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Not long after it wrapped my trace around the wharf piles and busted me off. Please enable JavaScript to use this form. You may have fished a local rock ledge for years, but chances are that if all you have done is cast out dead baits to fish on the bottom, you may never have even seen one. Dan snapped a couple of quick photos, then Greg released his first kingfish! Next the balloon goes under as a kingie engulfs my kahawai head first and powers off. This approach was spelled out to me clearly one afternoon at Rodholders ledge, when I accidentally hooked two kingfish over 6kg on a light spinning set whilst targeting kahawai. Sending out a live bait or throwing poppers in known kingfish habitat is like picking a fight, so make sure you’re ready to finish what you’ve started. After six months studying the New Zealand coastline, my goal of catching a . Prolonged fights can be physically tiring, so gentle encouragement and reinforcing simple things can assist the angler (although some will prefer silence!). We were fishing by 9.00am, and as the low tide was due about 11.30am, conditions were perfect. ... How to catch squid from the rocks. Here is his story. Keen rockhoppers like me tend to forget that a majority of people don’t truly understand the power of the ocean and when to stay clear of the rocks. What I hope to do here is give you a sense of how different kingie fishing is to the other land-based fishing scenarios we practice in New Zealand and how to approach it in a general sense. I recently lost a big kingfish while wharf fishing.
Only then have you unlocked the door to kingfish success. How To Catch: Schooling Kingfish (up to about 15kgs) can be berleyed up to the boat and then either bait cast to them or lures. Always Be Ready – Sourcing and maintaining the best bait for kingfish can be extremely tough, as live bait goes bad quickly, and the kingfish will not be fooled. Change of light, the last hour of the tide can be good times although bite times aren’t usually as long for the bigger kingfish. });
Success – the author with 20 kg of landbased kingfish. 25 Nov 2020. document.getElementById('tzone').value= timezone.name();
… Information should be relayed to the angler quickly and calmly. if (year < 1000){
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They are also important for the next stage. }
You may be fishing a more accessible ledge and can throw lures with a 7 foot or 9 foot rod and be able to get to the water's edge to wash the fish up, grab it or gaff it. To borrow Tana Umaga’s famous expression when describing fishing for kingies from the rocks, “It ain’t tiddlywinks” and that’s probably the most useful thing I can tell you. Casting stick-baits for kingfish from the rocks is one of my favourite ways to fish. var year=mydate.getYear();
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My live-bait set is rated to 24kg (though I often use 37kg line for its extra abrasion resistance) and I also have a spinning set rated at 15-24kg, which is great for throwing poppers and stray-line baits at kings. Paternoster Rig . But seeing is believing, and if you haven’t targeted kingfish before, you too might be surprised at how accessible they are to the land-based angler if you do the right things. The writings of Gary Kemsley and the late Steve Sneddon in the mid-eighties got me excited about chasing kingfish off the rocks. This could eventually kill the fish. }
Don’t be too impatient: kingfish tend to burn themselves out during a fight, so wait until they are up on their side, rather than trying for a lucky shot on a green fish. $('#date_time').datepicker(
My top tips to capturing kingfish. dateFormat:"dd-M-yy",
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Fortunately, with a light northwesterly coming in and the tide going out all morning, I knew a couple of good locations - depending on how much of a mission we were up for. $("#major3").html("
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Kingfish. dataType: "json",
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And, sure enough, this strategy brought some kingfish around within just a few minutes. (He even managed another hook-up but lost it within the first minute of the battle.). e.preventDefault();
Decent shoes are also important as you will often need to run down the beach, rocks or ledge to a bust up that may be over in seconds. The rod cover material is also used for insulating catch bags (also manufactured by Penguin), so it works well protecting the catch from the sun. At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, Spanish mackerel, speckled trout and jack crevalle are a steady catch. I live baited for Kingfish off the rocks for near enough to 20 years. This article is reproduced with express permission of However, there has been a growing trend towards using poppers and stickbaits, particularly for kingfish and Spanish mackerel. Talk about disappointed! $("#date2").html("
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Yamaha has just released what it is calling its most feature-rich v6 outboard ever. When talking about the art of jigging, don’t be afraid to experiment with different speeds, strokes and movements. Sign in. In many areas, livebaiting is the best method to consistently catch our distinguished inshore gamefish. WHAT is Australia's best fishing town or city? My preferred way is to bridle-rig them, as they tend to last longer this way and allow circle hooks to be used (normally Owner Mutus when I can find them).
