# Big Kings from the yak ?



## yakattack (Jan 12, 2008)

Hi Guys,

This has been a subject that has consumed my thoughts for the last 12 months or so.
Last year was a great year for sydney yakkers with just about everyone who set out to catch a kingie catching one at some time or another.
Last year i actually caught my first from the yak which was a great thrill. Over the season 60 keepers came aboard with the biggest being 87cm. Now some would say 87cm is ok and it is from the yak but some of the monsters i was connected to at times only for a short time i must say has got me thinking about some serious tactics that are needed to get the 10kg plus models from the yak. Firstly when it comes to these bigger fish i believe that a little luck is important but there has to be a tried and tested formula that will improve our chances as light gamefishing kayakers.
I promised myself to mix it up this year and change things around until something goes my way and then work with that.
I mean there is no point trying to stop these thugs in the same manner every time as the result is only going to be the same. My aim is a 1 metre king from the yak this season and i bet there is a few of you guys who would also like one slapping around in your yak as well.
My good old mate georgie managed a 1metre plus at the end of last year and i know that the northern beaches boys have done it so it is possible.
What i want is to outsmart these hoods and regularly catch the bigger fish who have so far ripped me to shreds time after time.
I will be posting up this year as i try different tactics to win the battle over the fish that has totally consumed me in a fishing sense.
I hope what i try out may be of help to others and if it gives another kayaker an edge at some point in a fight with a kingie all good.
Anyone else who suffers from kingieitis and who is open to sharing there experiences feel free.

I hope its the year we as kayakers can show some bigguns on this site regularly.

Regards
Micka


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## tezarity (Mar 2, 2010)

My pb is 76. If i can beat that this season, i'm a happy camper


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## Tarkman (Jan 19, 2010)

Please please please provide as much info as you can. I haven't caught one from the Yak yet, then again, I haven't chased them yet either.

I almost gave up fishing two season's ago when I spent a whole summer catching yellow tail and then chasing those guys and coming back empty handed on too many ocassions. I stopped going after them and went back to bread and butter fishing.

I want to try and catch some big kings myself. My Pb is 74cm but that was from a stinkboat!


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## spottymac (Aug 29, 2005)

I am sure you will get on top of a big King soon, 
I caught my biggest one after free spooling him, 
There is no way of stopping them in shallow water,
He stopped in his track I gave him 3 seconds and then slammed it back into gear and cranked like mad, if you can turn his head you have got half a chance,
It doesn't work all the time, 
Best of luck they are one Awesome fish to land,


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## tezarity (Mar 2, 2010)

I probably didn't fish it the best but i just tightened my drag as much as i could and started winding like nuts whenever the spool stopped turning.
Got dragged around heaps but manages it on 6lb line


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

If you can get onto some live slimeys, everything after that is a lottery ;-) 
Micka - I really don't think there are any tactics on a yak when they get to the bandit or hoodlum sizes. I've tried up to 120lb leader and still get dusted. Freespooling is an option that occasionally works but like locking up, they're most likely to take you into the bricks at some stage. Unless you can raise their head in the clearer areas, you're pretty well stuffed. Because you're being towed on the yak, bigger kings are one of the toughest species to land.

If you get onto surface schooling rats on SP's or blades, set your baits deeper and use liveys. I've also found that the bigger kings will more regularly patrol the larger trenches, edges and holes within the reefs while the rats will be more random over a larger area as they follow the bait schools.

I'm pretty sure that two of my 3 biggest yak landed kings were spooked by sharks mid fight and got distracted. One thing is a certainty, everytime you open your wallet you'll watch your braid money disappear.


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

Unfortunately I think all plans go out the window when you hook up, it changes subject to where you are fishing, at what depth you hook up and what the king does. Earlier this year I got an 84 and a 90 but still no metre plus. 
Some fish come up with a gentle approach and others wont have a piece of it. Generally I find that jigged kings pull harder (probably due to the instant shock of a hook struck into the top of their mouth).
In theory my plan is to freespool them if I feel the rocks rubbing but as I say I haven't managed to stick to a plan yet.

It seems from most reports that the bigger fish come on live bait but my 90 fell to a jig. 84 to a frozen squid.


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## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

Ive mentioned on here before about a fishy but true story of choking the big boys on an oversized livey - not sure if its total BS but worth a try......

I think youve got to think of them as puppy dogs - very curious, playfull at times, a bit dumb but can also show extreme power.

