article on the non return slide

[Blackfin]

Angling with Blackfin

Advanced angling techniques

Episode 1

THE NON RETURN SLIDE



Introduction and History

The slide technique has been around in angling for as long as I can remember having, definite boundaries to its successful application and being used with some success on high points or even in areas that had rip currents suitable for the slide to be carried into the deeper water, this method of angling however did not impose itself on the general angler and was practiced by a small part of the angling fraternity. During the late 1980’s the development of a non return slide as an improvement to this system became a feature within shore angling and many different systems were being tried out by top anglers. Once again the interest by the majority of anglers was just not evident and for the next 5 or so years this angling development just seemed to be in the background without much interest. The halls of competitive anglers may have had unimportant discussions about its existence as an unsuccessful development to angling technology and brushed off its importance to surf angling.

The surge started in the year prior to the turn of the century when a design boasting a cradle effect and having the ability to carry very large baits all the way to the stopper was found. Many anglers have boasted to have been the creators of the design, but I still believe firmly that Johnny Frara, mechanic and inventor of some of the most interesting items I have seen, produced the first successful design of the of the non return slide mechanism. This design catapulted large fish angling off the shore into a whole new era. Now anglers of all abilities able to cast a reasonable sinker into the ocean were able to get big bait out into deep water. Larger fish were being reported by anglers from all corners of the country, and an interest in the sport grew with its success.

Shock waves reverberated into the halls of competitive shore angling and outstanding results in national competitions from inland sides brushing away the favored powerful coastal provinces send the cream of anglers scurrying for a ban of the use of this system. Controversially a day before the National championships in the Western Province region the real effect of the force being applied reared its ugly head and with an unprecedented decision taken unilaterally by the organizers to ban this form of angling for the tournament. The results were amongst the lowest ever recorded in a National event of this nature and the provinces who had taken the effort to master the use of the slide made silent protest to the fact.

Arguably the most advanced technology in the 19th century, certainly the most controversial and probably the most effective had hit a brick wall. Why would this be? Surely its benefit to angling created opportunities in the sport. That is probably where its demise was apparent in competitive circles. What was happening is that the top anglers of the time were being challenged by anglers of lesser ability, and ultimately consistently out fished. Some anglers chose not to familiarize themselves with the art of mastering the slide mechanism and became ordinary to those who employed and practiced its existence. One thing is certain, this method of angling whether used in competitive angling or not is here to stay and more and more anglers are successfully applying the technique.

The purpose of this episode is to highlight the successful application of practicing this complex form of surf angling, starting with basic tackle requirements including the construction of suitable traces, ending with the complete angling technique and successful return of the landed specimen back to the ocean. As we improve with our ability within our sport, I make strong reference to conservation ethics and release of fish, granted that the enjoyment value of eating fresh fish is important, just keep it like that and take just what you can eat fresh, remember your freezing facilities are not anywhere near the quality of the professionals, so if you are going to freeze your catch you might as well go and get better quality fish from the local supermarket. Above all I have a library boasting more than 10 000 photos of fish caught and each time I browse through it whether alone or with a fellow angler, the enjoyment factor of highlighting the fact that that fish is still out there alive is far superior to any meal, it just makes boasting a lot more fun.

The contents of this article will be presented in the next two issues of ‘Tight Lines’ and practical and theoretical demonstrations can be seen in video presentations available in your local stores.

Method:-

The method of angling with the non return slide can be explained very basically, and because of this can be considered to be very easy, don’t be confused by its simplicity as it is an art which needs to practiced and employed with much thought and concentration.

Casting a suitable grapnel sinker at your chosen angling venue and ensuring a solid anchor on the lead end the angler will then attach the non return slide to the line through a series of winds, once the line passes through the winds and runs freely in the center the locking mechanism is connected and the bait can be slid down the line towards the sinker. The angler exaggerates the progress of the slide with trace and bait by shaking the tip of the rod back and forth until the bait has deemed to have reached the stopper on the end of the line or an intended distance somewhere in between. So Easy! Ok….. Let’s go through the full process starting at the choice of equipment.

