You may have heard about a new technique named hover strolling, mid strolling, bottom strolling or stroll baiting; if you haven’t, I can guarantee you soon will. It’s a technique that was established in Japan, has taken off in the US in a big way and is just starting to gain traction here in Australia. It’s currently so big in Japan and the US that my Instagram feed (where I largely follow tackle companies from all the around the world) is filled with new strolling baits almost every day.
Before I delve into all the details of this new and highly effective technique, I’ll break down some core elements of what it’s all about then you can decide if you want to read on.
The action of the lure is the most unique element of strolling. A properly rigged strolling bait will swing on its axis from side to side, like a boat rocking on its keel, and it’s this new and unique action that fish find highly appealing. Most of these strolling lures are equipped with some sort of reflective element on the sides so they sparkle and flash as the lure strolls, attracting attention. This action really does look like an injured baitfish and is very different from the action you achieve with a standard jerkshad or paddle tail. It causes fish to strike at the strolling lure when they might usually reject other presentations. Now, it’s fair to ask the question – is this because the action is a great imitation of struggling prey or because it’s something the target species hasn’t seen before? In Australia only time will tell, but it’s still very effective in Japan after five years and in the US after three years.
The other element about strolling is the momentum you use to retrieve the lure. The idea is to keep it in the fish’s face, almost harassing them with this strolling action right above their heads or in their face. You want as little up down and forward momentum as possible. Although you’ll always have momentum back toward the angler when reeling in line, this technique does keep the lure in the strike zone longer.
You may thinking that doesn’t sound like anything new, and we’ve all done that to some degree whether its tea-bagging a vibe, working a jerkshad or super slow-rolling a paddletail, but it’s that unique strolling action that is the big difference.
Intrigued? Well read on. Putting the pieces of this strolling puzzle together has taken three months of heavy research. I’ve translated many Japanese texts and videos, watched countless videos, spoken to the few Aussie anglers who are already doing this and read the few articles written in English I could find. That finally led me to sourcing the right gear so I could pool-test my findings then confidently present it here.
But Does It Catch Fish?
Yes, it does. The two species where this technique has really found a place in Australia is barramundi and Australian bass, but I strongly believe it will work on every species.
Things really kicked off here in November 2024 when American competition bass angler Jacob Wheeler came to Australia to fish an ABT barra comp and won it using this technique, it was his first time fishing for barra, and he cleaned up at Kinchant Dam. Not long after that we shot a video at Bemm River for Shimano where the bream had shut down and were all schooled up spawning in one spot. I was fishing with Shimano product development manager Josh Carpenter, who had been on to strolling for a while and had bought many products from Japan. As soon as he tied one on and started working it, he hooked up and we went on to catch multiple fish. So, I know it works for bream, and I’ve done enough research to know it works for both large and small mouth bass, barra and Aussie bass and I’m confident it will work for every fish. I think it will be dynamite on yellowbelly, and I can’t wait to use it for snapper, estuary perch, flathead and mulloway.
What Makes It a Strolling Bait?
A strolling bait looks similar to a jerkshad, but has some subtle differences that allow the angler to get that rolling/strolling/swinging action. We experimented and pool-tested multiple plastics comparing standard jerkshads and lures that are marketed as strolling baits and there is a definite difference. With the right rod action (and correct jig heads) using a range of standard jerkshads, you can get a bit of that strolling action but it’s nowhere near the same. Soft plastic strolling baits in our findings are best when made from PVC (the non-stretchy style of plastic) as opposed to buoyant elastomer plastics (think Z-Man, Bait Junkie, Crush City). The heavier weight of PVC is advantageous, and the lures are often impregnated with salt in the lower half of the plastic, which increases the lure’s lower centre of gravity and helps achieve the strolling action. Generally, strolling baits have a curved shad-like belly with a flat top. They also often feature either a thin pin tail or a forked tail that runs horizontally or flat (like flounder or flathead as opposed to a vertical tail as on most fish and lures).
The flat top is what grabs the water and helps it stroll, and this – combined with the flat tail orientation – looks very cool in the water. We tested a few strolling baits that are available in Australia: Raid Fish Roller, Evergreen Last Ace 103S, Tiemco Glimmer 7 (a hard bait) and the Reins Swamp Shad. We also tested some that aren’t available in Australia such as the Deps Sakamata Shad (extremely popular globally).
Now let’s get into the fun stuff – all that sweet tackle and how you need to set it up and work it.
Hover Strolling
There are three main types of strolling: hover, mid and bottom strolling.Hover strolling is the original technique and is focused on shallow water, a great technique for targeting finicky fish in the shallows. The first aspect of hover strolling is the sink action; if set up correctly, your plastic will slowly helicopter down in a spiral as it sinks, an action that fish find highly appealing as it imitates the natural dying sink action of a real baitfish. You then work the rod tip with short, fast shaking movements and this rod action gets the plastic strolling like the fish is on its last attempt to swim before it finally dies.
