Kingfish (Yellowtail)

Catching a Kingfish is something that every person who fishes in Sydney eventually wants to do. The good news is, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. The bad news is if you want to have one of those days of non stop kings, or if you're chasing one of the really big ones, persistance and thoughtful fishing is required.

The legal length for Kingfish in NSW waters is 60cm. Any Kingfish below that length must in all circumstances be released back into the water with as little harm to the fish as possible. Please respect this size restriction, as it was not long ago - during the heyday of floating fish traps - that there were almost no Kingies for anyone to catch. Now, with good management and more pressure on NSW Fisheries, we may again see the day that massive Kings are back in better numbers around Sydney!

Appearance

Kingfish are a pelagic fish, recognised by their bright yellow tail, a distinct gold stripe running the length of their flank, and a dark to silver green shade on their back. They have a white belly, and white to yellow fins.

Kingfish caught around Sydney range from a school size Kingfish of about 3 or 4 kilograms, often called Rat Kingfish, up to a larger fish in the 10kg range, known as Bandits.

Very large fish of or over 20 kg that are sometimes taken in Sydney are referred to as Hoodlums, mostly becuase they will bust up your tackle big time and leave you with nothing.

Behaviour

Kings are usually a summer fish in Sydney, with the majority of the fish caught between the months of November and March, when the water temperature is above 19-20 degrees celcius. Large schools of adolescent Kingfish enter Sydney Harbour, Broken and Botany Bays during these months, giving the average angler with as little as a tinnie (or the $80 to hire one), the opportunity of hooking up this master fighting fish.

Most of the fish caught from these schools range between 50 and 70cm, with the odd 80+. Bigger fish 1m and up are less likely to hang around together, especially inside the Harbour, though when there are loads of baitfish around you may find a few breaking the mould.

The biggest Kingies in Sydney waters spend the majority of their time patrolling bait around open ocean reefs and pinnicles, anywhere from quite close to the coast to as far out as 10 or 15kms. They can be found at these haunts all year, though they're most abundant in spring and feed most vigourously in warmer waters. Big ones are occasionally hooked up in Winter, mostly by slow trolling the deeper offshore reefs and drop offs with downrigged live baits.

Although the fish are fewer and further between during the cooler months, they are also usually bigger.

Kingfish love structure of all sorts. Quite large fish will even cruise up and down moorings in water only a metre or so deep, especially when it offers some avenue of deep water access.

Offshore you may find them cruising deepwater pinnicles and other rocky structures that jut steeply out of the depths, or lazing around their favourite piece of reef.

Closer in and they may choose shallow reefs and channel markers to congregate around, or decide on a certain path up and down mooring lines and wharves, which they follow with the tide. When there is plenty of bait about, especially in the harbour, they can be more elusive, some days chasing bait schools in the depths, others roaming right up into the shallow water higher up the harbour.

Shore anglers can find it pretty hard to keep a school nearby in these circumstances.Most of the time Kingfish can be found between the mid water line and the bottom, especially in deeper water, but they can often be found in large schools chasing baitfish to the surface.

They will also chase lures, bait and hooked fish to the surface quite readily, or follow those of their own kind when hooked. Shallow water holds no qualms for them either, as they are known to frequent areas with depths less than one metre, as long as it has access to some deeper water.

Gear and Rigs

Strong gear is a pre-requisite when going after Kings. Line strength of eight kilograms is as light as you would want to go, and only when you know for sure there are no rocks or sharp outcrops of any sort nearby. Kingfish have a habit once hooked of diving at pace for the nearest sharp piece of anything, and goodbye. Twenty pound gelspun braid is a good choice for smaller kings in the harbour, especially when near rocks or oyster encrusted channel markers. Your reel must have a large enough spool to support your line, as well as drag strength adequate enough to put good pressure on the fish. Trace line of thirty or fourty pound is a good choice to start with. Good hooks are in the range of 3/0 to 6/0 (bigger if offshore or using much larger baits), and should be quite thick. The Gamakatsu black octopus series is expensive but perfect. The less weight you use on your line the better, esecially when live baiting, however if you want to keep your bait in the face of the kings you will often require at least 100gms (4oz). If it's possible run your weight on a lighter line offset from your main line, tied to a running swivel which runs down to a swivel on the main line.