Matching a rod and reel suitable firstly to target species as well as the complex decoding of rock or shore conditions is extremely important; of equal importance of course is your choice for backing and main lines. I am going to go through the basics of what you should be considering when making your decisions.

Equipment:-

The rod :- The characteristics of the slide requires the one end of the line to be anchored to the ocean floor, sometimes in the sand and sometimes on a rocky bottom either way a healthy chunk of lead needs to be propelled by a suitably matching rod. I seldom recommend the use of a sinker less than 7 ounces (175g) for this purpose. Inevitably you are going to arrive at the sea at some time and find a wash or rip or even just a heavier surge in the wave action of the sea which will require you to use a much heavier grapnel sinker, and for that purpose I recommend going even as heavy as 10 ounces (225g). Of course there are two ways of handling this situation, either get yourself 2 separate rods to accommodate the variances or equip yourself with a rod which can handle all situations, I have in my learning phase lugged around 2 separate rods to achieve a suitable combination and have since become wiser to the fact that by using a rig that can handle the adverse conditions, it is possible to meet all requirements. Not only that in today’s ‘walk and see more’ environment the second rod gains unbearable extra weight after a few miles. So I really am going to discuss what to look for in choosing a suitable rod to cover all conditions.

Casting a large sinker, or larger sinker than you normally would use is an art, especially considering that there is no bait attached that will immediately slow the progress of the lead sinker, firstly your reel will spin faster for longer requiring more exact control and secondly the balance throughout the cast from back to front with the release of the heavy weight needs to maintain constant form. This is where the rod comes into it. When choosing a rod for this purpose I look for a few distinct features. These are the load capacity, distance and arc, the type and size of the guides and winch and finally the length according to my height. Most of the top anglers custom build there rods to align themselves with these requirements, I have learnt that there has been significant progress in this field and pre made rods on the shelves at less than half the price and will give the angler exactly the same result and satisfaction as the expensive brands.

The loading capacity of the rod can be measured as the point that the rod reached its maximum bend position; this varies between rods depending on the type of material used in its construction and the amount of winds of that material in the make up of the blank. The characteristic of glass fiber is on the opposite side of the scale of high modulus graphite but then so is the price. In assessing the full load capacity of a rod I take a length of line or rope and place it through the top eye and pull it approximately 90 degrees to the rods direction until I feel the point of maximum strain, That is the point the rod will be at when the rod is fully loaded on the cast. The general rule is that the less the bend to reach that point the more controlled the cast will be when using heavier weights, and the faster you will be able to propel the sinker enabling a longer cast. This is where the physical aspects of the individual become part of the equation. The strength of the rod should also match the individual’s strength, don’t go and buy what you would consider to be a broomstick because you are not strong enough to load it fully in the cast; the results will be disastrous, match the rod to your individual needs. During the testing phase look at the overall bend of the rod, I firmly believe that I can improve my casting distance by at least 10 present by using a rod that loads 60% in the first third of its overall bend, there will always be a certain amount of movement in the bend in the last third closest to the butt, this must be at an absolute minimum and less than 5% of the overall bend. If you are not sure of how to measure the bend, ask your retailer if he has a bending jig marked on the wall with the correct stoppers. If you don’t come right with this see the practical demonstration in the video on how to construct a rod bending jig. Purchasing a rod for the purpose of sliding baits special attention should be paid on the quality and size of the guides. Remember the fact that fishing for trophy fish requires no weak links of any form and you will require a leader of approximately 9 meters long, depending on the conditions and target species I will even use a leader line of up to 1.5mm that I will throw through the guides with the trailing knot, substandard or unsuitably small eyes cannot be used for this application. The same goes for the winch, if the reel seat does not match the preferred reel you are planning on using you will inevitably break the claws of the winch housing, believe me you don’t want to be the person that experiences this, I have seen it before, in that case the reel removed all this guides and the angler was left with a decidedly sorry looking blank with no reel, amusing but costly. Choosing a rod based on your own height and your casting style is really important, during my son’s development in angling I learnt early that if he used my longer rods his whole casting action changed, in fact in some cases I noticed a huge difference in the distance he achieved, clearly an exceptional angler has the ability to adapt to many conditions but even then at what cost. If your rod is too long for your casting style, you will have to make adaptations, by either flattening out the casting arc and bringing the rod around parallel to the casting platform, nothing wrong with that until you end up in a crowd on a rocky point, oops, big problem, or by shortening your length of drop from your top eye to your sinker, That’s ok too until, your protection leader is longer than a meter, believe me some big sharks need the extra wire on the leader, another problem. Don’t be fooled that the longer the rod the further the cast, choose the rod that suits your physique that way you will maximize your distance.
Whether you prefer single piece or three piece rods for this application is entirely up to your own preferences, you will over the years have wear on the joints of a 3 piece rod but with a simple service the carbon fiber can be rebuilt to the original quality at a minimal cost, and then again the travel and portage advantages to a 3 piece have huge benefits over the standard versions.

