Jaypeegee, There is a method you can use that works really well, I have used to use this in the Bay of Plenty and had an article published about the method in a fishing magazine.

Go to your local shop that sells material and all the accessories for sewing and dress making. The shop will sell a material that is used in manufacture, when the garment is made you wash it, and this material melts in water.

The idea would be to wrap the bait and secure it with a float to your main line a metre (or so) above the weight. The bottom of the trace is a sliding device as mentioned earlier. You now have the ability to cast a long way using something similar to a clipped up rig, but once the gear hits the water, the material dissolves and the bait and float, along with the slider, will rise to the surface.

Once you see how this material works, you will quickly discover a method that is easy for you to use. This material is not expensive and works perfectly, and here I write from personal experience.

Good luck.