If you pull hard on them they pull twice as hard back.... if you gently wind them to the surface you might get an upper hand........

Ive found soft plastic lures you can lead them to you - but anything thats a dead bait, livey or a jig they hit like a steam train...... these are only my own personal observations and sadly my biggest form the yak has been in the 70's length

Good luck and I hope to see some good results....

I think that the mirage drive could have an advantage perhaps of pulling fish away from snags while playing the fish with your hands on rod so you'll be doing allright me thinks.

I think what happens some of the time is people get into playing the fish and I think if the puppy is running you need to turn him asap - dont give him an inch you might get busted off straight away but if you let him run too deep he'll snag you up anyhow - if he's near the surface and you can get him up and lifts his head out of the water you might be in luck

I can understand your the yellow mist that has descended your brain - good luck !!!


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

You need 300lb wire and a hand winch. And outriggers.

Will be following this thread with interest. Although Ive caught dozens of kings every year for the last 3 or 4 years I haven't really spent the time catching livebait or trying anything out of the ordinary to entice the big boys. I'm actually just happy to fish locally, hook a few and enjoy the fight (even with rats).

Good luck to all you guys who put in the miles and the effort and may your yaks be kingfish magnets this summer.


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## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

Davey G said:


> 300lb wire and a hand winch. And outriggers


Doesnt work !

Heres a fishy tale from Craig McGill

Back in the 50s the navy jetty off balmoral earnt it self a formidable reputation for enormous, tackle breaking fish living amongst its pylons. Everybody assumed that they were kingies as big kings were occasionally spotted cruising around and taking big live baits. But despite attempts by naval personnel with all manner of obscenely heavy tackle including venetian blind cord on a trailer winch and ski rope tied to a army fork lift nothing was ever positively identified. In 1968 the navy jetty was opened to the public but even experienced anglers with more modern game tackle were unable to land these mystery fish. In the mid seventies a guy by the name of Chris Ward turned up with the latest in stand up game tackle. This included a gimbal bucket and all manner of clips and harnesses. The reel was loaded with venetian blind cord and the drag cranked up to the max. It wasn't long before Chris's big bait was eaten but immediately cries realized he had made a big mistake. The drag on the reel would not give and as he was heavily strapped to the rod he was unable to let go. To the horror of the onlookers Chris was dragged across wooden planks and into the water. The body was never recovered and after a court hearing the jetty was again closed to the public on liability grounds.

In 1977 the mystery was finally solved when a prawn trawler working off Gladesville entangled a 376lb black cod (now fully protected) in its net. The cod was lying on the deck and one of the trawler men noticed heavy cord coming from the fishes mouth and leading into the water. The cord was retrieved to revealed a hideous discovery.
A rod, reel and gimball harness containing the skeletal remains of a human torso rose up out of the water. The head arms and legs were missing so police were unable to ID the remains but decorative binding on the lower section of the custom built rod butt spelt out the word 'Mango'. Chris Ward originally came from the Queensland town of Bowen where he had grown up on his fathers Mango farm. A quick check with his old school mates revealed that 'mango' had indeed been his nick name.


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## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

Some more McGill info - this guy puts people onto fish daily in the harbour

It seems that the Yellowtail Kingfish are just getting bigger every year. We are now regularly landing fish around the one meter mark with some considerably bigger fish getting in on the act occasionally. On a recent trip with renowned chef Tetsuya Wakuda we lost a fish estimated at 20kg next to the boat.

Hooking one of these big fish is the easy but actually landing one around the heavy structure where they are often found is another matter and to some degree is linked more to technique than tackle upgrade.

Going up in line class creates a number of problems including difficulties in delivering baits or lures and a decrease in interest from the fish due the obvious distraction of heavy traces. Heavy Gelspun lines are a poor defense around barnacle enclustered structure despite allowing better presentations than mono of the same class. Furthermore, heavy line and drag settings are inherently detrimental to the technique that best suits landing big kings.

Working on the theory that, the harder you pull the harder the kings pull , I've found it best to go fairly lightly until the fish is clear of the cover. Some fish charge straight into the cover regardless of what you do and I don't think that there's a thing you can do about it. But in general I've found that leading fish away from cover gently is a lot more productive than going hammer and tong.

