. These are my two confidence stickbaits, mainly because they always produce results and have the ability to pull fish if they’re in the area.
The 120 mm sizing is perfect because it casts a mile; the profile is small enough to tempt fish of all classes, while still being large enough to make a worthwhile meal for bigger pelagics. They attract plenty of attention using any retrieve and make for a great starting point during any session. If you notice a lot of gar around or the wind is affecting your cast, try using a thinner, longer style of bait such as the Maria Bluescode Slim. While these have a 13 g weight drop, the thinner profile cuts through the air; allowing long casts even in foul onshore weather. Similarly, if there are schools of frogmouth or white pilchards around in numbers, the smaller 90 mm sizes will often get plenty of attention. The downside of the smaller stickbaits on the beach is the drop in lure weight, which cuts down casting distance. This isn’t as problematic for rock fishing as the wash zone is generally close to your feet and as such, accuracy becomes more of an issue.
As far as colours go, try and start as natural as possible and then work towards the brighter, more visible ones. I’ve had some awesome sessions on hot pink and fluoro yellow stickbaits so it pays to change it up.

Big salmon respond very well to the ‘burn and stop retrieve’, making for some spectacular surface strikes.

It also can be very worthwhile to put on a bigger sized stickbait for a few casts every so often. This helps to see if you can tempt a better quality fish from the school or a predator further up the food chain. On a recent trip to Fraser Island my dad (The Phantom) and I used this trick to weed out some big tailor from the schools of the then prevalent micro tailor. Whether they were feeding with, or on the choppers, I’m not sure, but they certainly sniffed out the bigger lures quickly. As did the 30 kg plus GT I sight-casted from a school of very nervous, bait balled tailor on a Bullchop. Needless to say, 10 lb braid and an 11 ft casting rod did very little to persuade Mr Gee T from going to meet the cousins in Fiji.
STICKBAITING OUTFITS
If you compare your standard beach or rock fishing outfit 10 years ago, to one available today, then you would probably be left scratching your head wondering why there is an oversized bream outfit in front of you. The heavy, long slow tapered fibreglass rods have given way to light, thin, fast tapered high modulus graphite. Braid has overtaken mono and the humble Alvey has largely departed for spinning reels with more ball bearings than your average car. It couldn’t have worked out any better for the lure fisho’s. The right combination leaves you with the fishing version of a sniper rifle. It allows you to cast the lure so far it will come down with a layer of moon dust, yet can drive the hooks home at the slightest sniff and can still pole your fish up the rocks.
The perfect stickbaiting setup consists of a 9 to 11 ft high modulus graphite rod, with a taper fast enough to fully load and propel the lure at light speed but have enough sensitivity to absorb shock from a hook-removing headshake. My two favourites include the Daiwa Morethan Bluebacker for lighter stickbaits and the NS Black Hole Cabin II Monster for heavier stickbaits, bigger sized fish (this does not include bus-sized GT’s, if you want one of them buy a winch), and where it’s necessary to lift fish up the rocks.
Spinning reels in the 5000 top 6000 size perfectly weight out the previously mentioned rod styles, while still holding enough braid to survive more than one big run (except from that GT, it was more of a line stripping exercise). I tend to lean towards reels with a quick retrieval ratio around the 6.3:1 range to save your winding arm when it comes time to get the lure cranking.
Braid choice largely depends on the areas you will be fishing. On the open beaches where there is no structure to get run around, I fish as light as possible to get the maximum distance from a cast. Running braid in the 10 to 15 lb range is fine 90% of the time and lets you hold a lot more braid on your reel for hard running fish. Off the rocks it’s a different story, where distance isn’t as much of an issue as being run into or around structure and lifting fish. I’ve found 20 to 25 lb does the job, but like any braid, if it hits the rocks under pressure there’s a fair chance it’s all over, so if they‘re going to play dirty, step up the drag and put the hurt on.
RIGGING
Rigging your stickbait is very simple, but it’s critical you do it correctly to maximise the effectiveness of the lure. I use the same braid to leader configuration on both the beach and the rocks, but change the strength of my leader to suit. Since stickbaiting is almost non-stop casting, you want all your knots to be as small, compact and aerodynamic as possible. I use a bimini twist to create a double and then an albright to attach the braid to the leader. Use as much leader as possible without having the albright knot go through the guides when you cast, it slows your line speed down and can put fractures in the guides. Fluorocarbon leader of 25 lb is the perfect starting point for the beach and 30 to 40 lb on the rocks, but change accordingly, depending on the size and species of fish you are targeting.
Down the business end of the leader, it’s a great idea to use a loop knot or lure clip to get the most action from your stickbait. If you plan on spending more time changing lures than you do fishing, then using lure clips like the Decoy Egg Snaps, will save you a lot of time tying knots and new leaders after you’ve chewed through it all.
RETRIEVE
There are three main retrieves I have found to be consistently effective in producing strikes. These three retrieves are basis from which countless other variations and combinations can be made to tempt even the most lock-jawed aquatic predator.
The Burn and Stop
Cast your stickbait out and engage the bail arm just before it lands. Begin cranking flat out to keep the stickbait skittering across the surface like a skipping baitfish. Do this for 10 to 15 m and then stop it dead and give it some short sharp twitches while it sinks. Then, turn up the speed again and crank it back up to the surface and repeat the process. Fish will often sit behind the stickbait as it’s skipping, then maul it as soon as it begins the sinking twitch.

A better sized tailor pulled from a school of smaller fish feeding on tiny bait.

Twitching
Once you have cast out, let the stickbait sink down to the depth you want to fish. If you’re fishing from the rocks, keep your prized pilchard projectile away from the bottom. I can’t stress this enough, rocks and cunjevoi are suckers for eating lures on the drop – I’ve been burned before. Once you’re at depth, begin short, sharp random twitches with the rod, retrieving the loose line as you go to keep positive contact with the stickbait. This makes the lure exhibit a sporadic ‘wounded’ action, drawing strikes at any stage of the retrieve, especially right at your feet if you’re on the rocks.
Sweeping
Sweeping is a technique that was taken straight from the GT addicts’ play book. It involves letting the stickbait sink and then using the rod to make long sweeping pulls followed by a pause as the slack line is retrieved. The sweep causes the lure to have a more uniformed, natural and consistent swimming action, like a fleeing baitfish… that has to stop and ask for directions every three metres. A lot of hits come on the pause after a sweep or as the lure begins to move after the pause. It’s not a particularly fast action, but still very effective.

Losing line at a great rate of knots to a site casted, 30kg + GT. 10lb braid never stood a chance.

SUMMARY
In a fishery once dominated by chrome slugs and ganged pilchards – stickbaits have twitched and skittered their way into many rock and beach angler’s hearts and tackle boxes. It is quickly becoming a new go-to technique, that’s easy and accessible for anglers with all levels of experience. It’s a very active and addictive form of fishing that can be used to target a multitude of species, in a variety of situations. The very best part is: you don’t need a big flash boat or top of the line gear to be in with a chance.
Australia’s surrounded by coastline so there’s excuse for not getting out there and putting in a cast or two. Be safe and remember when they hit, give them some stick!
Sammy Hitzke is Brisbane based fisho, working in the Western Australian Pilbara region. He fishes his way up and down the east coast as well as the wild west. Sammy specialises in land based and inshore fishing, but has been know to have a crack at just about anything that swims. Sammy is Prostaff for EJ Todd, Maria, Sunline, TFO and NS Black Hole.