Baits

Targeting Kingfish often, but not always, requires time before you fish to catch good live bait. The best live baits are: Yellowtail (Yakkas); Squid; Garfish; and Slimy Mackerel. It is often said that a live squid outfishes all other baits - and at times, even often, this is true. However it is also true that i have dropped a live squid in front of a King and literally seen it rebuffed, while a dead pilchard on ganged hooks got smashed like it was the last piece of food in the sea. This does not happen often though, and any of the baits mentioned above, presented live, with a single hook through the skin of the back just in front of the dorsal fin, (or the tip of the head of the squid, with a tailing hook), will stand you a great chance of hooking up to a King. For the big Kings of 20kg+, much bigger live baits are required.

In New Zealand, where there are a plethora of big Kings, live baits as large as Kahawai (Australian Salmon), are commonly used. Sydney Kings either don't rate the flavour of our Salmon, or just won't take them as a live bait to the same degree. They still love chomping big live baits however, so are usually targeted with good size Tailor, Sweep, or Trevally. Failing the live bait option you can use fresh fresh fresh squid bait, that is as white as possible and has not touched fresh water. Cut this into strips and place one hook through the tip of a strip. Kingfish inhale their bait head first and whole so only one hook lightly hooked through the bait at one end is all that is required to ensure a solid hook up.

Catching Live Baits

Yakkas (yellowtail) are probably the most common of all the baitfish used for Kings in Sydney. Like most baitfish, they live around structure as it offers protection from predators. Some areas of the harbour, like just under old mans hat at north head, or on the edge of the kelp between chinamans beach and balmoral beach, will hold baitfish including yakkas because of the natural structure of the rocks and reef there. Chinamans kelp beds also has good squid at times. There are plenty of these places in the harbour, to find them look for rocky tidal kelp beds especially on the edge of sandy areas.

Squid love these areas too, as well as thick sea grass beds on sandy ground. Shark island has good squid especially when the southern calamari run. Often however the structures that hold fish in the harbour are man made. Wharves are the place to start. For example, the Clifton Gardens pool fence/wharf, Manly Wharf, Balmoral Wharf, and most Wharves east of the city on the south side around Rose Bay and Watsons Bay, all hold fish when there are good numbers around.

Many many other areas and wharves hold good baitfish populations including slimy mackerel. The only way to find out is to berley up the area and see what the bait fish are that you catch. Winter fish populations are not anywhere near summer though and baitfish can be hard to find. Try to find a few places in summer and then by winter hopefully at least one of them will still have fish on it. Wharves around town with lights and a sand/ seagrass bottom will also hold squid most of the summer. Fish at night on a high tide, under lights.

Lures

There are those times in summer when bait preparation is plainly wasted, as the Kings are so ravenous they will smash a fairly wide variety of lures and soft plastics. Kings love to hit all sorts of lures on surface, especially poppers that cause large spray and vibration, and trolling skirts that create huge trails of air bubbles. Deep swimming minnows such as trolled rapalas are devastating when used along mooring lines or other deeper water structures. Trolling also offers the opportunity of covering large area of water in search of schools. This technique works very well inside the Harbour, when schools are often deep and can't be found by following birds. Bigger sizes in all types of lures (up to 14cm) will be of more use off the ocean rocks or offshore. Small lures usually mean you are working areas where smaller baitfish are prevelant, ie inside the harbour. Metal slices are also killer either trolled, cast over a feeding school and jerk retrieved through, or jigged deep around structure that is holding fish. Soft plastics are often hit by Kingies harder and faster than by any other fish. Stickbaits and slugs are the favoured, varying in size from 3" to over 10". Usually they are targeted with a variety of white or lumo, however pink is a big favourite too often overlooked. Unweighted and floated through surface feeding schools; weighted and cast and retrieved; or heavily weighted and jigged in deeper water, they can be devastating on kings.

