Kingfish, Jigs & Sharks

Anglers have fished for yellowtail kingfish around the coast of the North Island for many decades now.

Incursions of these shallow water gamefish into some South Island areas (as far as Canterbury on the East Coast and Fiordland on the west) over the peak summer months also delights anglers with a small window of opportunity to target them. Indeed, catching a kingie is the pinnacle of achievement for many near-shore anglers and a driving avocation that dominates the entire effort for others.

One good thing for anglers is the voracity of kingfish – usually. At times, they will readily eat just about anything going. All manner of dead and live baits, plus artificial offerings, will appeal to marauding kingfish much of the time. On other occasions they can be quite picky about what they eat – if they will take anything at all! Anglers have spent many frustrating hours watching from boats or rocky outcrops as kingies shun their systematically presented offerings one after another. Yes, kingfish can be all things to all anglers depending upon their mood, time of day, tidal state, moon phase, water clarity and other factors we can only guess.

Due to their often aggressive nature, these prime gamefish can be enticed by artificial lures as well as natural baits. Methods such as trolling lures (bibbed minnows like Rapalas can be deadly), casting poppers (and, more recently, stick-baits) and jigging will each have its day in the sun. Their effectiveness needs to be seen to be believed at times and the resultant angling sessions can be some of the most productive and exciting.

Above all other utilisations of artificial lures has to come jigging. It is always an argument as to who popularised jigging for kingfish first – the Australians or Southern Californians. The long-lived and prestigious Bay of Islands Yellowtail Tournament would seem to lend credibility to our Tasman neighbours in this battle. Talented and dedicated anglers such as Terry Titchener have made the annual pilgrimage to Russell every June for over 30 years, with jigs being an integral part of their
arsenal. Initially, the visiting anglers had the jump on their local counterparts in this regard. This advantage lasted only a few years before imported lumps of lead made their way into Kiwi anglers’ hands. Soon thereafter, enterprising fishers began making jigs right here, further popularising this aspect of successful kingfish angling.

Jigs of that era, of all different sizes, shapes, weight and colours, had one thing in common – a rear mounted hook. Whether it was a single or treble, the hook always resided at the tail end of the jig. My, how things have changed!

Jig fishing, for kingfish in particular, has become even more popular now than before. In fact, there are numerous anglers who are jig specialists, never considering using a natural bait of any kind! Jigs have gone from somewhat chunky, flat-sided affairs to slender, elongated cylindrical shapes with the hook attached to the top, not the bottom. Mechanical jigging has replaced yo-yoing or full speed cranking. A handful of Japanese ‘gurus’ inspired this new rhythmic style, which spread like wildfire. And why not? Anything so productive and relatively easy to master will achieve instant recognition and favour.

We have seen this new blood being ‘injected’ into the technique over the past six to eight years. Some think there is nothing new under the sun – wrong! This practice, along with soft-plastic fishing, has turned the fishing community on its head – and with largely beneficial results all the way around … nearly, anyway.

Eventually, most anglers feel the need to test themselves in a variety of ways. Like all sports people, they enjoy pushing their skill levels to the max, seeing just what they can achieve on a personal or competitive platform. Some are content to plod on with little improvement noted throughout their careers; the majority, however, are not satisfied with this status quo. Part of this testing regime is centred on using lighter tackle to achieve their captures: ever lighter gear versus heavier fish. This natural progression can have quite gratifying results for the angler or disastrous outcomes for the fish.

Breaking the line, whether braid or nylon monofilament, is inevitable in fishing – part of the ‘cost of doing business’ as it were. We all do it, some more than others, and always to our chagrin. The big thing here is, as in all mistakes in life, did we learn from the experience and can we mitigate the chances of it happening (in the same way) again?

As we press the issue of lighter tackle/larger fish, it’s inevitable breakages will occur on a more regular basis. By controlling this situation as best we can (good gear, new line, top support crew surrounding you, calm conditions), some outstanding catches have been and will continue to be made. A cursory look at the various line-class records in the IGFA or New Zealand Sportfishing Council record booklets will verify this.

For most anglers, most of the time, this is far from their mind in everyday fishing. Landing their quarry on a reasonably regular basis is what it’s all about – and so it should be. After all, neither party benefits when tackle is bushed off and left in fish. Unwittingly however, this is exactly the situation they put themselves in too frequently.

Let’s get back to jigging for kingfish. This is one of the more violent forms of the sport. Radical jerking motion versus strong determined fish – probably why so many adhere to this extreme technique when targeting the ultimate quarry. Most will know that kingfish love structure and the resultant current created by it. Aside from a favourable habitat, this combination results in happy hunting grounds where kingies can ambush their food. A nice added bonus is places to conceal themselves and affect their escape once hooked.

Kingfish are only occasionally found on or near sandy bottoms and seldom in any numbers there. The large quantities of schooling fish always seem to favour the rugged country. Well-known places like the Three Kings Islands, Bay of Islands, Great Barrier Island, Alderman Islands, Ranfurly Bank and White Island (to name but a few) all share the ‘foul card’. Not surprisingly, they are all prime jigging possies.

Jigging effort in some of these areas has escalated quite considerably over the past few years, and so it should – it’s fun and ever so productive at times. Relatively small, purpose-built rods are commonplace now. The space-age reels, built of high quality metals, are loaded with thin, braided line. The sensitivity offered by these lines is paramount to a successful motion while jigging. The selection of line class is now the question.

If lucky enough to find kingies on the sand, then by all means go as light as you dare. If, however, you arrive at one of the previously mentioned hotspots, well known for their radical bottom terrain, then a different tactic needs to come into play. Thinking you are going to have even average success on large kingfish with anything less than 37-kilo line is a misplaced pipedream. Even when utilising 37kg (or heavier) line, anglers are often broken off over half the time while fishing for big kingies in ‘tiger country’!

Now losing a fish using bait on a trace is one thing, as most fish can lead an unaffected, relatively normal life with only a hook and short piece of trace to carry around. However, a 300g (or heavier) jig is a completely different matter. If the fish, after breaking off, can’t get rid of this huge burden, then it’s certain death.

We’ve landed kingfish trailing just a small (2-3 ounce) sinker attached to a trace from a previous encounter. These fish were a sad sight, in an extreme form of deterioration as a direct result of their plight. Multiply this weight and it doesn’t take rocket science to come to a stark conclusion.

One other distressing side effect has also come into play – sharks – bronze whalers in particular. These brown eating machines have shown up in large numbers at several prime kingfish jigging locations, and keeping hooked fish intact through to capture proves impossible at times. Places like the Volkner Rocks, Rocky Point and King Bank quickly come to mind in this regard. While it may be a simple coincidence, it would appear their numbers have swollen dramatically since the arrival of the mechanical-jigging craze. Have numerous debilitated kingfish, lost by jiggers and adorned with heavy metal, contributed to this unwanted population explosion? Maybe. Losing a kingfish to a mako is almost a thing of beauty, happening only occasionally. But watching a pack of brown mongrels tear your beautiful yellowtail asunder elicits a far different response – and it’s not nice. These fish appear to have capitalised on this situation, honing in on hooked fish and even engine and/or sounder noise.

So the simple message here is by all means keep on jigging, as it’s an ever-so productive and enjoyable way to catch kingfish. But please think carefully about where you are practicing your sport and the potential consequences thereof. When in doubt, go heavier in line-class selection – you and the fish will be better off for this decision.

	This article is reproduced with permission of New Zealand Fishing News 2010 - by Rick Pollock Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited