Jake Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Hi Raiders, I had a situation on sunday in MH when bringing up my live slimies. 3 different times a kingy would follow it up to the surface. I would keep the livie below the water about a metre to temp the King but it would sort of just circle around it, maybe slightly nudge it occasionaly, for about a minute or two then dissapear. I would drop the livie back down to mid water but nothing??? The kingy would have been around the 70cm mark and the slimy was about 30cm. Do you think the slimie was too big for the King? Cold water maybe put him off a bit? I was using 30lb braid, 40lb pound fluro leader and a 6/0 mustad king hook. Did this put him off? What am i doing wrong??? Should I maybe try and switch bait him with a lighter outfit with maybe a strip of squid or pillie cube? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm not too dissapointed as it was a great site, very exciting and has got me fired up for more. Still yet to catch a KING though. Cheers Jake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkymalinky Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Sometimes it just happens and there's nothing that seems to work but the first thing to do is start changing variable. Try a lighter leader (but I doubt that would make a difference). Try different bait... smaller livie, squid, fillet of slimie. Try cubing with bits of slimy or pillie then drift down one loaded with a hook. Try retrieving your slimy as fast as you can when you see a king following to make it think it's escaping. Try adding glow bait to your livie. Etc, Etc. IF one approach isn't working it could be down to a host of variables. The one thing you know is that what you're doing isn't working so try something else. Don't forget though that something as simple as a tide change may make all the difference. All you can do is think and work hard. I can guarantee that the raiders who do consistently well do both. Once you've cracked the pattern then repeat it for as long as it's working. Sometimes though, you won't crack the pattern. Cheers, Slinky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh88 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Probably try a smaller bait, i'm sure it could have swallowed it if it really wanted to but with the colder water and a slower metabolism that normal aggression isn't there. Try fresh squid gut and burst the inc sack as you put it in, i never pull a line up with one left on it. Still have to remember that being difficult for us is what fish do....kingies in particular! Good Luck Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netic Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Without a doubt 30cm slimie is not the best bait for a 70cm king, smaller baits would be more effective, also try a variety of baits, sometimes they will ignore a livie and smash a pillie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tan the fisherman Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Hi Raiders, I would keep the livie below the water about a metre to temp the King but it would sort of just circle around it, maybe slightly nudge it occasionaly, for about a minute or two then dissapear. Cheers Jake Dont worry mate - we have had two kingies maybe 90cms each follow our bait together right around our whole boat several times but we never got hit. The only thing I can think of is a smaller live bait. It does make a great sight though as you said!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humesy Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 G'day, Have been in that situation a few times, sometimes with little yakkas and fresh squid strips in the water. Have tried thrashing the water with surface lures as well. The only way to get a strike in the end was to throw a fresh yakka, which I knew would be spooked and swimming eratically and wildly. Another time I had livies ignored and a pillie was smashed. There seems to be no rhyme or reason at times. Just try what you can to see if you can trigger their feeding instincts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgey Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 This post made for great reading, Jake! I know how frustrated I get seeing smaller estuary fish following artificial lures to the top, but to have a kingie follow up a LIVE bait like that? .... unreal!!!! I hope you can coax the next one into committing, mate. Good luck! Hodgey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpinta Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 I had another rod at hand once with a small metal lure already rigged up. When a mate brought his livie in and couldnt get it to strike i dropped the lure in and jigged it erattically throught the water and he smashed it. It has worked on several other occasions now so i always keep one ready now. It doesnt always work but i would say it works more often than not. The lures i am talking about are those little white 5g lures that the salmon feed on when they are hard to catch. I rig it with a 1/0 or 2/0 baitholder hook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkymalinky Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 On the lure thing, 18 months ago I had a 65cm king follow a red rock cod up that I caught on a bait at the '3 sticks' harbour marker. All I had rigged up was a 3" stick bait on a bream rod but as soon as I dropped it in and gave it a jiggle the king snaffled it. We'd anchored so the boat had ended up only about 3m from the sticks but the stupid little bugger swam straight under the boat and into open water. Most unlucky king in history. Cheers, Slinky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 sometimes they will ignore a livie and smash a pillie or a peeled prawn. penguin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted June 23, 2008 Author Share Posted June 23, 2008 Great advice all-round Raiders, cheers!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigholio Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 A gun Auckland angler and tackle shop owner who fished with my Dad gave the tip for exactly what you describe (non-commital kingi 'nudging'). Pull up your livey & give it a few slashes with a sharp knife. A thrashing, dying unable-to-escape self berleying mack should tip them over the edge! I can tell you from experience that kingis of all sizes will take any size livie as long as the kingi can crush & fit the baits head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandas Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 If you have a smaller bait I would say use that first. A kingy will take a bigger bait if it realy wants to eat but in Winter aren't as desperate for food. Give them a smaller bait and they should suck it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southerly Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 (edited) Hi all, I concur with all of the above. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of a super fresh strip of slimey or yakka. very underrated baits in SH. One of the better small king baits offshore. I always have a livey down as they are the ultimate teaser/fish attractant but they do not always get the hit. At least it proves you were in the right spot. David Edited June 24, 2008 by southerly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inhlanzi Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Get a speargun!!!!! java script:emoticon('',%20'smid_18') Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted June 24, 2008 Author Share Posted June 24, 2008 Of course!! A speargun!!!! Why didn't I think of that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Of course!! A speargun!!!! Why didn't I think of that! That would be cheating and no fun penguin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the1murph Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 Probably try a smaller bait, i'm sure it could have swallowed it if it really wanted to but with the colder water and a slower metabolism that normal aggression isn't there. Try fresh squid gut and burst the inc sack as you put it in, i never pull a line up with one left on it. Still have to remember that being difficult for us is what fish do....kingies in particular! Good Luck Josh top idea... i recon it would work a treat! also really small bream soft plastics with a small but high gauge jighead seems to work for me when we get kings in the berley stream or chasing up baits Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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