The reel and line: - There are a lot of suitable reels out there on the market, ranging from quality brands to some real questionable stuff which I see from time to time when fishing in groups. If you are serious about mastering the art of this technique of angling don’t buy a reel that tugs on your compassionate strings. Buy a reel that has been designed by anglers, for anglers and carries its reputation that keeps it available on the shelves. Throughout my life of angling I have been through many different types and brands of reels, I have always returned to the Shimano range due to its fantastic durability and performance under just about any conditions, this doesn’t mean that you have to go and buy the top of the range reel to carry out successful slide angling, on the contrary the only given should be the line carrying capacity and suitable drag and casting ability of the reel you wish to use. For the purposes of explaining the differences between reels suitable for this application I am going to deal specifically with the Shimano range of reels. Shimano have 2 distinct ranges of reels suitable for this technique of angling, these are the 20/40 and Speedmaster range and the formidable Trinidad series. Both of these saltwater reels have been designed to handle the rough African conditions and will give the angler a solid and pleasing performance under pressure. The difference between the two ranges apart from cost is the ability of the Trinidad to maintain constant pressure on the fish when retrieving line, this advantage can only be measured by the time it takes to land a really big fish, what used to take 3 hours to land in the past using conventional tackle can now be done in less than an hour. This I have proved over and over again, simply if you can keep the head of the fish facing you he will come to you, but the minute he can turn his head, the tables are turned and you will be giving it line. The Trinidad also has a superior drag to the Speedmaster range, but don’t get me wrong the Speedmaster has a superior drag to most other products on the market and is no way an inferior product. Both of these ranges have a similar line carrying capacity.
I highly recommend the use of the Trinidad 30. This is the most versatile in the range as it can be used for just about any application for this technique of angling I load the reel with a braided backing line rated at 50lb with a diameter of about 0.19mm, if I fit 650m on the reel it allows me to fill the spool up with a monofilament of a diameter of 0.55mm, taking about 200m when full. These calculations are important because, when changing your line you only remove the monofilament each time you make the change, mono filament is sold in 600m spools so you will get 3 full line changes on one spool. I have often been questioned on whether 200m of line is enough, believe me a lot of anglers claim they have this innate ability to cast prodigious distances, just spool up with 200m of line and see how much slack you do have at the end of the cast, you will be surprised. There are many good monofilament lines on the market, they are all sold in 600m spools, as I have got older and blinder I have tended to favor high visibility lines, this coupled with a high abrasive quality are probably the most important features that I consider when purchasing my line. Double x have all of these features, although expensive, the lasting durability and lack of memory extends the life of the line and makes the extra cost worth every cent, Double x also has a higher breaking strain than most of its equivalent competitors.
The Trinidad 50 is the beast within the range, I regard this as the bully of my collection, hooking any fish under the 100kg mark is deemed as an unfair fight as the overall power of this fantastic fishing reel just overhauls the resistance of the fish hooked. My first fish I hooked with my 50 was a Raggie of 191kg, I landed him in 45minutes without a gaff, and this reel is designed to target the real giants. Apply 1200m of 50lb braided backing and fill the reel with a monofilament of 0.55mm , it will take approximately 300m and you will have 1.5kms of line, if you can’t stop a fish at this distance, you have been beaten, just accept the fact. The one thing you have got to remember about using this reel is that when you do hook one of the giants of the ocean you must have the mettle to fight a fish for a very long time, so don’t go looking for the fight if you are not ready to handle the pain. For that reason I only recommend this real to the serious contender. Just one last tip about using a braided backing, remember there is zero stretch in the line and it has a silicone base so winding it on is extremely important. There is only one way to wind this line on your reel and that is super tight. I normally get the retailer to wind on the line for the first time (under supervision of course). The only way I can describe the pressure is that is you are winding on the line and your arm is not sore after 50 turns, it’s not tight enough. If this line is not wound on correctly and the fish peels off line into the backing under extreme pressure the line will slip through the spool of line and cause an over wind, bang… fish lost. Not only that, if you have wound braid on loose and you are finding that you are getting many over winds when you cast its because the line has settled loosely on the spool and has caused your reel to become unbalanced, you will never get a decent cast without a birds nest. Equally as important is the joining of braid onto your main line, this is an intricate knot and can be seen in the video, don’t just employ the same knot as you would use in your conventional trace, when you do finally get into your braid with a fish at is always a trophy specimen and there is nothing worse that loosing a fish due to poor knot construction or choice.