A big Kingfish

In rough country a good skipper is an asset. Quite often , for reasons unknown , big kings will run straight away from cover. This is great if it happens but you have to know how to handle it. The natural instinct is to chase the fish out but this can prompt the fish to swim against the direction of the pull and back towards the cover. Id suggest staying close to the cover and let the fish tire for a while before chasing him. I've never had a king swim back towards the boat like tuna do , so keeping the boat near the cover will ensure that the fish will not swim back to it.

Once you are confident that the fish is either tired or too far from the cover to get back then move the boat quickly towards him . From here on keep the boat directly above the fish. The greater the angle of the line is from the boat the more chance the fish has of clipping it across the top of bottom structure . Furthermore being directly above the fish means that to make any ground downwards toward bottom structure means that he will have to take drag , expending more energy. Low line angles created by the fish being away from the boat mean that the fish needs only to swim sideways to make ground towards cover , without having to take drag.

In the case where you have lead the fish gently away from cover ,wait until you feel you are a safe distance from the cover and then go hard. But ensure, that before you get stuck into it , you place the boat between the fish and the cover in an effort to encourage the fish to swim away from the boat and hence away from the cover.

All this is much easier if you are drifting but it can be achieved at anchor providing your crew acts quickly once the fish is close to the boat back the drag off a touch to compensate for the reduced stretch of a shorter line.

Another big kingfish

Presenting your bait in such a way that draws the fish away from the cover has obvious benefits. This is done by casting your bait so it lands very close to the structure and letting it sink, on a tight line, back towards the boat. This encourages the king to chase the bait out of the structure.

Reels

Egg beaters are my first choice and you cant go past the big 950 Penn Spinfisher . They are indestructible and with new refinements like balanced rotor , infinite anti reverse (long overdue) and longer spool oscillation (designed for braid) they will fish alongside the likes of Stella and Saltiga . Eggbeaters work for straight down bait fishing , casting unweighted live squid at structure or heavy lure fishing the likes of 9" slug-go and heavy metal casting and jigging. With modern braids capacity is no issue and they have a drag range to get the best out of any line class from 10 to 20kg.

If you are targeting really big kings then the likes of the Penn 330 leaver drag might be a better option but you loose versatility once you go to an overhead . A big modern sturdy eggbeater is up to the challenge of most harbour kings.

Rods

Go glass. Anything but the very best of graphite rods wont stand up to the rough and tumble of kings. Penn make a matching rod for the 950 which is ideal. A six and a half footer will give you a bit extra push for casting and enough reach to keep the line off the boat/motor when your king inevitably takes a lunge under.

Yet another big kingfish

Line

Braid is the way to go overall despite the tangles and the occasional pulled hook on short lines. Spool up with 50lb. My theory is you don't have to use it all but it offers greater abrasion resistance and you can crank it up if you need to. As I said earlier, capacity is not an issue any more. I use Sufix Performance braid in this line class .

Trace

Fluorocarbon is the obvious choice given that is inevitably going to get dragged over rough surfaces. I would use 60 to 80 lb for bigger kings (depending on terrain) and 40 for smaller fish . The compromise with trace weights is in hook-ups and experience has shown that you will defiantly get more hook-ups when using lighter trace.

Best spots to look for kings in the harbor are: The eastern cardinal mark off Dobroyd, the green marker off middle head, the wedding cakes, the Spitt, Seaforth bluf, pickering pt, old yella off Neilson pk and the sticks off Rose bay.


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## avayak (May 23, 2007)

Agree with Keza that the jigged ones seem to go hard straight away, even the smaller models. Makes things interesting when they take the jig on the first lift from the bottom. :shock: 
On SP's, baits, etc kings often just come in like some reef oogly until they see the yak and bolt. Not a bad thing as at least there is some distance to the bottom. I try not to be too bullish and sometimes they stop midwater and I get another go at them. If I'm lucky I get to repeat the process until one of us is worn out. Other times they just scream off for the reef and your done. I don't usually feel the rub on the rocks just the Ping!  
Some good sized fish have been landed on light lines so it shows the softly, softly approach can work. SBD's 90cm on 8lb braid is an example but then again he targets marlin on 15lb gear.


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## tezarity (Mar 2, 2010)

wopfish said:


> If you pull hard on them they pull twice as hard back.... if you gently wind them to the surface you might get an upper hand........


I've been told this as well


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## MrX (Feb 7, 2008)

> "Firstly when it comes to these bigger fish i believe that a little luck is important but there has to be a tried and tested formula that will improve our chances as light gamefishing kayakers."


Don't know the answer now Micka, but let's have beer at the end of summer, relive the stories all the metre kings we catch over the next couple of months, and work on strategies for the 1.5's.



