kings here come the -...

Here come the

kings

It’s been almost five years since kingfish traps

were banned in NSW waters, and according to

Sydney angler, DAN TROTTER, the yellow tailed

tackle-busters are on the comeback.

Modern Fishing - Jan ‘02 (Batch 1) - 6666(1)CPJ11.020 / 4248

mf jan02 p70-76 kingfishresent_ 15/11/01 9:35 PM Page 70

“Here come the kings”,Dan shouted, as a packof rat kingfish turnedthe dark green wateramongst the moorings

into a frothing melee of baitfish, olive-silvery bodies and thrashing yellow tails.

“Cast, cast — caaast”, my two fishingmates yelled in unison, as I stood aghast atthe scene unfolding before my eyes.Twenty minutes later, the three of us hadcaught and released four yellowtailkingfish to seven pounds, broken the tip offan eight-weight fly rod and gone hoarse,yelling with excitement. Not badconsidering it had been three monthssince my last fishing outing!

Yellowtail Kingfish are a premiersportfish, regarded by anglers as one thehardest fighting fish around. Indeed, for as

long as most of us can remember,kingfish have been a favourite amongst

anglers, the world over.Growing up in Sydney during the mid-

eighties, yellowtail kingfish were relativelyhard to come by, but by the time 1990 rolledaround, kingfish numbers were a mereshadow of what they once were. Just whenSydney anglers thought the humble kingiewas destined to become another statistic ofa poorly managed fishery, a drastic step wastaken. In March 1996, NSW Fisheries placeda ban on the devastatingly-effective, pelagicfish traps.

In the five years since the banning ofkingfish traps, observations would indicatethat numbers of both, juvenile and maturefish, are on the rise. Certainly, last seasonproduced one of the hottest kingfish runsSydneysiders have seen for many years. Thisarticle looks at the tactics and techniquesyou’ll need to know about if you’re hopingto mix it with Sydney’s saltwater thugs, thissummer and autumn.

Here come the kings! A late afternoon sessionproduced the goods for the author. This fish was a personal best for the season.



bgiabliHufrwthst

tobfise

anrekrem

TWsialw

culibh

ththcubbaatimethd

SPRING ARRIVALSIn Sydney, early spring heralds the arrivalof juvenile kingfish in the estuaries. Overthe last three years, these early season ratshave been finicky and difficult to catch,simply because they have been feeding onincredibly small baitfish (5-20mm).Fortunately, a steady increase in watertemperature over the summer months,generally results in an influx of largerbaitfish. As a result, the kingfish are lessfixated on one size and will respond to awider range of flies, baits and lures.Conversely, as the water temperatures fall,and baitfish numbers dwindle, kingfishbecome less picky about the next meal,and will respond well to berley and a widervariety of baits and artificials.

Estuarine-dwelling kingfish tend to bequite small, typically weighing in between1-4kg. These juvenile kingies pull

incredibly hard for their size, and providetremendous fun when pursued on fly, lightspin or baitcasting tackle.

Towards the end of summer, it’s notuncommon for larger kings (6-7kg) tomove into the estuaries from the inshorereefs, gorging themselves on the autumnfeast of cephalopods. Occasionally, largerkings — in the 15 kg hoodlum category —are hooked, but are rarely landed byanglers using light tackle.

BIG KINGSLarge kingfish evoke a different kind ofexcitement, compared to estuary rats —something I found out for myself inFebruary, 2001, whilst fishing with friend,and fellow fishing nut, Nick Clarke.Cruising slowly over one of Sydney’sinshore reefs, we located a packed read outon the sounder, dropped the pick and

turned to fishing.“Hold on to your hats chaps,” Clarkey

piped, as the first live squid descended intothe depths. Quickly and carefully baiting atwin hook rig with a fresh squid head (gutsattached), I raced Clarkey’s slowlydescending live bait to the bottom

Less than a minute later, and Nick’s livesquid was pulsing strongly in the current. Ifollowed his lead, and lifted the bait acouple of metres off the reefy bottom, andwound up the slack to set the bait. Witheverything ready to go, I set about clearingthe deck, only to have Clarkey calmly, butfirmly, point out that I was on. I turned justin time to see the short stroker double over,followed moments later, by the torturedscream of the 30/50 Beastmaster dumpingline. Reaching the rod and slipping thedrag up to strike, did little to halt theunseen assailants powerful run to the

72 Modern Fishing


The author with a “Wedding Cake Rat”taken deep dredging with a fast sinkingshooting head and a ‘kingfish seducer’.



bottom. While Nick struggled to slip thegimble belt around my waist, I was barelyable to hold onto the rod, let alone retrieveline. As fast as it started, it was all over.Heart racing and limbs shaking, I woundup the slack mono; disappointment as farfrom my mind as the responsibilities ofwork and life. Instead, I was more fired-upthan ever, the thrill of hooking a hoodlumstill pulsing through my veins.

