THE KINGS OF TERRIGAL

Warren Keelan tests a few techniques on some of the east coast’s hardest fighting bandits.

Pound for pound, the aptly named kingfish is one of the toughest and most sought after species on the east coast of Australia. Their ability to burn line off a spool is legendary – and as I have experienced first hand, these ‘kings of the sea’ can leave anglers in a state of shock and awe, stripping you of any control or dignity you thought to possess whilst being armed with rod and reel. Exciting, addictive and super intense – this is my drug of choice!
My first kingfish annihilation was experienced a couple of years ago while live-baiting off the coast of Terrigal with fishing presenter and self-confessed kingfish addict, Alistair McGlashan. The hiding I received that day will haunt me for years to come and, although it was my first lesson on bigger kings, it remains one of my fondest memories on the water. Call it strange, but some of my best fishing experiences come from being absolutely demolished by monster fish, not necessarily by landing them. I’m sure I’m not the only angler who is glutton for punishment.
As my live-bait travelled the 80 or so metres to the sea floor my hopes of seeing one of these brutes were at an all time high. The large arches on the sounder told me I was in for some fun and as I gave the Saltist a few winds to set the livie in position, Al yells, ‘make sure that drag’s set mate, otherwise’. Before he could finish his sentence, an ocean-roaming steam train had engulfed my presentation and busted me off on the reef below. It was the quickest mauling I had ever experienced. My thumb was smouldering from an attempt to slow the spool and as I regained balance (and composure) all I could manage was a few muttered expletives.
I was left feeling slightly stunned and out-classed to say the least. But to top it off, Cooper McGlashan, the youngest of Al’s protégé sons, tapped me on the leg and said, ‘hey Waz, don’t lose all my yakkas we don’t have many left!’ Believe me, there wasn’t a corner dark enough or big enough to hide in, and this coming from a two year old left all on board in hysterics. I tucked my tail between my legs and took a deep breath, contemplating my next move. ‘I’m sure Al won’t hesitate to regurgitate that story to other anglers in future sessions’, I immediately thought to myself. Sure enough, I was on the money not once, but several times over!
Lessons in Live-Baiting
With that debacle out of the way it was time to get serious and ready myself for round two. Al realigned the boat for another drift, and, after pinning a larger yakka through the nasal sweet spot, I sent it on its way down towards the action zone. Al prefers to use circle hooks for this style of fishing as it does less harm to the fish but, more importantly, once hooked they are harder to throw. Underwater footage from his Strikezone DVD series has proven that kingfish will more often than not take live-baits head first, so after your presentation is attacked, it pays to be patient; giving your opponent a few seconds to swallow the bait properly before engaging the hook. When my yakka began to transmit nervous signals up through the line, I knew something was about to happen.
At this stage, whether you are using a threadline or overhead it’s best to leave the reel in free-spool mode, cupping or thumbing the spool in order to feel and control the line as your live-bait swims below. The instant a kingfish comes knocking and takes off with your livie, release your grip on the spool for a few seconds to allow it to be swallowed, if it feels any resistance it will spit the bait. The next step to this technique is probably the most crucial to ensure a solid connection between yourself and the fish, however it’s one that is quite often bungled, simply out of reaction or habit; something I too have been guilty of.
The natural response when a fish takes off with your bait is to lift your rod and strike with force, hoping the hook will penetrate some part of the fish’s mouth or jaw. Instead, you must hold back and be patient – allowing the fish to hook itself as you begin to wind and apply pressure on the line. The circle hook will hopefully turn and pin itself in the jaw area making it almost impossible for to the fish to shake free. It took me a few attempts to get used to the technique but once you have it down, targeting kingfish using this live-baiting method is the only way to go! This time I managed to turn the tables on the kings below and successfully coaxed one to the side of the boat, but not without a few minutes of mayhem for my efforts.

Although Terrigal Harbour is somewhat protected, retrieving your boat on low tide can be a challenge.

