# NSW: Norah Head Kingies



## MrX (Feb 7, 2008)

Planned a trip to hunt kings at Norah Head with Rnmars and Kiwipea a few weeks back, so thought a bit of preparation was called for. Went out to Longy on Saturday morning to collect fresh bait. Achieved that task - successfully sight casting for slimies with Karnage & Paulb (and successfully locking my keys in the car - thanks for the help Paul).

Collected some bite-size fresh squid on the way up the coast (thanks for the tip, Steve).

Rnmar's brother provided the local accommodation to allow an early start, and laid down the challenge - yaks vs him and his mate from their stink-boat. They took us out to the local pub on Saturday night, to make sure we would be cactus on the yaks, while they cleaned up from their comfortable fishing platform.

The yaks managed to get down to the ramp before sunrise (a bit dusty, but enthusiasm undaunted), but the local stinkboaters took a bit longer to set up. (Ha!) No sign of KP.

We were greeted by a magnificent sunrise, flat sees and not a breath of wind. Glorious!

A short pedal/paddle, and were out at the Nora bommie.










Saw several stinkers pass by, and figured there must be a better place to fish. Ah well, no local knowledge (where are you KP?), so dropped down a baby squid on a jig head.

WHACK!! ZZZZZZZZ&#8230;tighten drag&#8230;crunch &#8230; ping! Shiiite! Immediately reefed by something huge. Pulled in the line and noticed the knots had held, but the hook was snapped at the base. WTF was that? Wonder where those stinkers are going?

Re-rig, and didn't have to wait long. WHACKZZZZZ. Stopped this one, and boated rat no 1, at 63.










Rnmars was on the other side of the bommie, eventually got his attention:
Mr X: "Kingies, over here!"
Rod: "Aye?"
MrX: "KINGIES!"
Rod: "What?"
MrX: "Get over here you deaf farrrKKKK I'm ooonnnnn&#8230;"
Rod: "You snagged?"

Eventually he gets the idea, and paddles over, mid-battle. Then out of the corner of my eye, I notice my second rod start to wiggle. Oh no! WHACK, down it goes, double kingy hook-up. Help!

Rnmars comes in closer to grab my spare buckling rod, I notice his rod giving the familiar wiggle, and sure enough, suddenly his ski suddenly jerks back and his reel starts screaming too. Triple hook-up. Where is KP when you need him, these Norah kings are going ballistic!

I yakked one of mine, Rod yakked his, but I couldn't stop the third.

Drifted around trying to locate them again, with drag tightened as much as we dared. Both hooked up, yakking more rats. The lads turned up on the stinker looking green around the gills, and it went quiet. Do boats spook them? They left, and I hooked up to another unstoppable.

We hit a quiet patch, so I threw the squid into the wash and came up tight. Pulled out a solid bream that had somehow managed to get a kingy jig into its gob. I have never targeted bream from the yak, so at 34cm he made the scoreboard as a modest pb.










Hooked up another unstoppable fish as the wind picked up, and we reluctantly headed back in at 9, with fish around, but whitecaps growing.

Top day on the water - we will be back! (with heavier gear)


----------



## Rstanek (Nov 5, 2007)

Great report Tom! Haven't targetted them yet this season, I'm starting to twitch...


----------



## yakattack (Jan 12, 2008)

Good stuff MRX those darn kings it all sounds very familiar have had the same problems at longy so far this year with the unstopables. Upgraded to a thirty pound plastics outfit and not a touch as soon as i cast the 10lb outfit on and another unstopable grrr kings :twisted:

Keep up the reports

Cheers Micka


----------



## Darwin (Jul 25, 2008)

Hi MrX

Great report with real action! How do you find peddling Revo when the sea turn angry! I am not yet make up my mind between Revo and Outback!


----------



## MrX (Feb 7, 2008)

Thanks fellas - hope to see you at one of the kingie hangouts closer to home.

G'day Darwin.



> "How do you find peddling Revo when the sea turn angry!"


I have never been in an outback, so I can't really compare. I presume revo is a bit tippier, but there's probably not much in it. Either way, it's great to have pedal power to hold position in wind/current, and to follow a hooked fish. You will be stoked with either model.


----------



## garyp (May 30, 2008)

Nice work Tom,

I take it you beat the mates on the boat?

Glad to see at least someone on AKFF is still fishing and not fighting about dogs, chickens, crocs, shark shields or Leyland P76's 

See you out on the water in a week or two when I get my car back from the panel beaters!

Gary


----------



## jpkelly (Feb 11, 2009)

Great report. It's good to see reports like this so close to my home. I now just have to work up the courage to paddle my kayak out there.

