Chasing super-sized kingies in shallow water is one of the most exhilarating forms of fishing, particularly for anglers in Australia’s southern states. Lubin Pfeiffer shares his tips for getting hooked up top one.
Big yellowtail kingfish are awesome creatures, and when you come across them in shallow water, from a fishing sense, they’re even more epic. They possess immense power, are incredibly fast and provide the ultimate challenge when it comes to getting them to eat a bait or lure.
Over the last decade or so, kingfish, especially the bigger specimens, have really come back in numbers, which is fantastic for anglers across the southern states of Australia. In this article I’d like to run through a few of the techniques that I have found to be successful when it comes to targeting shallow water hoodlums.
Dan Boehm hooked up late in the day.
WHERE
Firstly, and most importantly, finding the fish is the single biggest factor to catching them. These fish are turning up in more locations in recent years, particularly in South Australia and along the Western Victorian coastline. Well-known haunts such as Coffin Bay and the soon to be dismantled Port Augusta power station are proven big fish areas, but there are numerous other locations that are now providing the opportunity to tangle with a trophy-sized hoodlum.
Over the last few years, big kingfish have actually been turning up in the Port River in the heart Adelaide city. Along with the Port River, several other locations within the state’s two gulfs have seen big ones cruise through. Portland has always had a good run of shallow water fish and they are now turning up further along the coast as well.
This all combines to mean that there is more of a chance for anglers to land that kingfish of a lifetime. While having a specific location can help in success, I believe it is far more important to understand what types of areas kingfish like to visit. Probably one of the most important ingredients to a good location for hoodlums is bait. Whether it’s garfish, salmon, squid or even pilchards for that matter, find the bait and the kings shouldn’t be far away. Along with bait, kingfish love current and can be found in areas where there is a lot of water movement from good-sized tides. Mix these two together and you are in kingfish heaven.
CARING FOR YOUR BAITS
On the subject of bait, live baiting is probably the most widely used technique to catch big kingfish, particularly in South Australia. In order to be successful at live baiting you need to care for your baits so that they are ready to go when the fish are. Catching live bait can be done in a variety of ways, either with lures, bait, or with a dab net and spotlight if you’re after garfish. Keeping them fresh is just as important as catching the bait in the first place though.
When fishing for kings, you can easily keep them in a plumbed live well and have circulating water running the whole time. Try not to have too many baits in the one container though as this will cause them to stress out and become less ‘lively’. I can tell you there is nothing worse than having a fish kill in the live well after you’ve spent hours’ acquiring bait.
Chucking flies at fish such as this creates mayhem!
BALLOONING
Ballooning is a very popular technique for catching kingfish and was the technique I used to score my first 30 kg plus shallow water kingfish. It is a very simple technique, great for anyone trying to catch their first hoodlum. Ballooning is best done near a prominent feature such as a rockwall, a point of a bay, the edge of a channel or anywhere you believe kings might cruise by. The aim of ballooning is to set the trap and wait for the big kings to arrive.
When it comes to thinking about the gear, 24 kg jig outfits are perfect for sending out baits and these can be used for other techniques if you plan to try other methods throughout the day. To the end of the 24 kg braid I like to attach a high quality barrel swivel via a bimini double with my leader joined to the other side of the swivel. This will stop the fish from tangling the line when they are doing laps, and this is particularly important with baits such as salmon. Another added benefit of the swivel is that it gives you somewhere to attach your balloon.
Balloons should be knotted according to the size of the hole on your swivel. Remember they need to pull out under a bit of pressure. Attaching the balloons in this manner allows you to remove and reattach the same balloon without wasting them each time.
Fish baits should be bridle rigged while squid baits can be hooked with a single hook through the tip of the mantle. Select a hook that is appropriate to the size of the bait you are using and don’t be afraid to send out a large bait.
Squid baits ready.
DOWNRIGGING
Over the last three years or so, downrigging has easily been the most popular technique for anglers fishing the Port Augusta power station. Slow trolled squid are irresistible to most angry hoodlums and downrigging makes for a great way to present these baits. Downrigging is a really easy technique once you get the hang of it, and having a well-organised boat will aid in its efficiency.