Live Alternatives
There a many alternatives to successfully fishing live-baits for kings. On this occasion we were dropping down yakkas and slimies into the deep assisted by large snapper leads. This method is ideal for deep live-baiting, especially when accurately targeting a small patch of kings holding tight on the reef below. Other methods include slow-trolling and downrigging live-baits through an area. A downrigger is a device used to set baits in a particular water depth by the use of a long thin cable attached to a large sinker or ‘bomb’ as they are known. Your line is clipped to the weight and lowered into the water to a desired depth, keeping your bait in position. Trolling weighted (in reasonably shallow water), or unweighted (along the surface) presentations is a hands-on, highly visual style to chase kingfish successfully.
Getting Jiggy with it
Jigging is a method of fishing which relies on both a high level of stamina and coordination to be successful, especially on deep-water kings. A great technique that requires less physical exertion is to retrieve your lure in short bursts rather than busting your back to hastily retrieve a lure through the water column. Try turning the handle once while lowering your rod tip, and lift the rod in small increments, as it will keep your lure working in the zone longer. It can be a little tricky at first, but if you start out slowly and work your way up to a speedy rhythm, you’ll find it to be an efficient method of jigging. Once you have this technique down pat, it will save you a lot of energy for when you need it most.
My last visit to Terrigal resulted in quality fish, however the quantity side of the equation was kept to a minimum by a plague of large leatherjackets. The calibre of action we experienced was on par with my previous trip, but this time it was the metal jigs that caught the attention of our target species. After hearing reports from Scotty Thorrington, experienced operator of Haven Sport Fishing Charters, we decided to head north for Terrigal in search of a few bigger kings.
Located just one hour north of Sydney, Terrigal is home to some of the mightiest kingfish on the east coast. Then, Sydney was being overrun by undersized specimens, and as much as they are awesome on light gear we were eager for a greater challenge. These smaller fish are great to play with, and will follow surface lures in their hundreds, but at the end of the day they aren’t much of a threat to our gear – and stamina!
On this trip Al and I were joined by my good friend Anthony Scocca, another fishing fanatic with whom I grew up chasing fish on the south coast of New South Wales. Also along were the British Labour Party’s former Angling Spokesman, Martin Salter, and none other than Cooper McGlashan who, for his age, has seen more big kings than I’ll probably ever tangle with. After launching at the scenic Terrigal Harbour, we gathered a few live yakkas and proceeded east to one of Al’s better kingfish GPS marks. The sun was high and so was our anticipation, but as we closed in on our desired marks, Scott, who had arrived earlier, advised us that things were pretty hard going as the current was dead. We’d have to explore a few more reefs.
Searching for Gold
For me, half the fun of fishing is looking for new ground. As much as proven marks are great when you are out so far offshore, hunting for new areas can be interesting and exciting, as well as productive! All eyes were on the Furuno and as we drifted south a few kilometres we stumbled over what looked like a school of kings loitering around a small peak. I rigged a live-bait for the drop as Al manned the controls to keep us in the zone before finally giving us the go ahead, ‘yeah righto boys, let ’em down!’ A welcomed few more colours began to appear on the sounder. Could our efforts pay off?
Anthony grabbed the nearest Saltiga and attached a heavy knife jig before sending it down towards the commotion below. Although we were fishing deep water it always pays to have more than one option – these fish can be fussy customers at times! My livie felt unsettled as it reached the zone some 70 metres down, but something wasn’t right and I was soon to discover why. With a few light taps on the line I began the long retrieve only to find my yakka had been chewed to pieces, “Bloody leatherjackets!’ I moaned. Anthony began jigging the long blue metal and after a few drops, he too found the teeth of these pests. Al immediately called for a new spot, knowing the annoying and destructive nature of these jackets can only result in loss of valuable gear.
Hitting the Jackpot
As we pulled up on another lump of structure, Martin was first to drop a livie into the blue water, followed by Anthony’s knife jig. I also threw a live-bait into the mix hoping for some attention and it didn’t take long. Martin was stripped of his bait in seconds by a large fish while Anthony, who was furiously working a large blue metal, hooked onto a solid beast and was now locked in some serious fun! I felt a twitch on my live-bait, followed by subtle movements, typical of the jackets from our last drop. As I slowly wound my rig to the surface it became clear that I was a victim yet again to the piranha-like pests hammering anything we presented, however this one couldn’t manage to bite through my circle hook, landing me my first species for the day.
Having caught and released hundreds of big kings over the years, Al was happy to kick back and watch as we were either monstered by the unstoppable or bitten off by these lousy bait and rig thieves. I can’t say it was fun but I was actually happy to be able to pluck one from the pack, plus as they actually rate highly on the menu, this one hit the ice box for later consumption. Anthony on the other hand copped as much as he gave but eventually tired his opponent into defeat. As I said, today wasn’t necessarily about quantity, but quality of fish and this one certainly fit the description.
Kingfish are tough creatures – period! They battle on their grounds and it’s usually on their terms so you must always be prepared. When the kings are thick, chaos and mayhem will almost always follow. Devising and following a game plan will ensure hassle-free success, especially if you have more than a couple of lines in the water. The last thing you need mid-fight is gear failure, so always use high quality gear to confidently tackle these trains of the ocean.
I have only really touched the surface of this awesome north coast fishery, if this is a taste of what’s on offer, I’ll definitely be back for more punishment!