Tackle: - You will need the following items to construct the perfect slide trace, remembering of course that the larger the target species the heavier and more robust the terminal tackle. I am going to begin with the basics, and then give a few recommendations to the weight class. Let’s start with the leader line. General competition rules state that a leader should not exceed 9 meters in length, from the beginning of the biminy twist and ending at bend in the hook. General angling has no rules apart from the fact that if you try and make the leader any longer than that you will be compromised considerably in your cast so I recommend you try and stick to about 9 meters. When choosing a leader line I once again try and avoid lines that have no abrasive qualities, generally lines which have a soft feel are not suitable and just have to touch an obstacle under pressure and will cut through. When using a leader I seldom use anything with a diameter of less than 0.90mm, and will go as high as 1.5mm in certain circumstances. This will depend on the area that I am fishing linked to the target species, sandy beaches predominantly targeting skates and Guitarfish I will use the lighter leader and in rocky points or even when I am targeting large Raggie’s off a beach I will increase my leader line accordingly. Off the deep points in the Transkei I don’t even consider anything less than 1.5mm. Attaching your leader is done by making a biminy twist on the main line (0.55mm) and using the figure 8 knot on both the main line and the leader lines attaching the two lines together, I use all three strands from the biminy to the main line as it has no bearing on the size of the knot. Measure out about 6m and then add a nylon or carbon coated steel leader about 60cm to 1m long to the leader line. I generally try and match the coated steel line diameter to the leader line, just to give you an idea 120lb carbon coated steel is ideal for 1mm leader, when I use 1.5mm leader I tie 200lb steel as the protective leader. Tying the protective leader to the slide stopper can be done easily by employing the figure 8 knot once again, just be careful not to apply pressure to the knot by pulling to tighten it, rather push the knot to the apex before tightening it; this will stop any form of pig tailing. Most slide stoppers are made with a swivel, if you are going to use a protective leader then the swivel is really not necessary, I will not use a normal barrel swivel in these circumstances and if the stopper has one on I would rather cut it off than attach it to my main line, if I have to I will only use a power swivel. Attaching the grapnel sinker to the slide stopper is quite simple by using the figure 8 knot at either end. The line you use to attach the sinker with is extremely important. I normally use a .40mm sinker snoot for specific reason, firstly if there might be a chance of the sinker settling on a snag, whether a rocky bottom, soft sand which buries the sinker deeply or even just a sandy ledge that the sinker may rest behind the common result will be that a large amount of resistance will be placed on the line at the time of the strike. This is the time that you would rather loose the sinker than the fish, so a lighter line will part under pressure, if it does not part then the slide will try and run counter to its intended direction and you will most certainly get burnt off. To stop any form of casting off on the light lines I just simply hook the grapnel sinker to the casting ring and apply no pressure on the sinker snoot. The other advantage to this is that you can throw any size sinker without the fear of snapping off the sinker snoot. Your choice of grapnel sinker is also just as important, a 7 ounce grapnel with weak or short lines will be totally non effective for the slide application and will frustrate the angler to no end when trying to keep a constant pressure during the sliding phase, as would be a 10 ounce, I have found that sinkers with substantial wires of a decent length are far superior and the angler can use a small sinker to achieve the same result as a larger one of inferior quality.
The last requirement is the trace; there are so many variations to what can be used in the trace construction to target different species. I use many different variations but the general construction of the basic trace always remains the same. Hook size, steel preferences, skirts, flashers, beads and laminating items are just variations to basic construction. For this reason I am going to just deal with the basics, you decide on the specific preferences.
