When you're fishing with bait the good ole half hitch is your best friend. Tying a half hitch serves a couple of purposes:
1. to secure the bait to your line
2. keep the bait nice and straight, stops it bunching up on the hook
4. nice bait presentation makes a big difference to enticing fish to take a bite.
3. it takes the strain of the line so the hook doesn't pull out.

John Eichelsheim talks through the basic technique for how to tie a half hitch around your bait. It's quick and easy and you'll notice the difference with your fishing success, especially when catching favourite table fish such as snapper, kahawai and trevally.

Once you've taken your hook and inserted it into the bait, make a loop in the line. Your hook will be at the bottom end of the rig through the bait (with the point of the hook facing up the trace line if you've got the position right) so the loop will be up the mainline away from the hook.

Put the loop over the bait - the past farthest away from the hook, and gently pull tight.

If the loop unravels it just means the loop is the wrong way around. Make a loop in the opposite direction and try again. When the loop sticks you know you've got it right.

A half hitch is great when you're strayline fishing. You can use it with pilchards (whole or half), squid (whole or half), strip baits, whole baits, basically most baits you'd use when your strayline fishing with a one or two hook strayline rig.

Click below to see the full how to videos for putting bait on these rigs:

How to put pilchard bait on a one hook strayline rig (3 ways)

How to put squid bait on a one hook strayline rig (3 ways)

How to put bait on a two hook strayline rig (3 ways)

Happy fishing!