That day, we fished on to catch five kingsto 7.5kgs, and although we missed thebiggest fish of the day, I had experiencedfirst hand, the thrill of getting reefed by aserious hoodlum.

Since then, we have returned to that reef,and a few others in the same area, andregularly landed fish up to 8kg. The largestkingie we’ve managed to prevent fromreaching the reefy terrain, has been amagestic fish, just over 10kg.

TACKLE AND TECHNIQUES When targeting kings, it is wise to besingle-minded about the approach. Ensureall tackle is prepared the night before, thatway you can concentrate on catching bait.

From experience, fresh/live squid andcuttlefish make the best kingie baits, whilelivebaits such as slimey mackerel, smallbonito, frigate mackerel and pike are alsohighly effective

Typically, the search for bait starts at allthe local cephalopod haunts. As we driftthe reefy, kelp beds in search of squid andcuttlefish, a small handful of bread orberley is slipped into the water. Anybaitfish that turn up make a welcomeaddition to the livebait tank, as well asattract squid. I cannot stress enough, howimportant fresh, live bait is in the kingfishequation; in all honesty, if you don’t havethe right bait, then either persist until youdo, or go home!

Whilst whole live squid tend to producebigger fish, pickers and smaller fish willoften be-head them. For this reason, if oneperson is fishing a live squid, the othershould fish a head or gut bait. Onnumerous occasions, our biggest kingshave fallen for these cut baits.

Ideally, large live squid should be fishedwith a two-hook rig (see Diagram 1). Pin

the first hook securely through the apex ofthe hood, so that the head is down current,thus preventing the squid from drowning.The tag-end hook can then be fished in twoways; either left swinging free under thesquid’s head, which prevents the squidfrom spinning and drowning, or pinnedlightly through the hood directly behindthe eyes — which is ideal if fishing in little,or no current.

Primarily, I use a deep-set runningsinker rig (see Diagram 2), a solid ballbearing swivel, preferably a Sampo, and 1-1.5 m of leader, typically Jinkai, rangingfrom 60lb –200lb.

The amount of lead required depends on

eytoa

tsly

ve. Ia

ndthngutst

er,ednghehehe

Modern Fishing 73

Diagram 1: Live Squid RigA - 15 - 24kg main line.B - sinker to suit current.C - Sampo ball bearing swivel.D - 36 - 80kg Jinkai leader.E - 6/0 - 10/0 Gamakatsu live bait hooks -spaced to suit bait size.

Over a kilo of prime estuarine cephalopod. For big specimens likethis fellow, a fine meshed landing net is the way to go,minimising losses and live bait damage.

A healthy live squid — rigged and ready to rumble.

Once the prime baits have been used,baits of fresh squid strips willproduce kings to good size.


76fofiwthhfo

oTstHhfiadbshisfrsq


74 Modern Fishing

Diagram 2: Live and Large Bait RigA - 15 - 24kg main line.B - sinker to suit current.C - Sampo ball bearing swivel.D - 36 - 80kg Jinkai leader.E - Gamakatsu Big Bait or Live Bait in 6/0 -10/0 depending on bait size.

Our first solid kingie for the season. Nick Clarke fooledthis 7.5 kg fish with a 16cm live squid fished on a deepset hand line.

the current. If the bait is suspendedstraight down, then you are probably usingtoo much. Whilst, if the line angle is greaterthan 55 degrees from the vertical, then youare probably using too little. Essentially,the aim is to suspend the bait a couple ofmetres off the bottom, slightly off vertical.It is important that enough lead is used tohold the bait at this position. Too little, andthe bait will rise through the water columndue to the water pressure created by thecurrent on the rig. During a session, it maybe necessary to change sinker sizes a

number of times as the current fluctuates.For hooks, I prefer either, chemically

sharpened Gamakatsu Live Bait or BigBaits, in sizes from 6/0 –10/0 , or forged7699 Mustads in sizes 5/0 –9/0. If using theforged Mustads, then the points must befiled razor sharp. Covering the filed areawith permanent black marker willdecrease the rate at which oxidisationoccurs, helping the hook stay sharper for longer.