On smaller baits, correct set-up is crucial or you will not get that side-to-side strolling action. One of the original and globally most popular hover strolling plastics is the Raid Fish Roller. This is the first strolling lure I ever saw; I was given a packet at AFTA 2024 and when I came home, I could see there was a lot that was different about it, most notably the fact it had a sealed air bubble within the plastic. I had no idea at the time what hover strolling was, but I knew there was something a bit special about these lures. After I learned a little about hover strolling (about a year later) I dug through my plastics to find the Fish Rollers, tied on a light jighead and could not get it to stroll the way I had seen in some videos. That’s when I went down the strolling rabbit hole and I realised there was some specific terminal tackle required to get this technique right. I watched almost every video Raid had posted on its YouTube channel and painstakingly made screenshots of the Japanese subtitles to translate in ChatGPT.
I learned that Ryugi (which many anglers will be familiar with) makes all the best strolling terminal tackle – and none of it was available in Australia. So, I went online and bought a heap of this terminal tackle from various Japanese sites and called all the Australian distributors to ask if they had any plans to bring it in. Viva Fishing is the distributor of Ryugi and will be bringing in two key products to the strolling equation. The first for when it comes to hover strolling is the Ryugi Hover Shot. A weightless jig hook with a very finesse and effective keeper and a tow point (the circle bit you tie your line to) that runs left to right as opposed to inline with the hook point like you’d see on the average jighead. The tow point running this way stops the line from sliding down the front of the tow point and keeps it up high, which helps the strolling action. You then use finesse nail weights (about .06g[IG1] ), which adds a low centre of gravity to the plastic, and this is what helps you achieve the desired action. The Raid Fish Roller has been designed for this set-up. It has a special place in it for the nail weight and is designed (like many strolling baits) to be dorsal rigged or back skin-rigged. You don’t rig it like a normal plastic, where you just put the hook point straight through the centre of the head; you pin it through the back of the plastic, so the shank of the hook sits as high up as possible. In the case of the Fish Roller, this prevents you popping the air sack, keeping it buoyant and gives you that low centre of gravity that allows it to stroll side to side on its axis. This is the correct rigging method for all hover strolling plastics. Once I had the light nail weights and the right hook with the Hover Shot, it didn’t take long to get that strolling action happening.
The other hover strolling hook that is well revered is the Decoy Micro Jig 12F. I couldn’t get my hands on any, but I spoke with Josh Lowry, the owner of Bluefish Imports who is the agent for Decoy Australia and he plans to bring them in.
Regarding the finesse nail weights, these should be in the country or well on their way by the time you’re reading this. Ryugi, Decoy and Reins will be bringing them to Australia, so speak to your tackle store about getting them in for you.
Mid & Bottom Strolling
I really did feel quite alone in everything I was learning until I was given the number of an Australian competition bass angler named Mark Reinbott. Talking with Mark was akin to being stuck in a foreign country for a few months where you can’t speak the language and then meeting an Australian. Mark is a self-confessed tackle tragic (like me), a keen and competent barra and bass angler, and he was all over it. He had been down the strolling rabbit hole and had bought all the same products I had from Japan trying to get it right. He confirmed most of what I had learned, and he was equally happy to speak with someone else who understood what it was all about. As he had more practical on-water experience than I did, he was able to provide some great info. Mark fishes in deep impoundments chasing bass where he largely uses the Raid Fish Roller in what would be considered mid strolling or bottom strolling, which is essentially the same as hover strolling with weighted jig heads so you’re fishing the midwater column or ‘bottom’. He’s been targeting bass for over 30 years, and he couldn’t believe how effective this technique is. He’s catching fish that are sulking on the bottom and would never have touched other presentations. He also says that for bass it’s essential to get that side-to-side strolling action, but for barra it’s not as important – just the erratic darting of the lure in their face is enough. However, I believe without the correct terminal tackle few anglers are presenting stroll baits correctly and we’re yet to see it reach its full potential.
Strolling Jig Heads
I explained to Mark I was struggling to get some of the plastics I had to stroll, and he confirmed the jigheads made a huge difference. I had already placed my order for a range of jigheads from Japan and Mark confirmed I had ordered the correct products.
I ordered three brands of strolling jigheads – the Ryugi Vespa, the Owner Cultiva Range Roller and the Gamakatsu Horizon Head. Through all my research these were the ones that kept coming up with proficient strollers, along with an American brand called Queenie that I just couldn’t find. Even finding this gear online from overseas wasn’t easy as it’s sold out at most websites due to its popularity.
