# NSW - Wasp Is/Durras - Kingfish



## brant78

Hi all.
Just reporting on a day trip to Wasp Is/South Durras on Saturday 21 July. I went targeting snapper having spoken to Artie and Squidder so motored out with my soft plastics in hand. I also got a new sounder, thanks to the Wetspot boys for fitting that beautifully, and was keen to try it out.
With blustery winds and a bit of a swell I prospected around without much success before the sounder showed up some nice reef (north side where you showed me Artie) and dropped a 4' banana prawn on a 1/8oz jighead to the bottom. I few touches on the way down but not much action. I drifted off the spot so cranked my line up quickly and then WHACK and ffffiiizzzzz as my line headed for depot beach. First run took about 80m and I knew I was in for a treat.

I had a 6-12lb rated 6'6 xml Cabela spin rod with a shimano 2500 reel spooled with fireline exceed 6kg line. My gear was stretched to the max and I could feel my 15lb flurocarbon leader grating against the reef. However, with a bunch of patience and slowly does it approach I managed to pull in a pb 85cm, 7kg or 15lb kingfish. I hooked it at 9.35am and had it in my boat by 10.22am. My hook was mishapen and starting to straighten and the leader was frayed right along. I ended up 1km away from where I hooked it and enjoyed a mix of exciting runs and dogged down deep fighting.

When I landed it, it only fit in the net up to its shoulders and the rest hung out the top. I also had to motor back into the carpark as in my hobie sport I had no space for it. It didn't fit in the hull, no space in the back so I chucked it into my esky (which it didn't fit) and filled it up with ice from the local shop.

Terrific fight, great fun and keen to get back down there again to do it all again.

Not far from this spot last time I hooked a big bonito which was 4kg cleaned so that was also a PB for me. I just need a super sized snapper to get a third PB and I will be happy.

Attached some photos.

Brant


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## TheFishinMusician

Hi Brant, welcome mate,

nice first post there, just a lazy 85 cm kingie 

Mods, ban him, ban him now please!


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## Rstanek

Awesome kingy on light gear, well done!


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## kayakone

Holy smokes Brant....what a first report.

Keep that up and you'll be expelled! (only kidding)  Looking forward to the next PB.

trev


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## Barrabundy

Unreal! You're a patient man fighting that on light gear.

Be prepared for the fishing to seem a bit ordinary for a while now.


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## wadeedwards81

just sounds too easy!

well done mate


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## brant78

Thanks all!
When I landed it I thought 'Gee that was awesome but I really need to pull out my bigger rod and use 20lb braid'. I certainly was under gunned and was not expecting it. That said some of the boys on the forum have said the snapper around the island can push 15-18lb so they would have smoked me as well.
I've only just moved up from 10lb braid so I'm just getting into the slightlier heavier gear.


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## paffoh

Wow, just wow...

Great you cracked one, never come across one in the kayak on the South Coast.

:twisted:


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## Squidder

Brant that is an amazing first post mate, congratulations! Like Paff I've been fishing the south coast from the yak for years and still never caught a king - we found a school of midget ones about 30-40cm long last time we were at Wasp but couldn't hook them. Stoked to hear of your success and look forward to reading more reports


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## Dodge

Brant that is certainly a good way to get everyone's attention, well done and welcome.


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## Ado

The Fishin' Musician said:


> Mods, ban him, ban him now please!


I'm onto it.

Not only 1st post, but in MY NEIGHBOURHOOD. No-one told me they came in that close ... in winter.
Really great showing Brant. I'm way too jeolous.


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## TheFishinMusician

Ado said:


> The Fishin' Musician said:
> 
> 
> 
> Mods, ban him, ban him now please!
> 
> 
> 
> I'm onto it.
> 
> Not only 1st post, but in MY NEIGHBOURHOOD. No-one told me they came in that close ... in winter.
> Really great showing Brant. I'm way too jeolous.
Click to expand...

  thanks mate! Gotta keep some sense of respectability about the place.


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## brant78

I have also got a photo of the bonnie I caught before as mentioned in my first post. See below.
Interestingly I trolled this one up on a halco silver minnow with red gills as I was moving between spots. So I was surprised it hit it. I usually catch them on a high speed retrieve, ripping a lure through a feeding school. However, I do pin a few smaller ones up to 1kg trolling around headlands.


