Do Kingys Bight At Night?

[NoviceFisho]

Hi Fellow raiders. Thinking about going out tonight at my usual in shore reef spot it's almost full moon now and temp seems to be good for a fish. Only ever caught one kingy before and was wondering if you can catch them at night?? Would appreciate any tips on where to catch yakkas and squid around the spit bridge area. Thanks

[Hooked-Up]

Hi Fellow raiders. Thinking about going out tonight at my usual in shore reef spot it's almost full moon now and temp seems to be good for a fish. Only ever caught one kingy before and was wondering if you can catch them at night?? Would appreciate any tips on where to catch yakkas and squid around the spit bridge area. Thanks

hi mate, mainly no they dont bite at night, however i have heard of a couple of kings being caught in the dark whilst fishhing for jew but i think it was lucky, i think it has to do with them being mainly a sight feeder and its a bit harder for them to see at night, anyway good luck.

[chewsta]

One night squidding on my boat, I watched fellow Raider "Miller" and mate TJ (in their boat) bringing up squid, rigging them up and sending them straight back down to hook up to kingy after kingy in the middle of the night while they continued to try squidding. Hooked up is right though, with his comment regarding visual hunting. This area was very well lit up.

[NoviceFisho]

Thanks fpor that Hooked up appreciate the feedback. Hopefully with the full moon on tonight i might have some luck.Either way i'll be there till day break maybe then i'll get some either way i'll post and let you know what happens.

hi mate, mainly no they dont bite at night, however i have heard of a couple of kings being caught in the dark whilst fishhing for jew but i think it was lucky, i think it has to do with them being mainly a sight feeder and its a bit harder for them to see at night, anyway good luck.

[jewgaffer]

Hi Novicefisho.

In regard to fishing for Kingfish in the night time, Kingfish are usually day time feeders and are at their peak feeding periods when the schools follow the bait run in which are generally larger in numbers when they are assisted by a run in tide during winds with an easterly aspect. Kingfish follow the bait schools and come in close around structure such as surf rocks etc to get amongst baitfish which can't go any further when the tide starts to run back, and Kingfish schools go into bays and places like Sydney Harbour to feed on baitfish and squid during run in tides that always appear to coincide with day light hours.

Pittwater and the mouth of Brisbane Waters around Little Box Head is about as far as they like to go in the Hawkesbury, although kingfish, bonito, frigate mackeral and salmon have been caught together in the early parts of Cowan when tailor are running and that's more likely to happen on days when the top of the tide occurs in the early morning. Apart from Pittwater and the natural sweep into Cowan, Kingfish don't usually travel much further than the mouth of the river proper as it narrows and sweeps around Juno although a few years ago I picked up a Jewfish on one rod and a take home size Kingfish on the other using arrow squid at the rail bridge and posted the pic up in a reply to a Kingfish post a while back.

They don't seem to come in during a run in tide that starts off near nightfall and tops around midnight to get into baitfish for example and for some reason Kingfish don't seem to be active during night hours even if they may still be in there. I think that if Kingfish were caught during the night time in Pittwater for example it would have been known as a regular occurence by now just going on the number of night fishermen that launch at Bayview and fish for Jewfish in Pittwater in spots such as out from Stokes Point and off Longnose Point for instance and these are spots that have been long regarded as being among the better Kingfish spots in Pittwater in the day time.

Cheers

jewgaffer

Edited February 27, 2010 by jewgaffer

[luderick59]

i used to find it hard to get kings and tailor the morning after the full moon as they were feeding all night in the brightness of the moon on baitfish

peter

[jewgaffer]

i used to find it hard to get kings and tailor the morning after the full moon as they were feeding all night in the brightness of the moon on baitfish

peter

This is a reliable example you've given Peter from observations that you've made yourself based on your own experience regarding the effects of artificial light to an extent perhaps and in this case the effect of the brightness of the moon on the feeding habits of Kingfish and Tailor. I'm now satisfied that Kingfish will come in close at night to feed on baitfish etc but do you think that only applies to certain areas at night Peter?

What's got me beat is why Pittwater fishermen who fish for jewfish in deepwater around moored boats at night, including myself in the past, don't seem to strike Kingfish among the baitfish that can either in the proximity or can burleyed around the boat more often than not. Whereas the same night fishermen would catch Kingfish and baitfish around the same moored boats in the daylight hours. Any thoughts about this not happening at night Peter, I'm thinking bait fish that are in deepwater and as hardy as Kingfish are that the baitfish are safer from Kingfish in deepwater in night time conditions perhaps?