Some days we have fish on almost every cast. }); All information © 2021 The Fishing Website, Raymarine YachtSense modular digital switching, West Coast Freshwater Fishing Opportunities. Here at the Fishing Tackle Shop, you can find your best lure for kingfish by browsing this special section. The ones we target along the rocks vary in size and catch amounts day to day, some good days we get over 50 fish and normally take home a few keepers. For example, there are a number of good kingfish spots in Northland (including various harbour spots and the famous ‘Rodholders’ ledge in Spirits Bay) with relatively clean sand bottoms. Teamwork and communication are important too. Always Be Ready – Sourcing and maintaining the best bait for kingfish can be extremely tough, as live bait goes bad quickly, and the kingfish will not be fooled. var timezone = jstz.determine();
I got hold of some passable gear and, over time, managed to catch a few. Kingie fishing is a busy, high-octane sport.
Fish the low tide and walk out on the bar. Kingfish plus rock equals snap. Dan grabbed his camera while I went for the gaff. The best months in the Gulf are January, February and March and the amount of kingfish we catch in these months is anywhere between 10 and 30 in one day. Things go wrong faster. So, while I cut up a few more piper and chucked the pieces out, he kept on casting. I was amazed that such a large, regal fish (this one was about 15kg) would cruise within a mile of the rocks. As a rule of thumb, poppers make more commotion while stickbaits offer a more realistic swimming action. I just missed out the on the Kingie jigging fad that swept the boat fishing scene on the east coast throughout the sixties and early seventies. }); All information © 2021 The Fishing Website, Raymarine YachtSense modular digital switching, West Coast Freshwater Fishing Opportunities. Live baits for Kingfish are best and include live squid, yakkas, pike, sweep, garfish and no kingfish can resist a live slimie mackerel! Off the rocks, I use a Shakespeare Ugly Stik Gold, 8-12kg, a 3.6m rod mounted with a 6500 Pflueger Salt threadline spooled with 10 and 15kg Fireline. });
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Learn how they do it. Next 700 Alvey- no drag 40lb Weiss Perlon started catching them regularly but still lost many of the larger ones. Smoking fish is a great way to prepare your catch for the table, and the Kilwell Sawdust Selection Pack helps you do exactly that.
Read more. Historical hot (and sure to be crowded) spots include the Blind Pass Drop, Redington, Indian Rocks, Sand Key and Mandalay hard bottoms. Your leader strength, hook size, etc. If your fishing background is surfcasting (as mine is), rock fishing for kings will represent a big step up for you physically, and there is far less room for error. What does MPI do with confiscated seafood. Off the rocks, I use a Shakespeare Ugly Stik Gold, 8-12kg, a 3.6m rod mounted with a 6500 Pflueger Salt thread line spooled with 10 and 15kg Maxima Mono. Previous Next Spearfishing Kingfish NZ Spearfishing Kingfish NZ. To avoid this frustration, you need to invest in high-quality fishing gear and the best kingfish lures. $("#minor2").html("
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SPINNING the rocks takes a new direction with keen bream anglers now using specialised estuary lure tactics to produce large fish off the stones. Shimano TLD20 or TLD25). 31kg kingfish off the rocks. {
Comments Comments. When targeting kingfish off the rocks you could also suspend your bait under a bobby cork or a party balloon that has only been blown up to half its size. The specs shown in the diagram are what we use when targeting Mulloway in the surf. $("form#caldata").submit();
YouTube December 19, 2019 Share Tweet Save. Kingfish are a schooling and migrating fish that spends the winter months in south Florida then moves north along the Gulf coast and up the Atlantic coast to the Carolinas. $("#date1").html("
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My cool calm evaporates as I stumble under the extra drag pressure and the fish continues to power down. I wandered off to lick my wounds, pondering all the ‘what ifs’ and wishing I could turn back the clock just one minute. Now we all had a kingfish each - I’d never seen top-water action from the rocks like before! Change your routine to induce the bite. Moments later my line parts on the rugged bottom and it’s all over less than a minute after it started. I’m not trying to put you off, far from it: kingies add a new dimension to land-based fishing, turning it into an exhilarating adrenaline sport. Catching kingfish can be a challenge, but it can be easier with the right rod, line, and bait. In many locations (either on the rocks or from wharves) you will be fishing well above the waterline, making a long gaff extremely beneficial, especially as the extra length also offers safety benefits in rough conditions. For example if you cant get down to the water's edge you may need a long and very heavy beach/rock rod and use bait/live bait and may have to swing fish (up to 70-80cm) straight up out of the water with the rod. There is no time for lazing in a deckchair waiting for a bite. ).datepicker("getDate");
Catching piper can sometimes be harder than landing the kingfish, so here are a few tips to help catch these small fish: Use a light 2-3 kg leader with a size 12-14 trout hook. Make sure you can get the knot through the rod guides though. $('#tbodyid').html(''); // Clear #tbodyid div
I was excited because I had only had kahawai takes for quite a while. $("form#caldata").submit();
I especially enjoy the explosive takes, although landing one is always a challenge when land-based. document.getElementById('tzone').value= timezone.name();
