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_ WITH MATHEW HEWETSON

Slow jigs work on kings especially when fished in work-ups where this fish took a 120gm OK Fish jig.

Mechanical jigging requires a synchronised rhythm of half winding and short lifts on the rod to best work the jig. There are plenty videos on YouTube to check out and we also have a great how-to video up on FIGZ Club if you want to sign up to view it. The more you do it the better you will get at it, and I believe it is more rewarding tricking a big fish to take your lure over a live bait. For the jigs, I would suggest any brand from 200-300gm to start out with, the lighter jigs are easier to work for longer and if the current or drift picks up you may need to go up to 300gm or heavier jigs. When the kings are hungry, jigging can be fast and furious, and you and the crew can land a dozen kings in no time. It is a remarkably effective way to fish for kings in deeper water. Gloves are another good idea to help hold the jig or line when boating them providing better grip and protection for the hook with a thrashing fish.

Softbait Surprise

Another lure that might surprise people that kingies love to strike are softbaits. Typically, these are usually employed by anglers for snapper fishing, but kingfish will happily grab them. Their lifelike profile falling through the water obviously fools the fish and we have often hooked up on large kings when softbaiting.

They will take most colours or styles, but I have found the Z-Man Atomic Sunrise to be a top performer on kingfish. When you hook a kingie on a softbait combo, it is heavily favoured in the fish’s odds as you are fishing using lighter braid (12-15lb) and with light fluoro leaders (20lb), which are most popular with snapper anglers. I have gone up to 18-20lb Sunline braid and use heavier 25-30lb leaders if I want to target kingies on softbaits. This gives you a better chance to help land a good fish.

Remember that on lighter softbait combos that you need to be patient, it can take up to half an hour at times to land a king on this tackle but that is the fun of it. Your skipper also needs to be at the ready to start the engine to assist you during the fight, following the fish in shallow water or carefully leading you away from reefs or structure that a kingie can bust off on. Teamwork is key with fighting big fish. Kingfish are street fighters and will exploit any weakness in your tackle, you will bust off a lot but if you keep targeting them, then you will land your fair share. Long live the king!

Fighting kings on lighter softbait combos is a lot of fun and it takes time to land a fish, ensure you use a heavier leader (25-30lb).