There aren't too many styles of fishing that get the heart pumping quite like watching a billfish light up behind the boat. Although big game boats make all size classes of marlin an easier option, there is great satisfaction and reduced cost when chasing them from trailer-sized boats (approximately 5 to 8m). There are many methods that are successful when targeting smaller billfish from a trailer boat, but few become as addictive as 'switching' them onto a bait you have cast towards a lit-up billfish!
For anglers chasing smaller black marlin and sailfish, switchbaiting is one of the most exciting ways to get connected to one of these pointy-nosed torpedoes. Rather than simply trolling a lure and waiting for a bite, the aim is to attract a fish with a hookless teaser, bring it within range and replace that teaser with a rigged live bait.
It sounds simple enough, but getting the bait, teaser spread, boat positioning and crew all working together can take a little practice.
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Start With Good Live Bait
Before worrying about teasers, skirts or trolling patterns, you need something worth switching the fish onto.
Fresh live bait can be one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle, so it's worth spending some time around your local bait grounds before heading wider.
Sabiki-style bait rigs are a simple way to gather livies. These rigs normally feature a string of small hooks dressed with flashy or luminous material designed to imitate tiny pieces of food. Drop them through a school of bait and, when things are happening, it shouldn't take long to fill the livewell.
The key is keeping those baits healthy and having one rigged and ready to go. When a billfish turns up in the spread, you don't want to be untangling leaders or digging around for a bait while the action is happening.
What Is a Switchbait?
Switchbaiting is all about using a hookless teaser to draw a fish close enough to present it with a bait carrying the hook. Once the billfish is within casting range, the teaser is removed and the bait is dropped into its path.
It's the visual side of the technique that makes it so addictive. You can often watch the fish tracking, swiping at and chasing the teaser right towards the transom before making the switch.
Build a Simple Teaser Spread
You don't need to turn the back of the boat into a Christmas tree. A simple spread gives the fish a few different options while still being easy to manage when one shows up.
A practical setup can include:
A short daisy-chain teaser close to the boat
A baited (no hook) skirt or pusher on the short corner
Another baited skirt (no hook) running farther back
A rigged live bait ready to deploy
The daisy chain can sit only a few metres behind the boat, just outside the main prop wash, while the other teasers can be staggered farther back. One might sit around 10–15 metres behind the boat, with another around 30–40 metres back. Fitting outriggers to your boat will always help the process of teasing and trolling for billfish: the ability to keep skirts in clean water provides a much better chance of raising fish up to your teasers.
Running teasers at different distances gives a fish more chances to enter the spread and find something it likes. Colour can be worth mixing up too. Try a bright, highly visible option alongside something more natural with blues, silvers and pinks, then let the fish tell you what they prefer.
Add Some Flavour to Your Teasers
Artificial skirts create plenty of flash and movement, but adding bait to your teaser can bring some extra scent and flavour into the mix: it's the added scent which often triggers smaller billfish to really want to eat a teaser.
The bait can be secured inside a skirt or pusher using a swivel and cable tie, with the main aim being to keep it firmly attached. If a billfish manages to tear it free, there's a good chance it'll disappear with its free feed. Smaller dead fish you've caught during live-bait catching, or a filleted strip of a tough species like a section of mack tuna belly, can make for great additions to your teasers.
You want the bait to keep the fish interested without rewarding it until you're ready to make the switch.
Keep the Fish in Clean Water
Once a fish appears behind one of your teasers, boat positioning becomes important.
If the fish appears on the port side, begin turning gradually towards that side. If it appears on starboard, turn the other way. You will ultimately drive a big circle, but this helps keep the active teaser in clean water instead of letting it disappear through the prop wash and lose a valuable opportunity to switch a billfish.
If the fish loses sight of the teaser, it can lose interest just as quickly. Keep the boat moving smoothly and gradually shorten the distance, giving the fish every chance to stay locked onto it.
Clear the Spread
As soon as a fish commits, everyone on the boat needs to know their job. The angler on the teaser should stay focused on the fish, while the rest of the crew prepares to cast the live bait at the fish.
Keeping the cockpit tidy makes a big difference here. Loose leader, tangled lines and unused rods can quickly turn into a headache once things fire up beside the boat.
Make the Switch
Once the fish is close enough, continue winding the teaser in until the fish is close to the boat. The angler with the switch bait is the one to make the call, and as they make the call to pull the teaser, the teasing angler removes the skirt. As the billfish looks for where its meal has gone, the live bait must be cast a metre or two in front of the direction the fish is swimming. Keep the reel in free spool or the bail arm open initially and give the fish time to eat.
With a circle-hook setup, resist the temptation to strike. Allow the fish a few seconds to take the bait, engage the reel and gradually apply pressure. The increasing load helps the hook slide into position and find the corner of the fish's mouth.
Keep Your Circle-Hook Rig Simple
The switchbait setup doesn't need to be complicated. A suitable circle hook attached to an abrasion-resistant leader is the heart of the rig, with the live bait bridle-rigged through the nose, or a needle directed through the front of the eye socket where there are no nerve endings or vital organs, and kept ready in the livewell. A leader of 80lb fluorocarbon and a 7/0 to 8/0 circle is perfect for smaller classes of billfish (20 to 50kg). In this setup, around 30–40lb braid is matched with spin tackle suited to the smaller class of billfish being targeted.
Your hook, leader and outfit should always suit the bait, target fish and conditions you're fishing. Circle hooks work particularly well for switchbaiting because they're designed to set under steady pressure rather than a hard strike.
Teamwork Makes Switchbaiting Work
Switchbaiting can look chaotic when a billfish suddenly charges into the spread, but good communication makes everything much easier.
One person works the teaser, another has the switchbait ready, the rest of the crew clears the gear and the skipper keeps the boat positioned correctly.
Sorting those jobs out before a fish appears means less yelling and more chance of everything coming together when it counts.
Give Switchbaiting a Crack
There are plenty of ways to catch small billfish, but switchbaiting puts you right in the middle of the action.
Keep your spread simple, have a lively bait ready to go and make sure everyone onboard knows their role. When a sailfish or small black marlin suddenly lights up behind the boat, you'll be glad everything is ready.
Switchbaiting FAQs
What is the best time of year to target small billfish?
Small billfish are often more active when warmer water and baitfish move into an area. Local seasons vary, so keep an eye on water temperature, currents and recent fishing reports.
What is the best live bait for switchbaiting billfish?
The best option is usually a healthy local baitfish that billfish are already feeding on. Matching the bait in the area can help make your switchbait look like an easy, natural meal.
What water depth should you target small billfish in?
There's no single ideal depth. Look for areas holding bait, current edges, temperature changes and other signs of life rather than focusing purely on a depth number.
What speed should you troll teasers for billfish?
Your trolling speed should keep the teasers swimming, splashing and looking natural without constantly tumbling or pulling beneath the surface. Seven to twelve knots is a good starting point.
How do you find billfish when switchbaiting?
Focus on signs such as bait schools, birds, current lines, water temperature changes and surface activity. Finding concentrated bait can often be the first step towards finding feeding billfish.
About the author
Tackling Australia
Tackling Australia is made up of “Nicko” Fewtrell and “Nige” Webster — two fishing tragics who’ve been hooked since before they could walk. Nige is a long-time fishing journalist and regular on the Aussie fishing comp scene; and Nicko is a fishing presenter, FNQ-based guide and boat builder. Together, they’re a formidable fishing team, with all the expert knowledge you could ask for
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