Where to start fishing

The only real way to target Kingies is to make sure you get access to a boat. This is mostly because these fish do love to roam. Even when they are schooling there is constant action. They often naturally want to avoid getting too close to the shore as a school, so they don't cut off an avenue off escape should predators arrive. So once you have a boat you need to find a school of Kings.

Summer time, when the water temperature of the harbour is above 20 degrees celcius, often brings schools of Kingfish as well as many other species into the harbour chasing bait schools. These schools will sometimes be on the surface, when they are most easily found either by sighting a school chopping up bait and causing surface commotion, or by following the birds that have found the fish feeding before you. If you cannot find a surface school, trolling lures around areas of likely structure such as just off South Head toward The Gap, will often result in finding a submerged one.

If you cannot find a school at all that does not mean there are no fish. You can still find fish holding on harbour structure, especially the markers and bouys that signify the shipping channels at the mouth of the harbour. Sow and Pigs reef is another top fish holding area.

Berley in large amounts is absolutely necessary to bring the fish to you if you are fishing these spots, as you are usually at anchor. It is also more often than not the only way to keep some fish nearby, even if and when you do manage to get them over to you.

The best place to start when looking for Offshore structure or reef areas is head to your local tackle store and ask them to get you a colour seabed map of Offshore Sydney Harbour, Broken Bay or Botany Bay. They are about $35 0r $40. On top of that you need a book of GPS spots, which will cost about $20. You will be able to identify GPS marked reefs and other likely areas on the map.

Ocean Headlands, such as 'The Ovens' at North Whale Beach (see hotspots page) as well as a host of others, can provide rock fishos with a chance at fish up to 20kg. These sized fish are not often taken inside the harbour, but several are taken each year off Sydney headlands. Many more are hooked, however Kings of this size are fish that pay scant regard to your gear and are willing to smash you into the nearest piece of sharp rock or reef. (Always be aware rock fishing is not a safe pastime, and must only be done with the utmost care.)

Specific tips for fishing Kingfish in Pittwater
(by Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters )

First of all fresh live squid of fresh strips is the gun bait for Pittwater.

We also put out a live squid at our bait grounds and have on many occassions picked up a nice Kingfish while at the bait grounds.

Always with live squid use a two hook rig.A sliding snell rig is the best that I have found.A straight pattern trolling hook placed through the very tip of the hood and the bottom hook carefully placed between the top two tentacles.We use a treble as the bottom hook and this rig as increased our capture rate. By using the above rig you can troll, down rig or free swim the live squid and almost be 100% certain of a good hook up.

If you are after Kingfish in Pittwater you are better to try around all the moorings up and down the eastern fore-shore and bays, at the start of the season, while the headlands and points produce better in the middle of the season. Whilst on the subject of moorings holding fish, the most exciting way we have found to tempt these fish is to throw surface poppers at the moored vessels.Two or three people covering the surrounding vessels with accurate casts and the motor turned off.

While you are casting place a fresh squid head or strip over the side of the boat, just out of sight.What you are trying to achieve is drag the Kingfish out of the moorings by chasing your poppers back to your boat and either nailing your popper or the squid strip that is over the side. Make sure your rod is in a solid rod holder and your reel set to the appropriate fighting drag and left in gear.Area tips: West Head, Barrenjoey Point, Mackeral Beach, Stokes Point, Longnose Point and Towlers Bay just to get you started.

Remember, you can't get a Kingy just by going out once and not looking. Think about a few options to try each time you go out until you feel confident about which technique suits which situation. Going out with a charter operator and talking to him about his ideas always helps greatly.

BAITS



You will hear all sorts of different interpretations as to what's the most important aspect of fishing success. Some think its line others think its hooks or high tech rods and reels. The bottom line is , that the quality of the bait determines weather or not your hook is going into the fishes mouth. Bait is the vehicle that takes the hook into the fishes mouth. If the fish rejects it then it will lay there on the bottom and it doesn't matter how expensive or high tech the rest of the outfit is there will be no fish in the tub.