It's common to use artificial light to attract squid or light up a squid jig or fish bait for that matter, but the closest I've seen to the effect of light on Kingfish was in Botany Bay early last year where a group of landbased fisherman were using lanterns for their own use perhaps to light up the fishing area at Kyeemah, and happened to strike a school of Kingfish that momentarily swooped in so close to the Cooks river side of the rock platform that they were almost under their feet and this happened about half an hour before the first show of light as the tide turned to run out.

Cheers

jewgaffer

[NoviceFisho]

Hi Mako

Thanks for the info very much appreciated. I can tell you that you were all correct. No king fish at night plenty of tailor feeding during the full moon and a few bream. But come day break the king fish decided to come out and play. The tailor disapeared i had 2 rods set up with live tailor as bait and was fishing a small light rod with a small hook for bream when the king fish struck. Only problem was that he struck my light gear rod which was not equiped with enough line or strong enough to hold on to him. After a 30 second strugle to gain some line back and some good deep runs from him. The dreaded Ping! and up comes my line minus the 2/0 hook. Was cursing for at least 20 minutes after that. To top it all off my motor would not fire after cranking a few minutes batery was dead and so was i in the water. All this with a tsunami warning on the radio to boot.

Thanks to the boys from marine resue i was able to return back to the ramp and go home swearing i will never try for kingys at night again!!

Hi Novicefisho.

In regard to fishing for Kingfish in the night time, Kingfish are usually day time feeders and are at their peak feeding periods when the schools follow the bait run in which are generally larger in numbers when they are assisted by a run in tide during winds with an easterly aspect. Kingfish follow the bait schools and come in close around structure such as surf rocks etc to get amongst baitfish which can't go any further when the tide starts to run back, and Kingfish schools go into bays and places like Sydney Harbour to feed on baitfish and squid during run in tides that always appear to coincide with day light hours.

Pittwater and the mouth of Brisbane Waters around Little Box Head is about as far as they like to go in the Hawkesbury, although kingfish, bonito, frigate mackeral and salmon have been caught together in the early parts of Cowan when tailor are running and that's more likely to happen on days when the top of the tide occurs in the early morning. Apart from Pittwater and the natural sweep into Cowan, Kingfish don't usually travel much further than the mouth of the river proper as it narrows and sweeps around Juno although a few years ago I picked up a Jewfish on one rod and a take home size Kingfish on the other using arrow squid at the rail bridge and posted the pic up in a reply to a Kingfish post a while back.

They don't seem to come in during a run in tide that starts off near nightfall and tops around midnight to get into baitfish for example and for some reason Kingfish don't seem to be active during night hours even if they may still be in there. I think that if Kingfish were caught during the night time in Pittwater for example it would have been known as a regular occurence by now just going on the number of night fishermen that launch at Bayview and fish for Jewfish in Pittwater in spots such as out from Stokes Point and off Longnose Point for instance and these are spots that have been long regarded as being among the better Kingfish spots in Pittwater in the day time.

Cheers

jewgaffer

[eagle ray]

Down in South Oz they catch big ones at night.

[luderick59]

This is a reliable example you've given Peter from observations that you've made yourself based on your own experience regarding the effects of artificial light to an extent perhaps and in this case the effect of the brightness of the moon on the feeding habits of Kingfish and Tailor. I'm now satisfied that Kingfish will come in close at night to feed on baitfish etc but do you think that only applies to certain areas at night Peter?

What's got me beat is why Pittwater fishermen who fish for jewfish in deepwater around moored boats at night, including myself in the past, don't seem to strike Kingfish among the baitfish that can either in the proximity or can burleyed around the boat more often than not. Whereas the same night fishermen would catch Kingfish and baitfish around the same moored boats in the daylight hours. Any thoughts about this not happening at night Peter, I'm thinking bait fish that are in deepwater and as hardy as Kingfish are that the baitfish are safer from Kingfish in deepwater in night time conditions perhaps?

It's common to use artificial light to attract squid or light up a squid jig or fish bait for that matter, but the closest I've seen to the effect of light on Kingfish was in Botany Bay early last year where a group of landbased fisherman were using lanterns for their own use perhaps to light up the fishing area at Kyeemah, and happened to strike a school of Kingfish that momentarily swooped in so close to the Cooks river side of the rock platform that they were almost under their feet and this happened about half an hour before the first show of light as the tide turned to run out.

Cheers

jewgaffer

[luderick59]

hi byron

i think maybe its only on the bait grounds that the kings feed on the full moon at night

when fishing for jew at night you may be fishing diferent areas not normally bait groundsso not any kings

peter

[jordan]

Yes they do.

A mate caught a nice king few night ago while fishing for tailor.

but you best to target them day time.

[outfisher]

Was a guy catching them tonight at rosebay wharf at 8pm he had 7 fish

we had no rods but the fish were on the surface and he used a popper thats what he called it

and he was catching them into the dark