Kingfish Capers - Part 3

You gotta' have bling

Kingfish Capers

Assist hooks are great for vertical jigging; the fish suck them in when striking the lure.

Pre-tie traces and go for accuracy of knots (in this case an Albright is used to connect braid with the leader) and presentation.

Lure fishing for inshore kingies is accessible to all anglers

Quality rods and reels are a must when using heavy drags and braid

A pimped out trolling minnow; notice the straight hook and dual split-ring so the lure swims properly.

Customise jigs with large singles and heavy-duty split-rings when casting and retrieving

Left to right: Trolling minnows swim at different depths depending on the size and angle of the bib; Sometimes it pays to think small to get a strike; don’t always use big poppers; Larger shad-type soft-plastics catch their share of kingfish. Use an erratic action to get the fish interested and striking.

« Previous« PreviousNext »Next »

Kingfish Capers

Relevant offers

Fishing

The taming of 'Troutzilla' Blokes & their Boats - February 2012 The ITM Fishing Show - February 2012 'Ten marlin in one day' reunion Guide to Auckland boat ramps February Issue on Sale Now January issue on sale now Blokes & Their Boats - December 2011 The ITM Fishing Show Blokes & their Boats - November 2011

I believe inshore lure fishing for yellowtail kingfish provides the best sport fishing available in New Zealand, for many reasons.

Firstly, kingies are great fighters that will always challenge an angler with dirty fighting tactics, typically heading for the nearest structure to try and bust you off.
Secondly, they are available to all inshore anglers, both from the land and boat (including kayaks), making them the sportfish any angler can target.

The biggest attraction to me though is that while kingfish will take lures like frenzied kahawai at times, they may also simply follow the lures or show total disregard for anything chucked at them. Such challenges can leave anglers questioning the merit of the lures being used and their angling abilities, but I enjoy working out which triggers are needed to get results. After all, there are so many different lure options and techniques available that it’s usually possible to turn complete indifference into smashing strikes and burnt thumbs.

The biggest part of any fishing mission is finding the fish, and this is particularly true when targeting kingfish with lures. Fortunately, in this day and age, the advanced marine technology electronics available (even to small boats) mean the guessing game is greatly reduced, making it easier to find and fish for them in a likely area. However, you will need the basic environmental requirements first, so look for structure (both natural and manmade), current and food. Then get more specific by taking note of particular environmental elements, such as: the side of the structure producing the most disturbed water; the direction the current is flowing; and/or where the baitfish are holding.

Land-based anglers should look for exactly the same elements, and fortunately many wharves provide them, so no wonder they get regularly visited by our yellow-tailed friends. However, harbour entrances and river mouths are also good spots to look for kingfish. And while they can show up at any time throughout the year, especially in more northern waters, the warmer months are definitely the time to target them in the inshore waters, as they do move further offshore over winter.

Having decided on where to fish for your kingfish, the next choice is which lure(s) to use. While much of this is determined by the lure method adopted (i.e. trolling, jigging or casting), the real trick is knowing when to use a specific type, weight, size, colour or brand of lure. This may mean split-second changes in lure choice, based on what the fish are doing at the time.

Some common scenarios that require different lure types and techniques include: If the kingies are busting the surface over a large area of open water chasing baitfish, a pattern of bibbed trolling minnows can be very effective. Bibbed minnows are best trolled at around 5-8 knots, providing the mobility required to chase the action wherever it erupts. I normally set two lures: a 14cm deep diver and a 19cm lure that runs a little shallower; these are set about 20-40 metres behind the boat, with the reels set in strike.
Another scenario is when kingfish are chasing and smashing into large mullet in the shallows; a large chugger-type popper worked through the action would be a great choice. But if the kingies are chasing piper, casting a smaller, slimmer pencil popper is more likely to work.

Many times kingfish are present in an area but not feeding on the surface. When a situation like this arises, a metal jig worked through where the fish are showing on the fish-finder is likely to invoke a strike. Again, lure size can play a big part in achieving this. While the current trend when jigging offshore is to use really big jigs in the 200–500g range, in the shallower inshore water you will often find that 60-150g jigs get just as many strikes (although a good number may be ‘rats’).

High-speed spinning with jigs also works really well on kingfish, with the faster-action lures definitely getting better responses. This technique involves casting a 60-100g jig, letting it sink for a few seconds, and then retrieving as fast as you can until it is skipping on the surface.
When using this technique, I recommend using a single hook on the rear of the lure rather than an assist-style set up.

Soft-plastics and slow-jigs also have their place in the kingfish lure arsenal, with the larger shads and curly tails seeming to be particularly effective when fished in an erratic motion.
If using soft-plastics, make sure you use jig heads and hooks capable of handling large kingfish; some worm-style hooks and the cheaper lead-head jigs are just not up to the job.

With much of our tackle today becoming highly specialised for certain techniques, it is possible to pick two versatile outfits that handle most methods. But if concentrating on one technique, get a specialist rig. A two-metre-long casting rig capable of fishing 10kg braid, with a high quality reel, would suit spin casting, soft-plastics and light popper work. As for the big work, a high-speed overhead reel suited for 24kg braid, on a rod in the 1.6-metre range, would suit most trolling applications and deep jigging. To make a point, if specialising in popper fishing, invest in two popper rods with different capabilities, but make sure one consists of a 2-3m rod capable of casting big wind-resistant poopers, teamed with a large, high quality fixed-spool reel loaded with 37kg braid. I have stressed ‘high quality’ because if you use lesser quality reels with the heavy braid lines and large fish, the drag system and gearing will not cope with the stress and let you down.

Success in lure fishing for kingies comes down to some key points. Importantly, always have your gear ready. This means leaders should be tied and rigged before you start fishing, while drags should be set and the lures attached. The leader set-up I use is fairly simple, but seems to work well. For medium-weight rods and kingfish I use two metres of 20-37kg fluorocarbon tied to the braid using a back-to-back Uni knot join. For heavier jigs and large poppers, I increase the trace weight to 50kg and use an Improved Albright knot to join the braid and trace.

The biggest tip I can give regarding lure fishing for kingfish concerns accuracy: accurate preparation of lures traces and tackle; accurate choice of technique for the current fishing scenario; and the ability to accurately have your lure where the fish are feeding at exactly the right time.

When inshore lure fishing for kingfish, you will encounter school or rat kingies in abundance at times. These fish are extremely sporty and put up a good account of themselves, but remember the legal size for kingfish is 75cm, which is a pretty decent fish. So be sure to quickly release any that are undersize or surplus to requirements (kingfish are not that great to eat after freezing). The best way to do this is to net fish with a large, strong landing net. Support the fish in the net, and definitely do not put the fish on the hot, dry deck. Remove hooks quickly with a pair of pliers, and put the kingfish straight back in the water.

- © Fairfax NZ News