Kingfish are an underrated game fish. Not only do they taste great, but a good fight on light tackle can make anyone feel like a pro. Kingfish don't get as much press as the more popular big game species – such as tuna and marlin – but there's no denying that kingfish put up a fantastic battle for anglers fishing with lures.
This article is not about catching kingfish – it's about the tackle you'll need to land one once you've hooked it! In many ways, catching a kingfish is much easier than catching something like a yellowfin tuna, which will often take lures weighing several kilos. With a little bit of luck and some careful planning, it's possible to catch a trophy kingfish on lures weighing just a few grams.
What herrings and pilchards do we catch kings on?
Kingfish will generally eat anything they can get their bony mouths around. They aren't fussy and will even take bread or completely un-scaled fish if it floats their way. However, the best baits for catching kingfish are small herring, pilchards and mackerel - particularly when they're at their most active in summer.
Small herrings (less than 10cm long) can be caught without bait or jigs; you simply snag them on the bottom with a hook and line. Larger herrings need to be hooked on a jig, which is essentially a buoyant plastic or metal lure with a strong hook attached.
Pilchards are generally used as cut baits when targeting kingfish. You can either buy them pre-cut in 'pilchard packs', or you can catch your own by putting a net out in deep water and waiting. It's best to keep them in a live well or tub of salty water, as fresh pilchards can spoil quickly.
Mackerel are the ideal kingfish bait when they're around, but it can be almost impossible to catch your own once they enter Australian waters. Unless you've got private access to a mackerel school, the best option is to buy fresh mackerel fillets from your local fishmonger.
Does my lure selection really matter?
Absolutely! The whole idea behind fishing with lures is that you attract kingfish with one type of lure, then catch them using something completely different. If you use the same lure for jigging that you use for trolling, then the chances are that you won't catch any kingfish at all.
Here's a summary of the two ways to fish with lures:
Trolling is when you slowly drag your lures through the water behind the boat at speeds between one and five knots. You want to keep your lines as close to the surface as possible, and you'll generally be fishing with a small lure of between 4cm and 20cm in length.
Trolling is an excellent way to cover ground quickly. You can also use it to look for fish by slowly working a hotspot, or you can troll along underwater features such as reefs and wrecks.
Jigging is when you suspend your lure just off the bottom and then move it up and down using jigging movements. Lures used for jigging can be as small as 4cm, but they're often over 20cm long. Jiggers tend to use bigger lures than trollers, because bigger lures have a greater attraction and catch rate.
Jigging is the most effective way to target kingfish, especially on reefs where there's a lot of structure and a low chance of finding the fish by trolling first. The only downside to jigging is that it can be hard work; you'll need plenty of stamina if you plan to catch a few kingfish over the space of a few hours.
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