Starting with the choice of slide mechanism, specifically whether it is weighted or non weighted, oddly enough there is huge differences in the characteristics of the action between the two, it is important you understand these characteristics when sliding a bait. The non weighted or conventional slide has far less gravitational interference than its weighted cousin, therefore tends to take longer to reach its intended destination, when shaking the rod to create the energy that exaggerates the slides progress the non weighted slide has less effect on creating movement on the line, so the distance traveled between each tension cycle is less prominent and therefore moves a shorter distance up the line. Although slower to reach its stopper the advantages to this system is that it places less resistance on the line itself, and therefore does not hang heavy, this becomes extremely important when fishing in shallower areas because the slide does not make the line hang on the bottom an restrict its forward movement. Just remember that a shallow bank is where most wave action or increased turbulence takes place, and you don’t want your slide spending extended periods in that zone, so the quicker your slide moves through it the better, prolonged periods in this zone will certainly cause the trace to snag with the main line. Although it’s not absolutely necessary I tend to use smaller baits for this type of application, something like a small chokka or a whole mackerel. Then we have the weighted version of the slide. This system gives the angler immediate satisfaction in seeing the slide move down the line as it rapidly takes off during the shaking phase, ideally suited for deeper water situations when you don’t have to negotiate any shallow obstacles in the cast zone. In deep water zones I am always a little uncomfortable while my bait is making its way down to the stopper, mainly because if a fish takes your bait while it is still a long way from the stopper, you have about a 50% chance of getting burnt off, especially if he runs the wrong way during the pickup. So I shake a little longer than I normally would to ensure that the bait reaches the intended destination quickly. The clear advantage of the weighted slide in this application makes it very different the non weighted version. The length of your trace in very turbulent conditions should be made shorter than in calmer conditions this just prevents snagging with the main line, I have found this to be very important whether I have been using a weighted or a conventional slide.
Choosing a suitable hook for the slide trace is always a confusing issue, some hooks on the market boast high carbon, super sharp, super strong characteristic, you end up paying an arm and a leg for them and then they rust while your bait is in the water. There are also really good hooks in the market depending on what you are prepared to pay, I have recently been blown away by the new VMC live bait 7118 OB hooks that have recently been introduced to our market, boasting a Vanadium construction, chemically sharpened to a needle cone specification and stronger than any other hook that I have tried these hooks have set the new standards for my application to this form of angling. Placing 2 hooks in an inline configuration spaced according to the bait size using carbon coated steel ranging from 80cm to 1.8m in length makes up the rest of the trace(see diagram). The full construction of t he knots used can be seen in practical demonstrations on the video. The trace laid out in this basic construction is what I use as the basics to all my slide traces. I tend to use brightly colored skirts in clear conditions, darker colored skirts in murky or darker conditions and laminating shirts in night conditions mainly just to monitor the progress of my skirt through the wave zone without placing a sharp beam of a headlight on the water. When using this form of angling I tend to stick to the protection of steel for the hook snoot, varying the materials according to the conditions. I would use a trace between 1.2 and 1.8m in the Transkei with 200lb carbon coated steel with 2 in line 7118 OB 10/0 hooks targeting Bronze Whalers, Grays or Blackfin and if the Hammerhead sharks turned on I would scale the hook size down to 2 in line 7118 OB 8/0 hooks with 120lb carbon coated steel. The Hammerhead’s tend to have a smaller mouth with less aggressive feeding characteristics.