A strong current can play havoc withoffset hooks and poorly rigged baits.

There’s no doubt that an offset hook fishedstationary in a strong current, will spin.Hence, it’s wise to fish straight-shankedhooks in these situations. Even whenfishing in minimal current, it is stilladvisable to use straight hooks on all livebaits, to minimise spinning. Offset hooksshould be used on all cut baits when thereis little or no current. The Big Bait seriesfrom Gamakatsu are great for fishing freshsquid head, and gut baits. 6/0 to 9/0’s workwell, as does the twin hook rig when usinglarger dead baits.

DABC


MF_145050_p90_IBM3_S7 16/8/01 3:25 pm Page 1

In conjunction with deep-set baits, we’llalso fish a floater to cover mid and surfacewater options. To fish a floater, either run asmall sinker straight to the hook, or to aquality ball bearing swivel, followed byyour leader, then hook (see Diagram 3).

LOCATIONSOnce you have the bait and tackleorganised, it is time to identify the rightterrain. Research and experience hasshown that structure is the key to a primekingie haunt, and the larger and harder itis the better. Reefs that rise substantiallyfrom the surrounding area with a largeplateau, or even just a small peak,consistently attract and hold kingfish.Late afternoon sessions on the inshorereefs seem to fire particularly welltowards autumn. To locate the holdingfish, use your sounder, or simply driftover the reef with baits. whilst a soundermakes the job easy, success can be hadwithout one. Then it’s simply a matter ofgetting a good position with your anchor,and deploying your baits as quickly as possible!

Deep baits are generally fished withthe drag set just below the strikeposition, although for big live squid andbonito, I back the drag off slightly. Thisallows the kingie to move away with thebait and swallow it, rather than having ittorn from the hooks. By fishing the reelclose to the strike setting whenpresenting standard-sized baits, the fishare consistently hooked in the mouth —as opposed to gut hooked. This isbeneficial for a number of reasons;firstly, the fish pull harder and fight moreaggressively, and secondly, the hooksgenerally come out quite easily, allowingfish to be released in good condition.When it comes to landing fish, we tend

not to use a gaff, preferring instead touse an oversized net.

This season, as the warm waters of theEast-Australian current lap up against yourfavourite stretch of coast, put in the effort;

catch the right baits and head for hoodlumterrain. The kings are on a comeback, andwhen your ears are ringing with that sweet,sound of a knee buckling run, hold on andbe ready to rumble! ■

76 Modern Fishing


Diagram 3: Midwater Small Bait RigA - 15 - 24kg main line.B - sinker to suit current.C - Gamakatsu Big Bait or Live Bait in 6/0 -10/0 depending on bait size.

THE KINGFISH STORY TO DATE

During the mid-eighties, the introduction of pelagic fish traps (in conjunction with

increased effort in other sectors of the kingfish fishery) saw commercial kingfish

catches rise from 200-300 tones to 500-600 tonnes per year. In 1990, NSW

Fisheries responded to angler concerns of declining kingfish numbers by implementing

a minimum legal length of 60 cm. Strangely, this size limit was introduced despite the

fact that little was known about kingfish reproduction, particularly at what size kingfish

become sexually mature.

Recognising this fact, in 1995 a handful of dedicated fisheries biologists; Dr Bronwyn

Gillanders, Doug Ferrell and Neil Andrew, undertook a study to determine "Size at

maturity and seasonal changes in gonad activity of yellowtail kingfish". Sounds

complicated, but essentially, the study found that the size at which 50% of (sampled)

female kingfish became sexually mature, was 83.4 cm — and this is a fork length

measurement, not a total length. Given the current size limit of 60 cm, these results

indicate that many kingfish are harvested before their first spawning season.

Perhaps acknowledging the large number of sexually immature kingfish taken in

pelagic fish traps, NSW Fisheries banned their use in March of 1996.

The study also found that, both male and female kingfish sampled during the study,

displayed peak gonad activity in December — indicating a summer spawning period.

In light of these findings it goes without saying that anglers should take extra care

when handling large fish, particularly during the summer months, and release all kings

under the minimum legal length.

mf jan02 p70-76 kingfishresent_ 22/11/01 2:58 PM 6

kings here come the -...

Documents