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## bunsen

Welcome and hooray for kings!


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## paulthetaffy

Nice work, Brant, seriously impressive on such light gear. That bonnie is a horse too - perhaps more impressive than the king really!! How did you cook it (or not)?

Paul


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## Scott

Wow nice one. A deserving reward for showing patience and skill during the fight.


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## Wrassemagnet

A fish of note there Brant, woohoo!


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## john316

Ado, your neighborhood, but that's my backyard... mutter mutter... tar, oh and feathers... mutter mutter

must be getting time for a get together up there

cheers

john


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## brant78

paulthetaffy said:


> Nice work, Brant, seriously impressive on such light gear. That bonnie is a horse too - perhaps more impressive than the king really!! How did you cook it (or not)?
> 
> Paul


Thanks Paul. The bonnie was a good fight too but tired himself out on a few big runs. So he came in quicker than the kingie. Sitll happy though as I don't get them much bigger than a 1kg or so usually.
I bled and gutted the bonnie straight away which is why I couldn't get an entire weight for him. I find they taste nice if you do that.
I dipped the boned fillet pieces in oil and egg, then into rice flakes and then cooked it in some olive oil and lemon. Nice and simple. Then a sweet chilli sauce.
The kingie can be eaten any which way i reckon and they taste nice. That was grilled with some lemon, butter, herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Fed the extended family and then some.
So all in all a good meal.


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## paulthetaffy

Rice flakes...sounds yum! Bet they go crunchy! Reason I asked though is that bonito is my favourite sashimi out of the fish we regualrly catch off Sydney (i.e. no YFT/BFT). Larger bonnies give better sashimi too, but I've not caught/eaten one as big as yours. Give it a whirl next time, especially the loin. Totally agree with bleeding them ASAP, but then I think that's true of all fish really.


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## 2hats

Great looking king brant78.

Well done & good write up & pic's


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## brant78

Squidder said:


> Brant that is an amazing first post mate, congratulations! Like Paff I've been fishing the south coast from the yak for years and still never caught a king - we found a school of midget ones about 30-40cm long last time we were at Wasp but couldn't hook them. Stoked to hear of your success and look forward to reading more reports


Interesting squidder with those midget ones you were talking about. The only time I have caught them has been in the same manner. Super fast retrieve from the bottom with a soft plastic. Now as a matter of course I rip it back up to the boat when checking the lure or moving from place to place. We got onto a few out the front of garden bay in malua that way. However, it is pretty hard to target them unless you know they are around and by the time you know that they have usually hit your lure!


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## brant78

paulthetaffy said:


> Rice flakes...sounds yum! Bet they go crunchy! Reason I asked though is that bonito is my favourite sashimi out of the fish we regualrly catch off Sydney (i.e. no YFT/BFT). Larger bonnies give better sashimi too, but I've not caught/eaten one as big as yours. Give it a whirl next time, especially the loin. Totally agree with bleeding them ASAP, but then I think that's true of all fish really.


I've never had them sashimi style. That is something I will try next time (who am I kidding, will there be a next time with a big bonnie!). I will try it on the smaller ones if I get one.


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## Bigdyl

Awesome!!


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## Stevie

Nice WInter Kingy!
I really want to hit Wasp Island, the camping grounds look like a nice spot to plonk the family for a few days


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## Artie

Ado said:


> The Fishin' Musician said:
> 
> 
> 
> Mods, ban him, ban him now please!
> 
> 
> 
> I'm onto it.
> 
> Not only 1st post, but in MY NEIGHBOURHOOD. No-one told me they came in that close ... in winter.
> Really great showing Brant. I'm way too jeolous.
Click to expand...

Might be your neighbourhood Ado, but the bxstards in MY BACK YARD, literally, we live 2 doors away from each other.... :shock:

I mean seriously, the guy had no sounder, so I point out a useful reef to him and then he goes and does this? Really? Is this allowed?

Great job Brant.... as I said to you the other day, it takes great skill to land a fish that size on gear that light..... one of us is supplying the fillets at the next bbq, an buddy, it aint me!


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## Artie

I must also admit that Ive just bought a handull of 80gram jigs to target these beastys as a result of this ..... your post has invigorated the Batemans Bay economy Brant....


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