A bait might get taken for a number of reasons . Smell or taste is one , the other is movement. For example , the question must be asked , does a flathead take a prawn bait on the drift because it's moving or because it smells like food . A flathead will take a lure bounced along the bottom and it has no smell or taste.

Therefore a natural baits presentation must be taken into consideration when concluding why a fish might have taken it. On the other hand , take for example a lure like the Berkley 'power baits' range of soft plastic lures. They are primarily designed as a lure but I know as a fact that fish will take them as a bait if they are left to sit on the bottom . Are they a bait or a lure? This is an issue that will surely come to a head as the popularity and prize money of lure fishing tournaments peaks. We can assume that an unscented lure has been hit because of its movement but we cant always assume that a natural bait has been taken because of smell. There's no denying though that a bait is very often taken because of its initial smell. I am trying to highlight the importance of bait presentation. Assuming that a fish can be coaxed into taking a bait on presentation alone there's no denying that once it is in the fishes mouth smell and taste come into play. An artificial bait with no scent will be rejected almost immediately. A natural bait will be rejected on a time scale in accordance with its acceptability to the fish. Stale baits will go first , right through to a point where the bait is fresh enough for the fish to decide to swallow it. Fresh or live bait is therefore the obvious choice.

In summary its all very simple: Presentation is very important , your bait might be taken on presentation alone especially by predatory fish. Presentation doesn't just mean the way the bait is put on the hook either. It also refers to the way it is presented in the water ie; moving floating or fixed etc.Fresh bait is important for both the initial attraction and it's acceptance once taken Live bait is the ultimate . Providing it is presented properly live bait offers the best in sensory attraction. Firstly it's wriggling , throwing off reflection and vibration -- it might even be kicking up sand or mud offering further visual attraction. Once it's taken , it feels right , it smells and tastes right because it is right.

LIVE BAIT

Most of the frozen packet stuff you buy , with the exception of things like gut and fillets, can be obtained one way or another in its live state. Its exactly the same creature as in its frozen form but infinitely more effective. Availability of live baits through tackle and bait outlets is sparse. The cost of collecting and then maintaining live bait is the limiting factor. Prawns and shellfish are commonly available , live , through the fish markets thanks to the needs of our ever growing Asian population. Livies available through tackle and bait outlets include worms (beach, blood and squirt ) and Nippers or yabbies. If you want anything else live you will have to catch it yourself.PrawnsMost of our rivers estuaries and especially lakes have prawn stocks to some degree. They are gathered at night using a bright torch and a scoop net or a drag net. They keep well in either an airated bucket or in wet ribbon weed or sawdust. Keeping them cool is very important. Live prawns are the ultimate estuary bait and will take virtually every species. To hook a prawn a number 4 - 1\0 , depending on the size of the bait , is pushed up from underneath the last segment towards the tail and out through the top of the shell so the barb is exposed.

Yabbies

Yabbies are found in the sand banks towards the lower reaches of rivers and estuary. The only practical way method of extracting them is via a yabbie pump. I've had an alvey pump for over twenty years and have replaced the washes only once. We brought it for about fifteen bucks , and have , over the years , pumped probably thousands of dollars worth of bait. They also work on squirt worms so as you can see they are well worth the investment.

Yabbies are kept alive in much the same way as prawns.

They are pinned on a number 4- 1\0 bait holder pattern hook by pushing the hook along the body , starting from the tail , until it reaches the eye of the hook. The point and barb should come out on the under side of the yabbie.

Fish

The most effective live fish baits include yellowtail , garfish , mullet and herring. If your living in a part of the country where cast nets are legal then they are a very worthy investment and once you've mastered them are highly effective method of collecting live bait. In other areas a good burly trail , light line and a size 12 hook will do the job. Alternatively , for mullet , a bait trap baited with bread is highly effective.

Hook size varies greatly with the size of the bait and could range anywhere between 1\0 and 8\0 . Hook placement depends on how the bait is to be fished. If it is to be fished under a float then it is best placed through the shoulders just behind the head. If it's to be free swimming ( unweighted ) or anchored to the bottom then the hook is pushed through , just ahead of the tail. In both cases the hook must not penetrate the lateral line. The lateral line indicates the position of the backbone . It runs the length of the fish and on bait species especially , is quite prominent.