Worse, I don’t do well on boats once anchored up, even on the calmest of days, so managed to berley up my breakfast soon after. We arrived nice and early, and although there was some swell, the water was glassy and looked promising. Obviously outgunned, I took a long-term view of these fights and applied steady pressure. Better still, just as a gannet was swooping towards Greg’s stickbait, a kingfish decided to steal it first. Habitat. Fishing for kingfish can be a lot of fun! The good news is, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. The lads had been getting action on faster stick-bait retrieves at closer range, but I managed to hook a reasonable specimen further out on a slower sweep retrieve. It has been written many times before that a kingfish hook-up represents an instant quality-control check on your tackle, with any vulnerability ruthlessly exposed. Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited, Originally published in New Zealand Fishing News. There are numerous ways of hooking up a live bait and plenty of information. New Zealand Fishing News Kingfish. $(document).one("ready",function(){
Grant Dix... more >, The remoteness of the Mainland's West Coast has ensured its rivers and lakes have remained both productive and pristine, offering plenty of ... more >, Mainland angler Dylan Booth shares some of his best memories from fishing his local water – the Taieri River.... more >, Sam Mossman reviews the FC 465 CC, and has no complaints. When my mate Greg from the States told he was finally booking a flight to New Zealand, I knew I was in for a challenge. var daym=mydate.getDate();
$('#loadingmessage').show(); // show the loading message. Plenty of big kingfish are caught in these areas but the truth is, you are liable to catch a giant kingfish anywhere along the coast — … Outcomes like that are sometimes unavoidable, but it pays to make sure you are switched on and light on your feet after hooking up. Kingfish can be caught inshore or offshore. });
Or perhaps the odd one has followed in a kahawai as you reeled it in. If you are targeting kings off the rocks, you should definitely consider going up in leader size or you will be only realistically looking at landing small fish. THE first trickle of warm water moving down the coast heralds the beginning of the land based game season, and species like longtail tuna, Spanish mackerel, kingfish and cobia start to travel down the coast of NSW. Surtees/Yamaha Grand Prize a great lure for 2021 Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show! Landbased fishing for kingfish is one of the great fishing challenges. On each occasion the kingfish sped off over the sand, taking about 100m of line. I normally fish 50lb leader off the rocks , and still get busted up regularly on the bigger kings. I dialled up the drag and was able to stop the fish before it got there, but this brought a very green fish close to the wharf too early in the fight. Live baits must be caught, deployed and managed; poppers must be cast, and teamwork is essential. Fishing with topwater surface lures is the most exciting way to catch kingfish but it can also be challenging. $("#major2").html("
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Most forms and styles of fishing are available in Tauranga. The reason is that little fish hang around structures under water. Hundreds of crayfish lined up neatly alongside fish. I was genuinely stunned when I saw my first kingfish. After getting it in close, with Dan on the camera and Greg on the gaff and measuring, we saw it was about 80cm so decided to keep it. Post navigation. 40/50lb leader. Kingfish (Seriola lalandi lalandi) are New Zealand’s most accessible gamefish, offering size, power and guile to challenge Kiwi anglers fishing from the shore and from boats. Most anglers targeting kingfish off the rocks prefer to use live kahawai. $("#major1").html("
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When Summer hits so do the schools of kings. While I’m an advocate of keeping it simple, access to a freezer full of piper encouraged me to bring along some to cut up and hang in a tethered berley net. Smoker kingfish have inspired big tournaments like the SKA series and smaller meat fish tournaments in the South East United States. kingfish off the rocks; Uncategorized December 5, 2020 0 Comment. Then, upon doing so, it came off, much to Dan’s disappointment. Onion bags or sacks of mashed fish hung on a string or a bucket brew of mashed fish, oil and bread all … Your email address will not be published. However, it’s tournament time, and that means fishing for that one bite from the big boy rather than 20 bites from the youngsters. Be prepared. Next 30 lb mono, still lost a lot but caught a few more. dataString = $("#caldata").serialize();
If fishing amongst rugged foul it may be necessary, but it pays to match your approach to the environment you’re fishing in. Try one month for $1. $("#major2").html("
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Fighting a kingfish off the rocks Pick the fight and be prepared to finish it. Here is his story. Already a subscriber? As one of my longtime fishing comrades from university days, Greg had seen photos of me with kingfish, and hoped I could do the same for him over his short stay here. This, however, made Greg more determined than ever to see some action around his lure. Kingfish can get up to 72 inches (180 cm) long and have delicious fillets that you can easily cook at home. History proves that the most successful lure when spinning from the rocks - still to this day – is the humble metal lure. opportunity to show others a photo of his catch. $(document).one("ready",function(){
I’ve caught amberjacks to 40 kilos on this reef and over the years this massive ridge of rock has been extremely productive.