The Ryugi Vespa is a finesse jig head that comes in two hook sizes of 2 and 3 with weights ranging from 1/48oz (0.6g) to a maximum of 3/32oz (2.7g). These are perfect for the smaller three to four-inch baits you’d use for bream, bass, estuary perch and similar-sized species. The Vespa proved a game-changer, featuring the same hook configuration and finesse keeper as the Hover Shot and fitted with a tungsten round head. They really did make a difference on the smaller plastics and got that awesome strolling action quite easily. These aren’t currently available in Australia, but Viva Tackle is bringing them in, and they will be available soon. In my testing these jigheads proved invaluable for the more finesse baits, and standard heads from the likes of TT and Bait Junkie didn’t provide anywhere near the same action.
I also ordered the Owner Cultiva Range Roller in various sizes. These are a purpose-built strolling jig head with a unique design, featuring a ball head with a tall tow point and a lead fin that comes up to the base of the tow point. The hook shank runs out of the ball weight as low down as it can, rather than centrally, and this all helps create an easy and well-pronounced strolling action. These come in a larger range of hook sizes and weights for larger plastics and are excellent – they really do get the plastics to stroll better. Michael Moore, the Victorian representative for Pure Fishing, the Australian distributors for Owner, explained they would probably not bring these into Australia as they don’t want them to conflict with their range of Berkley jigheads, which is unfortunate as this is a great product.
The other jighead I ordered after reading great things about it was the Gamakatsu Horizon Head. It’s probably the most popular jig head in America and proved to be excellent, especially in its larger sizes for the larger plastics such as the 6in Reins Swamp Shad and the Deps Sakamata Shad. There wasn’t anything noticeably different about the Horizon from a standard ball head, aside from a nice wide gape hook that was coated and a substantial keeper. It had me wondering if a standard ball jig head would work the same, but I couldn’t find any. However, I do believe there is something more to the Horizon. I spoke with Gerry Morsman, the Victorian representative for Frogleys Offshore, who distribute Gamakatsu, to see if they had any plans to bring it into the country, but there are currently no plans to bring it in.
I called Tackle Tactics, spoke with Justin Wilhelm (their product development manager) to see if they were planning on producing strolling jigheads. They are aware of the growing trend and have looked at it but had no definitive plans yet.
Daiwa have no plans in the near future to produce anything in Bait Junkie and Wilson, who have the current hottest plastic in the strolling world with the Raid Fish Roller, have played around with the idea but at this stage are not sure if they will proceed.
So, as it stands, we have finesse jigheads for strolling when the Ryugi Vespa arrives, and this is great news as these are truly awesome, but at this stage, nothing in the larger hook sizes and heavier weights. The correct terminal tackle is proving to be an issue and unless Pure Fishing bring in the Range Roller or Frogleys bring in the Horizon, Aussie anglers will be sending their dollars to Japan.
Is This All Just Hype?
It’s a fair question, and one that even those already successfully selling strolling product are asking themselves. I’ve been fishing a long time and I’ve been heavily involved in the world of tackle for 13 years. Hooked Up has brought a lot of new techniques to light from other countries with articles like this and there are some we have let just go by and fade away. In my opinion, strolling is here to stay and by next AFTA in 2026, I think we’ll see strolling gear dominate the show. I believe this for a few reasons: it fits in with live sonar very well, but it’s not necessary to have live sonar to do it. The gear is cool and so many companies are producing strolling gear. It’s big in Japan and the US, where it’s holding up as a proven technique. It works on many species and the proven list of species it’s going to work on I believe will grow. Most importantly, at some point during every day, every week and every month, fish go into a shutdown mode, and this is a very refined technique that gets them to strike. Do I want to spend a whole day shaking a plastic? Hell no! Will I do it when it’s necessary and they won’t take a crankbait, jerkbait, paddle tail, big bait, crab, bent minnow or any other number of lures and techniques that fill my boxes? Yes, I will, and I think most anglers would feel the same. It’s ticking a box and filling a hole in an angler’s arsenal of baits and techniques that we didn’t previously have. Will they get sick of seeing these baits and this action? Maybe, but it will take years before they do. I think it’s here to stay. So, get strolling now or come late to the party.
Live Sonar and Strolling
There is a misconception that strolling and live sonar are mutually exclusive, but this isn’t true. You do not need live sonar in any form to effectively use this technique. While the impoundment barra anglers are generally using them together, it’s a technique you can use on any fish that are schooling, shut down and sulking, or even if they’re actively feeding.
While live sonar has had a dramatic effect on the popularity of stroll baiting, you don’t need it to effectively stroll bait. The reason this technique goes together so well with live sonar, (especially in forward-facing mode) is the ability to constantly track where the fish are and where your lure is and to stroll it in the fish’s face. Anglers started employing more techniques where they could easily track and keep the lure in the fish’s face and stroll baiting is the perfect technique for this. However, you can just as easily find a school of fish on 2D sonar, spot-lock on them and stroll bait at the depth they’re at. You can also just drift over likely ground such as flats or reef and use this technique. So don’t feel that because you don’t have live sonar, you can’t stroll bait – they’re not mutually exclusive techniques.