Baits: -
The beauty of this type of angling is that your bait selection is just about limitless, as long as you can get the bait reasonably comfortably in the water and your anchor point can withstand the pressure required to keep the line light the bait will make its way dawn to the stopper. Your limitations are based around sea conditions and the depth of the water. That you will learn in time with practice. I am going to be dealing with the most popular baits used in this type of angling, more detailed information can be seen in the practical demonstrations on the video.
Chokka: one cannot overstate the importance of this bait for the slide application; chokka is eaten by just about any fish in the ocean and its popularity for sharks, rays and edibles whether roaming or resident is just about unrivaled as a bait choice for shore angling. The other advantage is that it is just so easy to make up really good sized chokka baits. All you need is a chokka normally 20 to 30cm in length, 2 cable ties and your bait knife. I take my leading hook and slide it through the spine of the chokka about 1cm in from the head end, the hook then passes through the head and protrudes in between the eyes, 2 incisions are made on either side of the shank of the hook and the cable tie is passed through the 2 incisions around the shank of the hook and tightened. The second hook should be hooked through the spine and the eye of the hook should lie about 2 cm from the end of the tail of the chokka, the second cable tie is then wrapped around the end and passed between the shank and the carbon coated steel creating a lockup for the bait so it cannot fold or slide out of shape. I do no preparation to the chokka before baiting up and just leave it as natural as possible.
Fish baits: 20cm to 35cm, specifically dealing with baits like Mackerel, Mullet and Sardine or any other fish bait source of a similar size. Probably the most widely used bait group for this method on angling. These baits are used mainly for targeting Sharks, sand sharks and rays and available readily throughout the country. Once again the setup in constructing the bait is very easy and quite effective; all you need is a beaded wooden pick. The process of ensuring that the bait is always kept as natural as possible is essential when rigging this type of bait. Measure the distance between the leading hook to the shank immediately prior to the bend with the trailing hook, anticipating the trailing hooks position about 1cm in the lower jaw of the fish. Once established; insert the leading hook into the underside of the fish right up to the eye of the hook. Then take the trailing hook and insert it about 1cm through the lower and upper jaw of the fish, finally take the beaded wooden pick and insert it through the eye of the leading hook ensuring that it will remain proud even in the strike situation. If you are fishing in conditions with high turbulence of strong currents you can just clip off the fishes tail, all this does is prevent it from spinning in the water, Most times however I just try and keep the bait as natural as possible. Some anglers clip away a part of the gill plate to created a so called increased flow of blood into the water, Personally I believe that the head of the fish is the main attraction to its prey and any tampering or disfiguration reduces the efficacy of the bait.
Large fish bait or combination baits: - In my view the sky is the limit to this type of bait type. It has been proved that as long as you keep the fundamentals together and have a target species in mind you can become creative as you wish. What I mean by this is, don’t create a bait which is to big to slide under the conditions you are experiencing, secondly always make sure that the bait is straight, lastly use a hook which is suited to the bait and is kept proud and secure at all times, even during the strike. Baits which are extremely effective in this category include just about any game fish, Shad, Barracuda, Snoek, Dorado and of course the all time favorite which just oozes blood and oils into the water, the tuna species. I tend to always use the head of the fish first as this is without doubt the best cut, with smaller fish or even in very calm deep water conditions I will slide a bait up to about 2kg, don’t throw the rest away because it can also be used at a later stage or even as a combination with other baits. At times you will not have the luxury of the bigger fish, I suggest in that case that wrap a couple of mackerel together, or chokka and mackerel, mullet, sardines, whatever drives your inspiration at that time.
Live Baits: - Very few angling techniques can provide the angler with a more satisfying outcome than the fine art of fishing with live baits, the thrill of catching and keeping the intended bait alive is a challenge all on its own, and then the rigging and sliding the bait out into the deep water requires a cautious efficient approach to ensure its extended survival, this done correctly can keep a fish alive for hours, if this is achieved the chance of success is increased tenfold. The method I employ in hooking the live bait is very simple. As per the fish baits I carry out the same measurement techniques, the difference is that I just slide the leading hook under the skin of the fish and refrain from using a wooden pick to secure it, the trailing hook is placed only through the upper lip of the fish keeping the lower jaw free of obstruction being able to inhale water freely. This method of angling is fantastically suited to the use of lave baits and produces outstanding results for the angler who is prepared to make the effort.