> "My good old mate georgie managed a 1metre plus at the end of last year&#8230;"


Georgie's doesn't count - the sneaky bugger caught it at night (easy!), and he wasn't even targeting kings.

Woppy, thanks for the McGill tips for the harbour kings - love his *gentle* strategy of leading them away from structure. PaulB landed a nice one that way. The trouble I find when tangling with the big fellas at Longy is the structure/cover is everywhere. Once you set the hook, you get 5 seconds under heavy drag pulling you in on one side, then almost fall out the other side when the fish pings on the reef. Then you *gently* pull in the line, and tie another leader.


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

tezarity said:


> wopfish said:
> 
> 
> > If you pull hard on them they pull twice as hard back.... if you gently wind them to the surface you might get an upper hand........
> ...


Definitely. If you see them headed for some kelp or a buoy, or to some structure you know is down there, back off the drag and let them have a bunch of line. They always pull against pressure, so if there is no pressure, they stop pulling. Tried and true. Although those AUS lalandi might be backwards.


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## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

Theres a book by a Kiwi dude called Kingfish Secrets ( I think ) I used to have it until I leant it to a dickhead neighbour that ran off with it - sheeeeeeeeeet :? :? :? :? :? :?

Worth checking it out - theres a section on people fishing for them in Kiwi land with micro gear ie the biggest fish caught with the smallest reel and lightest line - exploring these tactics I think could be worthy - perhaps not at those extremes but their approach and playing of the fish would be a tad interesting.

Catching them on the surface in deep water close to the yak is going to be better than hooking them a few meters above a reef.

Luring a large surface one is going to probably happen with a large popper


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

The other day on a mates boat out at the 32's I had a 15-18kg follow my SP 25m along the surface on a dodgy cast to avoid a mutton bird that was chasing it. He had 3 little grabs at it but missed each time. My quick thinking mate immediately dropped his jig and hooked the 10kg partner about 10m down on the drop. It was a completely shut down day and we just stumbled onto the loose pair. They are unbelievably curious creatures but can be pretty fickle at the same time.


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## yakattack (Jan 12, 2008)

Thanks guys i definately agree using livies is the key to getting the bigger fish, last year spent many mornings up at 3am getting livies from the wharf and importing them to the different destination of choice for the day. Those yellow striped hoodlums always seem to hang in the roughest terrain my favourite spot which is commonly known has this nice drop off from 8m to 24m you can troll all day in 24 metres for zip. As soon as you get close to the 8m mark wham your on and its helter scelter strike, down rigger up and crank like crazy all to often it ends in tears especially on anything over 90cm.
Its been a winter of head scratching regarding these crazy kings stay tuned for weekly updates over summer.

Cheers Micka


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## Southerly (Apr 20, 2007)

Hi Micha,

Spooled1 and McGill are spot on. While it is possible to pull m+ kings out of a pile of rats with lures or small lives/strips (especially in SH last year), if you seriously want big kings then stay away from the rats.

Big kings (around Sydney these days at least) travel in smal groups of 2-6ish fish, as Dan said they like deep water headlands (think Bluefish, Avalon) and big steep deep reef systems (not always easy for a yak to get to). According to my diver mates they hang in different spots at Longy to the rats so don't follow the crowd. The land based game guys encounter more big kings than rats so don't be afraid to chase them very close in if the water is deep all the way to the rocks.

They also respond to big baits such as live slimies, pike, tailer, small bonnies, frigates and best of all big squid (no squid is too big - though I strip the bigger ones just to get more baits out of them). Also if you get a big cuttle drop half the head straight back down. The downside is less by catch than is available on smaller baits.

So for big kings successfully you need iron clad focus to fish the spots they hang out with big baits and accept it is hero or zero fishing (a bit like mulloway chasing on lures).

As to techniquies to land big kings I always found softly softly and a good dose of luck is necessary. Luck meaning the king swims away from structure ideally out onto sand or deep water. The softly approach works well out of the yak as there is a limit to the pressure you can put on a fish compared to a boat. Also the yak gets dragged to the fish reducing pressure as well. I Lost a good king off Middle Head last season and hed just dragged me into the rocks. If the king trys to rub you off and the pressure is light it won't be able to unless the bottom is real sharp. That is why big kings often get caught on light gear as there is no way to go heavy on them so it is softly softly all the way.