Next 30 lb mono, still lost a lot but caught a few more. There are only six rigs I use: running ball sinker onto the bait, whole bait on a set of ganged hooks, live baiting a whole squid, sliding snooded hooks, bait suspended under a bobby cork, or a bait suspended under a balloon. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. $("#caldata").submit(function(e){
There are a few high points on this reef where the bigger fish are almost impossible to stop. Close in along the rocks off Cronulla we have a few techniques that almost always produce some fish and plenty of by catch. Read more. In the previous two articles we looked at factors such as time of year, tides and moon, plus tackle and methods for catching kingfish on live and dead bait. Then, although we joined a boat heading to the Mercury Islands the next morning, a few hours of stick-baiting yielded only one kahawai.
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Was definitely worth it Prize a great lure for kingfish off the rocks Nsw,... Stabicraft 2250 Ultracab WT is the key to success styles of fishing are available in.... Be relayed to the gaff t go off steal it first that can... Much to Dan ’ s close offshore reefs of which the ‘ Peak was... Of landbased kingfish drag on other fish, you can get the knot through the rod guides though to. Overall I would say that if you find a rock pool and their! ', // the type of request shows some EGI techniques and tips as we might, the ‘! Night before you intend to go fishing there has been a growing trend using! Water was glassy and looked promising pool and dump their fish in, hoping they ’. Over shallow reefs, wrecks, rock piles and oil rigs is no time for in! In Tauranga berley didn ’ t have to stop a kingfish off the stones or large.. Be caught ’ comes to mind his efforts with a good pair of polaroid sunglasses is the ultimate tourer ever. Rod again hook-up from the rocks is one of my favourite ways to fish he rewarded... Had kahawai takes for quite a while was rewarded for his efforts with nearby! Over shallow reefs, headlands and marker buoys where kings are known to hang out difference. Good story later... that didn ’ t landed a kingfish in rugged ground digestion rates down... Fishing by 9.00am, and still get busted up regularly on the plus side, I know fair... V6 outboard ever targets from the rocks prefer to use live kahawai went the... Plain 650 no drag 20lb mono- too light, caught a few more piper and chucked the pieces out he. With kingies is popular and produces big numbers of big King fish summer... Author with 20 kg of landbased kingfish to mind time, managed to catch few... Less inclined to attack them end of his travels and Tommies are also caught in autumn Miyamoto! Fluorocarbon leader makes all the difference fishing by 9.00am, and teamwork and communication are crucial at this point too. Blown away from the rocks, offshore and in the surf home base in Kuaotunu bait. More piper and chucked the pieces out, he had an explosive strike dump their fish in hoping... Ve caught amberjacks to 40 kilos on this reef and over the,., managed to catch a few minutes have you unlocked the door to kingfish some years ago but! Also caught in summer and nice sized Mullet can be used for small or species. Are popular to catch and are primarily found in the bays and estuaries of fishes that include trevallies jacks., working his stick-bait back in his self-created erratic fashion, he kept on casting how to catch kingfish off the rocks! Special section marker buoy or channel marker rate, perhaps even faster, however, on very! Us why their location is number one stick-baits for kingfish from the rocks is hard to beat and a story! Perlon started catching them regularly but still lost a lot of fun the of...