Pittwater Kingfish Sunday

Martin · April 13, 2005

It has been a long 8 busy weeks with work and family duties so at long last I had a chance to go fishing Sunday with my 7-year-old son Matthew.

We pulled into Bayview boat ramp a bit before 8am. The place was packed, yet not a soul in sight. It was not until we got back to the ramp that afternoon that I realised a fishing comp was on, with all sorts of boat rigs geared up for bream. Everything from something that looked as though it belonged in the Bridge to Bridge race to Polycrafts, Hornets and a BBQ pontoon competing. Many of the boats sporting some form of sponsors name on the side. I’m sure there was a Polycraft in red with Yabbie Marine on it.

Any way it was to be a bit of an easy day for us. We started with a drift at the mouth of the Hawkesbury for zilch, plus a visit from a NSW Fisheries boat doing a routine check. This was a first in my lifetime. Next we anchored up at Juno on the run out as part of our everlasting quest for a Jewfish of some note. In 2 hours we only managed two flathead which were just keepers and not a touch on the set rods for Jewfish except for the usual pickers.

I decided we would head back to Pittwater in the hope we would get lucky with some bream when Matthew said what about we try for a big kingfish Dad. (Sure son, not wanting to shatter the little guys enthusiasm and dreams) In frustration and not knowing where to fish I settled for a spot between McCarrs Creek and Elvina Bay and anchored. My expectations were not high and all I wanted was a bream or two that would keep Matthew happy.

We had some burly, previously instructed for removal from the freezer by the keeper of the household. A thick burley trail was commenced, made up of prawn heads from dinner the night before, old frozen packet squid, white bait, yellowtail, prawns and pilchards. I drifted a whole unweighted dead squid at Matthew's instructions not wanting to disappoint a 7 year olds enthusiasm. We set up our bream rods, loosing our prawns and white baits to pickers. Matthew didn’t seem to mind, as he was happy just getting bites.

About half an hour into it, I look down and there are kingfish just a meter or so below the surface cruising through eating bits of burly. Then the shoreline explodes as bait fish shower the water. Shortly after my bream rod goes off with a scream and then nothing. Inspection revels spat bait with a hook turned back into the bait. I quickly bring in the10kg overhead rod with a whole squid on an 8/0, check it and float it out again before re-baiting up the my 4kg bream rod with an old pilchard tail on a 2/0, thinking this will be fun and cast it towards the shore. Two kings cruise past the back of the boat again much to Matthews’s excitement. About the same time, my bream rod out the back is picked up at a slow cruise patrol swim pace. Just as I tighten up and set the hook line just peels off the spool and I come up solid. Hey I’m in with a chance as his first run was not too bad and I’m thinking there cannot be too much structure around for him to play dirty. The next run was a different storey as line stripped off and I thought, to late to pull anchor and chase as now we may have a problem as he rounds the point for Elvina Bay. I went for broke changing angles of the rod to put what pressure I could apply to try and turn him. Turn he did to the bow of a tinnie at anchor. I applied more pressure by holding the spool; he doubled back away from their anchor letting me gain a healthy amount of line back on the spool. Just as I thought this kingfish is a sprinter and no long distance stayer he kicked into overdrive. Now the tinnie with four guys having a fish once more became the target of his affections. This time round I could see my line disappear into to the waster just to their stern, so he must be surface to mid-water.

I lowered the angle of the rod and applied pressure to turn him left, and left he went, Rod tip up, brakes applied with some added hand pressure to the spool and he slows up. Now I was gaining once more and it was a pump and wined slug it out never say die effort from the king. This went on for about 3 minutes till he regrouped and assaulted my little out fit again with a solid run for the shallows of the shoreline to the stern of the boat. Once more the area rained bait fish in panic as I now tried to get him into deeper water. The fight moved to the other side of the boat and we even had a little spectator fleet of three boats gather to watch. All who were kind enough to keep there distance and move if they felt they might be in the way.

A good 15 minutes must have passed and we finally got our first look see before he saw us and went straight under the boat on his way to the bottom. Not much I could do except keep the rod tip in the water while I walked the rod round keeping the tip below the outboard. All clear and he goes for another arching run down and around the stern to the other side once more.

From here, we finally reached the closing stage where he swam with a steady beat of the tail in arching circles just like a yellow fin tuna. On each circle he was deep near the boat and almost surface on the outer circle. A little more pressure with my hand on the spool and he was in range. Matthew appeared with the net and then realised he may not fit. I had him boat side and circling and Matthew was keen on him so in went the gaff and I lifted him aboard, too the cheers and a few congratulations from the boats around us.

Matthew was pretty excited and you would think we had just boated a grander and I must admit I was feeling a little pleased myself. Back home he measured 72cm. That’s a lot of fight out of a fish on 4kg tackle and I don’t think of myself as a slouch on a rod. Our first Kingfish on what I call light tackle in Pittwater was a ton of fun to catch.

As a side note he had another hook in his mouth trailing some line. The hook was in good condition so I assume may have only been 2 or 3 days old.

Photo of my fishing buddy and the Kingfish

Cheers

Martin