I have used 200lb mono tied to a springer in a stinky on 15kg kings and been busted off by them. Is is possible to dead stop a 65-80 model after that is gets very difficult.

Good luck, once you have become the big king expert on AKFF I look forward to your post disclosing all.   

PS: Some of the ski boys have had great success downrigging for big kings, so pick their brains.

David


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## weapon (Dec 9, 2007)

My PB fora yak-caught Kingfish is 1.12m. Caught on a large Gulp SP and initially hooked in shallow water. It pulled hard, I was towed a fair distance and it fought hard. There is an element of luck as my gear was not really heavy, short leader off memory was only 25lb and mainline 14lb Fireline on a 5-10kg rod. I found it best to back off a bit when it went deep and then reapply the pressure more when it went nearer to the surface. I did then ensure there was decent drag on then. Be confident in your gear and knots. Don't think you have to have live bait only, SP's are effective too. I agree that you should try areas without the smaller Rat Kingie's around. Kingies also do not mind going into surprisingly shallow water.


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## kayak22lee (Dec 2, 2010)

ent for kingies and got a few rats, but hits by bigger fish. was using plastics, any idea to rev them up a bit. the bigger ones where hitting them but not really agreessive enough to get hooked. using a pink slug go 6"


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## bunsen (Jan 2, 2009)

Micka, come down to the port, I heard today from a vey reliable friend that there are some true monsters in a few of the deeper bays right now. Thursday last week, apparently a 10kg was landed, but was followed up by another that dwarfed it in comparison - :shock: . Not on a yak mind you, but they are there all the same. I can give you a few spots to start looking if you want.


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## jokinna (Mar 2, 2010)

this is a great thread. only recently i have discovered the might of the king. and have yet to catch a legal. all this info i took with me today and was having a ball catching rats. all on 5-7" gulps, 20lb braid, 25lb mono on a shitty jarvis walker 4000 boat rod combo. the first one i hooked up almost pulled me overboard. then as i tried to steer him to get my yak straight he started towing me towards the rocks, then ping! after that i got 9 more hookups with 6 going ping and 3 coming to the boat. great fun! first one scared the shit outa me. and probably the only legal, it pulled the hardest. wrists, arms, back, legs all sore. great couple hours of fun.

any more tips and stories on chasing kingies? i want to know more!

cheers 
jokinna


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## kayak22lee (Dec 2, 2010)

had a similar session the other day, but was using bozo 6". what retrievals where you using?


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## MrX (Feb 7, 2008)

> Yakattack wrote:
> "I will be posting up this year as i try different tactics to win the battle over the fish that has totally consumed me in a fishing sense."


Come on Micka, tell us about your latest tactic on catching big kings. Reveal the secret "live" ingredient you used as burley to get them fired up when the bite was a bit slow this morning.


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## kayak22lee (Dec 2, 2010)

yes please tell us!


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## yakattack (Jan 12, 2008)

MrX said:


> > Yakattack wrote:
> > "I will be posting up this year as i try different tactics to win the battle over the fish that has totally consumed me in a fishing sense."
> 
> 
> Come on Micka, tell us about your latest tactic on catching big kings. Reveal the secret "live" ingredient you used as burley to get them fired up when the bite was a bit slow this morning.


Ok what you do is this.... You troll around all day to see if there is any kings patrolling your favourite reef system.
If not at the end of the session go as close to the rocks as is possibly safe try to get in the shallows i recommend say 4 metres. Then start throwing your livies around the more noise they make when they hit the water the better. Hopefully before you have run out of livies the kingies will have turned up and will be eating the livies as they hit the water in a stunned state. Now this is where you have to be brutal pin a livie on some heavy leader i use 100 pound and toss it into the frenzied school of kings and hang the fu.. on.
No lie this is how i caught my king on the weekend. 
Disclaimer: This technique is highly dangerous and was not at all planned as fishing heavy lines locked up from a kayak this close to the rocks could have you in big trouble in no time.
Ps- hand feeding 80 to 90cm kings is an eye opening experience.

Cheers Micka


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## jokinna (Mar 2, 2010)

hey that was my technique, only no livies, and just casting gulp in close to the rocks. not cool trying to paddle away and still getting pulled backwards into the rocks. actually glad i didnt hook up to some big ones, i woulda been in the drink for sure. i am still a padawan when it comes to kings.


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## kayak22lee (Dec 2, 2010)

thankyou for that info yakattack. next trip i will o.d. on the yellowtail and chuck a few out.


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