Livies are kept alive in a container of airated water with regular water changes necessary for prolonged life.

Squid

Squid are one of the estuaries top live baits for big predatory fish. They make a pretty mediocre bait as dead bait. The best way to catch them is with a squid jig fished slowly around the kelp or ribbon weed beds somewhere near deep water.

They are very hard to keep alive but high airation , plenty of water changes and room to swim are the key. As with live fish the hook size varies according to the squid size.

They are pinned around the middle of the tube being careful not to pierce the intestines.

Worms

The two major bait worms used in the estuary are blood and squirt.

Squirt worms are found on the sand banks well up stream towards the waterways freshwater reaches. They are best extracted by pumping sand into a fine gauge sieve. You can also place a empty jam tin over the hole and stamp on it, forcing the worm out the other entrance but I prefer pumping.

Blood worms like the firmer mud areas upstream around mangroves and weedbeds. The only effective way to extract them is to dig them out . This is a fairly destructive practice and large scale digging on Sydney harbour eventually forced it to be banned in that area.

They keep for short periods in a well airated container of water or for longer periods in a box layered with Hessian . The bottom of the box is perforated to allow water to drain then a layer of Hessian is placed on the bottom . The worms are placed on the Hessian and another layer of Hessian is placed over the top of them . Store them under the house where it is cool and dark and periodically pour water , taken from where you caught the worms , over the top layer of Hessian so it rinses them and then drains out the bottom.

The worms are threaded lengthwise along the hook until a bunch forms , it is then nipped off about three centimetres below the hook leaving a small length waving about enticingly.

Hook size varies from a number 8 to a 1\0 depending on species.


PACKAGED BAIT

Prawns

I always buy big frozen prawns and I have found none better than the big Hawkesbury prawns packaged by Bellissimo Bait. They are essential if you want to consistently catch soapy Jew up to three kg. If they are too big for bream then cut them in half or into smaller pieces for the likes of leather jackets . A 400g packet is usually adequate for a days outing.

The hook is fed along the body starting at the tail with the point protruding out from underneath . It is very important that the prawns body lies straight along the hook. Good quality prawns are the next best estuary bait to live bait. If you buy Hawkesbury or Harbour trawled prawns then you are in no position to protest against trawling . By buying their produce you effectively become a sponsor of this highly destructive and unsustainable industry

Gut

The two common gut baits include mullet and chicken.

Chicken gut is often marketed under the brand name of fisho . They are both readily available and cheap and make a conveniently bait .

The gut is cut into lengths about eight cm long and thread on in the same manner as a worm with a short length trailing free.

Fish Flesh

Whole fish or fillets can be either purchased packaged or caught yourself.

There a number of ways to use fish flesh Fish such as whitebait and pilchards can be used whole either on a single or ganged hooks.

Fillets of fish like yellowtail , pilchards, mullet and slimy mackerel make a very attractive bait by threading the hook through the tail end of the fillet so that the hook comes out with the barb on the flesh side

Fillets of much larger fish like tuna and tailor can be further cut into smaller baits by cutting across the fillet widthways and feeding the hook through so , once again , the barb comes out on the flesh side.

Tougher flesh fish like trevally , yellowtail and the tail end of tuna make excellent flesh baits by skinning the fillet and cutting the flesh into cubes or long thin pieces

Weed

Cabbage and hair weed collected on the ocean rocks or the fine strand weed found on the upper reaches of rivers and estuaries (especially Parramatta weed) is used primarily for the capture of estuary blackfish. It's easy to collect once located and easy to keep .

It will last for about two weeks kept in a damp Hessian sack in the fridge , or for months by putting it in an ice-cream container , covering it in water and freezing it. When you want to use it just place it in a bucket of water until it thaws.

Cabbage weed is threaded on and hair or strand weed is platted on a size 10 or 8 hook.

There are heaps of other live and packaged bait used in the estuary but these are the most common and the most successful.