Most anglers choose to run two downriggers; one on each side of the boat and set them at different levels to cover their bases. Usually one will be set at around half the depth of water being fished and the other about two metres from the bottom. The baits don’t need to be too far from the bomb as kingfish are quite inquisitive, so between 3 and 5 metres is fine. Speed is generally a fast walking pace. The same outfits used for ballooning are fine for downrigging although a longer leader may be necessary in some situations. Downrigging is best done along the edge of a channel or structure.
STICKBAITING – SEARCHING
Stickbaiting is one of my favourite methods for catching big kings in shallow water. Blind searching is a great way to connect with these fish and the explosions are really something else when they commit to hitting the lure.
Bigger is better when choosing a stickbait to search with. I like to use lures in the 20 to 30 cm range and find those that can be worked just under the surface to be eaten more often. My two favourite stickbaits for searching are the Carpenter Bluefish and the Nomad Dogtooth. These exert a great action and silhouette which are perfect for blind searching.
While blind searching can be done anywhere, I find it is best to target specific areas such as rockwalls, channel markers or points that have current running past them. You will need a solid spin stick for launching the stickbaits and I’ve be using one of the Storm Monstar 7’6” PE2-4 rods matched with an Okuma Azores Z-55s loaded with 50 lb Sufix 832. This matched with an 80 to 100 lb monofilament leader usually has enough stopping power for a sizable kingfish.
SIGHT CASTING: BAITS & LURES
Sightcasting would easily be the most exciting way to catch a big yellowtail kingfish anywhere. Hunting fish in shallow water and getting to see them react to your lure or bait is really something else.
In South Australia we are very lucky to have plenty of very shallow kingfish locations, with some being less than two metres deep. While you can be led to believe they only turn up in a few places, the truth is, they can be found in most areas within the state’s two gulfs at any time. Sandy bays where the water warms quicker during spring and summer will see kingfish travel through so it is a case of being prepared and out there searching for the fish.
Throwing live baits has been the preferred method for anglers in South Australia for some years now. It simply involves spotting the fish, getting in a good position for an accurate cast and putting the live bait in front of it. The key factors to success are making your cast count and not aimlessly throwing those baits at the fish. Waiting for the kingfish to be calm is a great technique. Usually finding a school of fish to cast at is the difficult part so once you have found them, take a moment to observe how they are behaving. If they look flighty, give them a chance to settle before presenting a bait to them.
All manner of baits can be used but most commonly it is garfish, squid and Australian salmon. While throwing live baits can be very effective, I get a real buzz out of fooling these fish with an artificial such as a lure or fly. Generally, I like to use stickbaits the two that have provided most success are the Carpenter BC-Y 15-110 (unfortunately these are becoming rare to buy) and the Rapala Subwalk XRSB15.
Regardless of which you choose to tie on, they need to be easy to work when you’re under the pump. Nothing gets the heart pumping like a pack of 20 to 40 kg fish hunting the lure down.
Another great option is large soft plastics such as the Lunker City 12” Sluggo which can be cast and worked with ease. Your typical popper/stickbaiting outfit is perfect for this form of fishing but you can usually go that bit lighter too. The fish generally don’t have much they can reef you on and the lighter rods are easier to work the lures with.
A great outfit is the Storm Monstar 7’6” PE1-3 matched with a Rapala Aggressor AG-5000 spooled with 50lb Sufix 832 and a 50 lb fluorocarbon leader. While not many anglers target these fish with a fly rod, I have caught a few sight casting with a 12 wt outfit and these would be my most memorable captures. If you’ve caught a few on baits or lures and are looking for that extra challenge, I can highly recommend tying up a few garfish patterns and giving it a go.
FISH FOR THE FUTURE
It is great to see how anglers’ attitudes have changed over the last decade and now most of the bigger class kings are sent back. I love eating kingfish but usually any fish over 20 kg goes back into the water for someone else to catch. When handled correctly they are easy to photograph and will swim away strongly.
Lubin Pfeiffer is a freelance fishing writer living in the Barossa Valley in South Australia. Lubin has represented Australia 3 times at World and Commonwealth fly fishing events. When he is not competition fishing, Lubin chases all manner of species in both fresh and saltwater.
