10 minute read
Chasing Kingfish — Nathan Huizing
Chasing the king - Tasmanian yellowtail kingfish
Towards the end of each year the water surrounding Tasmania’s coast line begins to heat up as the warmer waters of the East Australian Current (EAC) reach our state. This is an event that many anglers around the state look forward to and for good reason. As things heat up it gives anglers a chance to give species like trout and bream a rest and focus on some of the more sort after seasonal visitors. The mighty yellowtail kingfish is one species that has found its way onto the bucket list for many anglers not only in Tasmania but around the world due to its ability to test even the best of fishermen both physically and mentally! Here in Tasmania, the kingfish has earned a reputation for being quite elusive. In this article I’ll share some tips and tricks that will hopefully help you in the same way they’ve helped me in catching these fish along the East and South East coast of Tassie over the last few years
Locating Kingfish
The first piece of the puzzle is knowing where kingfish are likely to be and when they’re going to be there. Starting with water temperature - Kingfish are most comfortable in water temperatures of around 18-22 degrees, however they can tolerate temperatures as low as 13-14 degrees before they need to seek warmer water. Due to this, kingfish will usually start showing up in late November with the arrival of the EAC and will generally hang around until the end of May when they will begin their journey back up the coast following the warmer waters. When the kingfish arrive in East and South East Tasmania they can pop up just about anywhere but they tend to favour the more sheltered and shallower bays where water temperatures tend to be a couple of degrees warmer. From North East to South East; Georges Bay, Coles Bay, Spring Bay, Norfolk Bay, Derwent River and North West Bay are some of the more popular areas amongst anglers in which the kingfish take up residency for the warmer months. Some of these bays are quite large but there are some key things to look for in your approach to help narrow down the search. Despite being a pelagic that is known to occasionally cruise open water, just like most fish, kings are drawn to structure. Whether it be moorings, wharfs, shellfish leases, salmon leases, reef or rocky outcrops - Using Google Earth and your sounder to locate and the inspect these things can really pay off. However it is important that you don’t just rely on technology. When out on the water, stay on constant lookout for things such as hovering/diving birds, nervous bait rippling the surface, bust ups or even just subtle bow waves which can all be the sign of a kingfish’s presence!
A nice fish taken on half a squid head.
Chasing kingfish at certain times of the day is also something worth paying attention to. While kings can be caught at any random time throughout the day, first light and last light have definitely been the most productive times to be on the water for me. Late afternoon in particular can be a good time for finding active fish as the surface temperature will often rise an extra degree or two throughout the day after a bit of sun. Tides can also be worth studying, particularly in areas that are more influenced by stronger currents such as the channels of Georges Bay and various rocky headlands located around Coles Bay, the Derwent and Norfolk Bay.. When the tide begins to move, kings can often be found lurking on channel markers or in close to rocky ledges waiting to pick off any prey items that might swim past.
Gearing Up
Kings are well known for their ability to have a decent scrap and will quickly exploit any fault they may find in your gear so it’s important that everything is up to scratch!
Majority of the fish you’re likely to come across in these parts of the state are widely referred to as ‘rats’ which is basically a name for kingfish of a smaller size class, typically under 75cm, so you don’t need ridiculously heavy gear. Lighter gear of decent quality will hold up just fine on these fish and can be great fun to use. The outfit I use most often consists of a 3000 size reel (4000 is good too) spooled up with 7-10kg braid and matched with a 3-6kg or 4-8kg rod around 2.2metres long. When choosing a leader size I often go with 15kg. Although it can pay to beef your leader up to 20-30kg when fishing around structure such as wharfs as kingfish are known to fight dirty. Kingfish can also be a bit wary at times as well, this is when you may have go the opposite way and down size leaders to 7-10kg to help get the bite.
Bigger kingfish tend to be a little bit more elusive in these parts of the state however you certainly can’t rule them out. The gear I’ve already mentioned is capable of landing these larger fish with a bit of skilful angling and a bit of luck on your side although if you’re being serious about it, I would recommend the use of heavier gear. Something like a 6000 or 8000 size reel and 2427kg braid matched with a 10-20kg rod around 2.4 metres in length would be ideal.