Cheers

JP


----------



## rawprawn (Aug 31, 2005)

I may head out this weekend for a quick fish. It's been hit and miss out there latley. Good to see you getting some.


----------



## rnmars1 (Feb 21, 2008)

Great morning tom. conditions were perfect. what a top spot, i'll be back.

funny, i don't recall the conversation going quite like that, but i'll go with it for now!! :lol: :lol:

those rats sure were fun, i can only imagine the pulling power of a hoodlum, one day i'm sure. ;-) ;-)

nothing sweater than the score though - stink boat "Nil", yaks "one".   

rodney


----------



## Wrassemagnet (Oct 17, 2007)

Top report. I like the bream who would be King.

What size jighead got snapped :shock: ? Don't worry it probably wasn't a HOF snapper crushing the hook to bits and picking it's teeth with the pointy end ;-)

PS have you ever tried one of the buck tail jigs sweetened with a bit of squid?


----------



## malhal (Jul 8, 2008)

Great report, obviously no sign of the jellyfish KP and I were plagued with last wednesday. I may head down there tomorrow or maybe Moon Island.
What were thi Kings caught on. 
I have to Yak my first Kingy.
Cheers Mal


----------



## rnmars1 (Feb 21, 2008)

Hi Mal,

Bait used was fresh squid, caught the previous day (or there abouts) from the Hawkesbury (purchased at Brooklyn by tom on his way thru).


----------



## paulb (Nov 12, 2006)

Excellent report Tom. Sounds like an action packed outing - how far was the paddle? were you just fishing one rig?


----------



## kiwipea (Jun 17, 2008)

Well done guys, what a great report. Thinks you did much better without our "local knowledge" as I came home donuts 
when fished there last Wednesday  Tho did leave word to be good for our visitors coming up over the weekend :lol: :lol: 
Yea never worry about the stink boats racing off out to the never never. Yaks in close allways outfish them ;-) ;-) 
Have just rerigged my heavier rod with 30lb line and wire leader, remember reading how Murd used a wire leader last year at longy and had success with not so many reefings.

Ah well there's allways next time, sigh

kp


----------



## grumpy (Oct 7, 2009)

Well done guys, one up on the stinkers
Cheers Grumpy


----------



## murd (Jan 27, 2008)

KP, 
I'm _still _using the same long wire trace I made last Summer for the Longy kings and to date they haven't learnt how to rub me off on the bottom yet. But, most of the kings (rats) I've been getting in the past few weeks have been on lures on lighter line, with no trace. Seems the lures are outfishing my squid at the moment.


----------



## MrX (Feb 7, 2008)

Jim, I was using a big jig-head - cant remember the hook size. About a 4/0. The fish that snapped it was heavy, and I would have called for a snapper. But after pulling in rats, I'd say it was a bigger king. 3 smokings later, I'm sure.

Paul, hooked up every fish bar one on a medium snapper plastics rig - 20lb braid and 22lb leader. I had a heavier rig out (30lb braid, 40lb leader), but it was generally ignored.

Just a matter of time Mal - you will get onto that that first school of kings, and become an addict. Squid strips seem to be the preferred bait for the Longy kings. If you can get hold fresh stuff, they find it irresistible.

There were some bigger fish out there, so I also tried butterflied slimies. They were relentlessly pecked at by the resident sweep, with the odd eyeball hook-up (those fish are stoopid), but no interest from the kings. If you can get hold of small livies, I reckon you will do some damage. The nearby lake was thick will poddy mullet. Worth trapping some next time?

KP, yes, Murd swears by the "wire" method. He also swears by his 30 year-old-hardcore-off road-swift, his 40-year-old-battered-green-SIK, no PFD, and fishing shirtless for bull sharks in crock infested waters. I have seen him catch kings at Longy with his teeth.

Looking forward to reading reports from you Central Coast yakkers, and following the updates on the signatures.


----------



## kiwipea (Jun 17, 2008)

KP, yes, Murd swears by the "wire" method. He also swears by his 30 year-old-hardcore-off road-swift, his 40-year-old-battered-green-SIK, no PFD, and fishing shirtless for bull sharks in crock infested waters. I have seen him catch kings at Longy with his teeth.

Yea ok I hear where you coming from, sometimes it takes special people doing special things, and I admire them for it.
So if it does'nt work for me never mind , I just love trying new and different ideas.
Mind you I have yet to be reefed/busted/spooled by a kingie, but one day   
When that day happens you'll hear the hoots and hollers all the way down to ole Sydney town.

kp


----------



## karnage (Jan 18, 2006)

nice report tom, should of taken you up on the invite to head up there.
might be time for you 2 wire up or do a paul.b 'how to land hoodlum course'.


----------

