Advice & Info: Kingfish on deadbaits and lures

The summer of 1997-98 saw a funny tuna season in the Bay of Plenty. The expected meatball action never really eventuated and fish became increasingly difficult to catch on the troll. Charter boats and anglers wanting a shot at these marvellous sportfish needed to try different tactics. A few of the more adventurous have done just that and have reaped the rewards. One of the most consistent techniques has been chunking or, as it is more commonly known, cubing.

Over the last three or four seasons cubing has become an important weapon in the tuna fisher's arsenal. In recent years meatballs (balls of baitfish herded to the surface by feeding schools of skipjack tuna, albacore and, usually, yellowfin) have tended to be an afternoon phenomenon. And they do not happen every day.

Anglers wishing to catch fish in the mornings or on days where there has been no surface action have taken to drifting in the general area of activity with livebaits set at different depths. Their success has been greatly improved by feeding over a steady stream of fish pieces, chunking or cubing.

At first, the pieces were either cubes of skipjack tuna or pilchard sections. As skippers and crews became more familiar with the technique, they tried other bait types and it's now clear almost anything can be used. Chunked yellowtail and slimy mackerel, albacore, yellowfin, flying fish, virtually any type of fish cut into bite-size cubes will bring tuna to the boat if they're in the vicinity. Once this form of berleying was proven to be successful, it was only a small step for anglers to strayline a cube of bait back into the cube trail. This is cubing the way it has been practised in Australia for twenty years and more.

In the 1997-98 season cubing played a bigger part than ever in Bay of Plenty tuna fishing, and on the west coast of the North Island for those fishers in the know. With no surface action to speak of, anglers took to anchoring in areas known to hold tuna and, more importantly, bait. Water depth varied but tended to be around 50 or 60 metres with traditional tuna hot spots nor' east of Whale Island and off the mouth of the Motu River proving the most consistent.

The technique involves anchoring the boat and starting a cube trail using whatever bait is available. The cubes are slipped over the side at intervals of about 15 seconds, about as long as it takes for the last cube to disappear from sight. It's imperative that the trail remains unbroken so someone has to make sure that cubes are always going over the side. Most charter boats fish with a combination of livebaits set at various depths and free-lined cubes dropped back into the cube trail. This way it's possible to fish seven or eight anglers simultaneously. Success seems to be evenly spread between cubes and livies.

But the beauty of this style of fishing is that livebaits are not essential. It's quite acceptable to fish only cubes in the trail, after all, that' s what the tuna are following to the boat. And follow they do. Once there are fish in the trail, action can be fast and furious with several anglers likely to be 'bit' in quick succession. The danger is that the trail will be neglected in the excitement which could mean losing the fish altogether and having to start again.

Tuna will swim right up to the boat at times and swirl on drifting cubes. It's easy to lose your composure in such situations but staying calm is important for success. The fish this season have tended to be closer to forty kilos than thirty so it is essential that there are no glitches when they strike. A tip-wrap or a coil of loose line, an excitement-induced birdsnest or poor line control when the fish struck meant lost fish and broken gear.

To consistently get strikes from cubing, it's important that your cube is completely drag-free so that it drifts naturally down the berley trail at the same depth as the other cubes. Any drag on the line will cause the cube to rise up in the water column until it's well clear of the trail, and the strike zone. The more current there is, the more critical this becomes. To accomplish a drag-free drift you must peel line off the reel by hand. Don't let the weight of the cube do the job, otherwise you'll end up with your bait up near the surface and well away from the action. The best way I've found to ensure a drag-free drift is to put the rod in the holder with the clicker on and pull the line from the rod tip by hand. By leaving a coil or two of loose line on the water at all times you can be certain your bait is drifting as naturally as possible.

The take, when it comes, is emphatic, with the loose coils quickly disappearing and the ratchet beginning to howl. Leave the rod in the holder and engage the gears to set the hook. Once the fish is on and running, you can remove the rod from the holder and begin to fight your tuna. Alternatively, strap your rod into your stand-up harness with the clicker on and hand line off the rod tip in the same way. When the fish strikes, engage the gears and you're in business.

Tackle is very much a matter of personal preference. In recent years we've fished successfully for yellowfin with gear as light as 6kg. That was from a drifting boat. With an anchored boat, 10kg is a practical minimum and 15kg a more popular option. Many anglers choose 24kg, which is sensible enough considering the difficulty of controlling these fish. Certainly, they seem to be more difficult to land from an anchored boat. Whatever line class is used, the reel should hold at least 400 metres of line - more if it is less than 15kg. On lighter lines, runs of 600 metres have been common this season, though some fish never pull more than 50 metres off the reel.

Terminal tackle for cubing is simple in the extreme. On 24kg, no trace is needed at all.

Though you may wish to use a slightly heavier fluorocarbon leader. Leaders on other classes should be kept light (30kg) and leaders should be tied direct to the main line using a reliable knot like a No-name or Uni-knot. A swivel is not usually recommended as it will effect the sink rate of the bait.

Hooks need to be strong and sharp. Hook size will depend on the size of the cubes but it's important that the hooks be well-camouflaged in the bait as tuna can be very particular. Short shank 'livebait' styles between 4/0 and 7/0 are ideal, but normal beak or octopus hooks are adequate with lighter line classes. Circle hooks work very well and fish are invariably hooked in the corner of the mouth - useful if you wish to release tuna (which is viable even on relatively light tackle, despite what many people will tell you). Simply cut the line close to the hook, without lifting the fish from the water, or use pliers to prise out the hook. Circle hooks, even in very small sizes, are extremely strong but check that the eye is properly closed so that you don't damage your leader.

Cubing has opened up a whole new dimension for tuna fishers in the Bay and elsewhere. It uses very little fuel and can be undertaken from boats of any size. Some of the best fishing is just a few miles from shore. Although sharks can be a nuisance at times, most strikes come from tuna. Patience is usually rewarded with at least a couple of fish per session if you fish in the right area during the season (January to April) though the best fishing seems to be from the morning change of light through to 10am.