Lures & Baits
You’ve probably seen videos of kingfish being super aggressive and crash tackling big stickbaits at high speeds - and they will certainly do this at times. However, kings can be extremely temperamental and fussy fish and because of this I always take a variety of offerings. Kings also have a tendency to only hang around the boat for a short period of time once you find them so it also pays to have multiple rods rigged with a selection of offerings so you don’t need to waste time tying something on if they don’t respond well to your first presentation.
Soft Plastics - Jerkshad style soft plastics in 4, 5 & 7 inch sizes are great options when searching for kingfish. Rigged on a 3/8 or 1/2 ounce jighead they can be effective for searching the water columns. I often use these when fishing around moorings, shallow reefs or rocky headlands. Casting in close to the structure and allowing the plastic to sink to the bottom before ripping it up through the water columns with a fast wind and spasmodic twitches of the rod tip has accounted for a good number of the kings I have caught. There are some great jerkshads to choose from in the ZMan and Daiwa Bait Junkie ranges.
Stickbaits - Both sinking and floating stickbaits work well particularly in sizes up around 125mm long. Stickbaits give off a great silhouette that perfectly mimics the smaller fish that kings often predate on such as mackerel and garfish. These lures are also great for searching water quickly as they’re built to cast a long way and can be fished effectively on a fast retrieve. When fishing with a stickbait I like to make long casts across likely looking areas and retrieve them with either a fast wind and lots of little twitches or long slow sweeps of the rod tip with short pauses while winding the slack in between sweeps. Stickbaits are a great option if you’re fishing land based off rocky headlands or if you’re trying to sneak up on a bust up or bow waving fish without spooking them from a distance.
Poppers - There have been a number of trips where poppers have really saved the day for me. These things really have the ability to stir things up on what would otherwise be a quiet day. The loud and obnoxious commotion these lures create can often provoke a kingfish into biting when nothing else will. Poppers have been most effective for me when fished around surface structures such as moored boats, shellfish leases and salmon leases. I like to make a long cast parallel with the structure and retrieve the lure with short downward jabs of the rod tip while winding at a medium pace. The occasional short pause can also trigger a bite. Another thing worth noting with poppers is even the smaller poppers can create big commotion
A couple of kings from a crazy session under the Hazards in Coles Bay.
and I’ve found poppers around 95mm long such as the Nomad Chug Norris to be the perfect bite size snack for a kingfish whilst still causing a ruckus on the surface!
Baits - While lure fishing is definitely the more exciting way to catch kingfish sometimes they just aren’t interested. This is why it can pay off to collect some fresh baits on the day of or the day before your trip. My favourite bait without a doubt is squid and the most effective way I’ve found for fishing it is by using the head of the squid. Personally, I like to cut the squid head in half length ways. For the rig all you need is a 4/0 bait hook tied straight to the leader and maybe a small running sinker depending on depth. Take the 4/0 and pin it through the back end of the head just behind the eye just once. Lightly weighted the squid head should sink slowly with the tentacles trailing. This can either be fished by pitching it at likely structure and allowing it to sink for a while before retrieving it with a slow and steady wind or just leaving it hanging out the back of the boat allowing it to sink just out of sight. If a king grabs it, it is important that you free spool your reel quickly and give them a chance to eat it for a couple of seconds before setting the hook.
Livebaits - I’ve experimented with livebaits a number of times and I’ve never had a kingfish actually eat one but thats not to say they don’t work, because they do. Due to most of the kings being relatively small, it’s important that your livebaits aren’t too big as well. Slimey Mackerel, calamari, cocky salmon and yakkas are all great choices. For the smaller fish baits you can get away with just a single 4/0 through the nose. For slight larger fish baits and calamari I’d suggest two snelled 4/0 hooks - one pinned just behind the head and the other towards the tail end. It’s important you don’t pin the hooks too deep through the livies as this will quickly turn them into not livies. Try to pin the hooks just under the surface of the skin if you can. The bonus to using a livebait is that they will often attract kingfish to the boat even if the kings don’t eat them. This has happened to me a number of times and quickly switchbaiting them A range of the author’s favourite lures.
with a bit of squid or a soft plastic will often result in a hook up!
Overall, keep mixing it up with your lures and baits until you find what works on the day and if you find kingfish, pay close attention to their behaviour and how they’re reacting to your offerings. If they don’t seem overly interested within the first couple of casts, switch to something else before they disappear! Nathan Huizing
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