The technique of using the non return slide:-
This method of angling is specialized, so it is important for the angler to understand what conditions are best suited for its successful application. I have already dealt with using the slide in shallow and deep water conditions, the key factors being that the areas discussed must be void of, high seaweed concentration, attached or loose, or obstacles that will snag the slide from making full progress to the stopper, underwater ‘mother in laws’ that your bait can snag on or wrap around during the sliding process or even an excessive concentration of anglers in the immediate fishing area that will catch the bait with their lines during the initial phase of propelling it into deeper water. Once you have established that these factors are not prevalent proceed with your plan. I have found that the quality of the anchor on the bottom is critical to the success of the progress of the bait so I tend to go probably heavier that required, I have also found that spending a little time assessing where to are going to cast your sinker, and how far, goes a long way to saving time and frustration later. Once you have propelled your grapnel to its intended lie take a little time to ensure that it settles properly, you will quickly assess whether the desired anchorage has been achieved, once satisfied then begin the process of linking the non return slide to the main line. I have developed a Routine when it comes to ensuring that the slide is attached perfectly to the main line each time I use it. I highly recommend that you practice the art of doing it yourself; the reason for this is that when the fish are running there will be no one there to help you and secondly competition angling prohibits any form of assistance. Using a fixed routing has huge advantages; I have found that your adrenalin kicks in to such highs when the big fish turn on that even the most seasoned angler gets overcome by wanting to get his bait back into the water. Practicing and following a fixed routine ensures that you efficiently get your bait back without making fundamental errors. My simple routine goes like this. Releasing my spool and pulling my rod back over my shoulder I grab the main line, just remember to keep the tension on the mainline with the anchorage at all times. I hold the tail end of the slide (end facing the hook snoot) parallel to the line facing the hook snoot, Checking to see that the loop end faces the rod tip I begin winding the main line through the loops, I then lock the clip in position. Once I have completed the locking process I run the clip backwards and forwards and check that there is free passage through the center without any snags, my final step before releasing the bait is to hold the tail end and check that the direction of the anti reverse mechanism is correct by reversing it up the line and ensuring that the lockup system is operating correctly. Ensure that you make a controlled release of your bait, stand as close as possible to the water, wait for any rolling water to ease off, just remember if you have cast over someone and you release your bait you will snag them you must ensure that have no possible snags at this point, once you are satisfied that you are free let your bait go, immediately take up the slack line until you feel resistance from the anchored end you can now begin the process of shaking the tip of your rod to accentuate the progress of the slide, I have found that as long as the butt of your rod remains fixed when shaking it the easier it is to get into a rhythm, overaggressive shaking at this point can wrap the slide mechanism on your line which will immediately stop its progress. Carry on shaking once your bait is out of sight, and ensure that you maintain a solid tension at all times with your anchor, if your grapnel slips continually and you are not able to keep an even tension your bait will not progress any further and inevitably wrap around the loose main line. Should this happen and a fish takes your bait you will get burnt off. If you are unsure of the progress of your slide just simply monitor where your bait enters the water, if there is a swell you will find that the further your slide has progressed the higher the line will rise in the swell.
How long you are prepared to play the waiting game should be based on a number of factors, I base my decisions on the following factors. Type and texture of the bait used. If the constructed bait is mushy and easier to remove from the hook the shorter the wait. If there is a history of small fish or swimming crabs in the area, at this stage if I am not sure of this I will bring my first bait in after the first 20mins and check to see if they are around. Or if I have a variety of baits and want to try another type. Once you have established these factors leaving a bait in the water for a long time is fine, Just to give you an indication, during a tour I slid 2 live 3 spot pompano’s for clients in Kosi bay at 4pm, we left those baits in the water into the dark, at 8:10pm both rods went away within 5 minutes of each other and 2 Giant Kingfish (Ignobilis) of 35kg and 29kg were landed, those baits lasted 4 hours in the water.
The bite, if there is anything I would like to stress in this article it is this point in using the technique, sadly icons been watched by the nation on TV still don’t seem to control their actions and emotions at this point, sometimes looks like they are trying to beat the pig back home, and if they are the pro’s what hope is there for us amateurs, Strike now and this is what happens, either you part your line immediately because your clip has not reached the stopper, or you may not part but you have damaged your line to part later, nice one, specially after a few hour of fighting fish, we have all seen that, maybe, just maybe you are lucky to have your line close to your stopper and no damage occurs, I am never prepared to take that chance. Most times when the fish takes off it is hooked anyway, the easy way to handle the situation is to try and relax and think clearly, give yourself time to think, I start winding my line on to the reel slowly until you feel the slide hit the stopper, the sensation is quite clearly felt as the fish goes from 1st gear to 5th gear in a split second. All you need to do at this point is lift your rod tip about 2 feet and you will immediately feel the reaction of the fish, don’t strike, please don’t strike, it is not necessary. At this point the fight becomes your own and only you can control the fish, my only advise is that this is the time that you have start using your brain to outwit the action of the fish, always think ahead, if the fish is moving towards a potentially dangerous zone, try and do everything in your power to counter the movement, don’t allow the fish to manipulate you because it then becomes the master and will win the fight
I always promote the landing of the fish without a gaff; believe me its easier than you think. Even the never give up antics of the Giant Guitarfish (sand shark) is easy to land, it may take you a little longer, but what the hell, you have spent so much time getting to this point what is a few more back breaking minutes !!! Safely releasing a fish that hasn’t got a rusty old hole punched somewhere in its body is far better than one without, I have first hand knowledge of this, as during the era that we were able to drive on the beach, a stupid driver had his gaff facing out the back without a stopper and gaffed me on the way past, it hurts and takes a long time to heal.
Lastly taking a photograph of your trophy and releasing is like good sex, you will remember it for a long time, the best part is that you have proof of the achievement at a later stage, which may not be a great idea to take a photo of your sexual accomplishments. Do you know that if every active angler in South Africa released 10 percent of their fish caught more than 5 million fish would be saved each year! Imagine the future of angling for our children’s children if we all just played our part in conservation for ourselves and not because the authorities say so.

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