Sydney Hoodlums

[namesay]

The past spring has been an extraordinary season. The run of kingfish off Sydney has been getting better each and every year since the abolition of the pelagic kingfish traps in the late 90's. We are finally seeing the fruits of this momentus decision and the run of hoodlum kingfish this spring has been one to remember.

Fish like this 16kg kingie have been very prolific. Most trips will see a few fish of this size being encountered.

It wasn't that long ago a meter long kingfish was a very good fish off Sydney but the game has moved on. If the kingfish stocks are managed correctly, we will sustainably return to the good ole days and have fantastic fishing for our kids and grandkids. The banning of all commercial fishing in Sydney harbour has seen the fish stocks coming back bigger and better than ever.

There has been a sprinkling of 20kg+ fish as well. This spring has seen around half a dozen of these bigger fellas (130cm + ) being landed on my boat and many being lost. These fish command respect and require a bit of luck as well to land. I am sure our tackle shops are appreciating the extra business these fish bring.

Often the tackle we are using has been as hard on the angler as it has been to the fish.

But heavy tackle is necessary to handle these hoodlums. Chasing hoodlums is specialised fishing as most fishing these days tend to be. The coming months promise more fantastic fishing with the black marlin bite coming down our coast but I am glad that our kings have returned with a vengence!

Edited December 4, 2012 by namesay

[namesay]

As the kingfish situation shows, rather than having marine parks which lock out rec fishos it is far better to manage the fishery by controlling commercial exploitation. Most of the bigger fish ( 20kg+ ) that were caught by me were released to breed and fight another day with a lot of fish being released prematurely! This is sustainable fishing.

If the fishery is managed properly I am sure in the years to come we will be regularly talking about 30kg fish off Sydney. We are fortunate to be living right smack in the middle of the greatest concentration of kingfish in the world. In my opinion it is a resource better than all the gold in the world.

[erroll]

Couldn't agree more. A cracking start to the warmer months. I have been smoked three times in the past month by monsters and can't get enough of it. Well done on those big bruisers mate.

Cheers

Edited December 5, 2012 by erroll

[Hooked-Up]

ahhhh namesay, your still around and still smashing the kings lol, good to see mate and great work.

[rjc123]

Great stuff namesay!

Brilliant report with some cracker kings.

From the looks of it you got a few of them within the harbour. Not looking for a specific spot but what area have you been finding them?

Hopefully I'll have a crack this weekend

Cheers, Tom

[mikeh191]

Well Done on your Thumper Kings Namesay,your 100% correct about the commercial banning with big fish being caught every year not only in sydney harbour.Over the past 2 months on and off Port hacking has been producing 1m+ kings with many unstoppables too.Bring on summer and bigger fish.

Cheers Mike

[craigbutcher]

Well Done on your Thumper Kings Namesay,your 100% correct about the commercial banning with big fish being caught every year not only in sydney harbour.Over the past 2 months on and off Port hacking has been producing 1m+ kings with many unstoppables too.Bring on summer and bigger fish.

Cheers Mike

Solid kingies bra! Question for you, when you are running livies in the harbour, how heavy is your braid, leader & what rod and reel do you run with?

Interested! I sit around the 40lb POWER PRO braid and 50lb leader with SHIMANO SUSTAIN & TEREZ. Lose a few stonker kings though!

Butch

[Salmon_Hunter]

Downrigged Live squid no doubt?

Love your work, and yes, there has been some amazing kings caught these last few years.

[lostproperty]

Great fish mate, also keen to know what kind of bait/lures have been working for you best. Not sure if its just the timing of the photos and whether they are taken well after being caught but looks like its around midday that you have caught them?

[plankton]

Champion good catches man!

[namesay]

Solid kingies bra! Question for you, when you are running livies in the harbour, how heavy is your braid, leader & what rod and reel do you run with?

Interested! I sit around the 40lb POWER PRO braid and 50lb leader with SHIMANO SUSTAIN & TEREZ. Lose a few stonker kings though!

Butch

You'll get more bites the lighter you fish. But this almost rules you out when you do hook a 50 or 60lb fish. I use either Varivas GT popping braid in 120lb or Jigman 8X PE8 which is 113lb. Still get dusted sometimes but you are in with a chance.

When bait fishing I like a rod with a little more length say 6-7''. Just broke one of my new rods but I love the shimano T curve ocea, kingmack and the nitro godzilla series. I just got a shimano terez overhead rod rated for 40-100lb last week but only caught 5 kings on it so can't say how it will go longer term but looks good at the moment.

Reels are either shimano stella 20000 or Daiwa saltiga 6500for spinning reels. They are expensive but stand up to heavy duty fishing...just.The drag washers have been changed a number of times on my reels in the last 3-4 years.

I favour overheads when fishing for kings and my absolute favourite is the Trinidad 40N. They are no longer available but are bullet proof. The newer lever drags are OK but the stand out is the jigging master PE8 reel as these reels do not stiffen up when heavy drag is applied. The Shimano talica doesn't have infinite reverse which is an appalling oversight by shimano as this reel is advertised as a "jigging" reel.That little bit of free play in the anti reverse is VERY annoying. I do have several daiwa saltiga overheads with custom drags to increase their drag pressure. These reels have stood up to the test and have worked well for me.

Kings are tough on tackle as the fishing is almost like hand to hand combat. They run for structure and destroy you and your tackle so the drag pressures used for these fish are much higher than for other pelagic fish in more open water.

I am just glad to see these big fish making a come back in our waters.

Edited December 5, 2012 by namesay

[namesay]

Great stuff namesay!

Brilliant report with some cracker kings.

From the looks of it you got a few of them within the harbour. Not looking for a specific spot but what area have you been finding them?

Hopefully I'll have a crack this weekend

Cheers, Tom

This is a question I get asked VERY often. The spots for kingfish are no secrets as they are well known. You can even buy maps in tackle stores which show all the good kingfish spots in Sydney. The trick is to be there when the fish are there. I move around a lot when fishing for kings. Often travelling many many kilometers. My theory is that kings will hit your bait or lure within seconds or not take it at all. The more you present a bait or a lure to a kingfish, the less they will be enticed. They are not like murray cod and are not territorial. You can't irritate a king into taking a lure or bait.

With this in mind, you can either wait for the fish to come to you or you can go to the fish. I prefer the latter. My anchor is rusting out from lack of use as I am constantly on the move.

. Last week while fishing with my mate Peter we got fish in 5-7m of water but it is very difficult to drag them out from the shallows.

These kings are on the verge of breeding and are feeding up so where ever there is bait, the kings will follow

Got done more than we'd like. To have a better chance I look for deeper water but the secret is the presence of bait.

Areas where you find these fellas is a good place to start!

[rjc123]

This is a question I get asked VERY often. The spots for kingfish are no secrets as they are well known. You can even buy maps in tackle stores which show all the good kingfish spots in Sydney. The trick is to be there when the fish are there. I move around a lot when fishing for kings. Often travelling many many kilometers. My theory is that kings will hit your bait or lure within seconds or not take it at all. The more you present a bait or a lure to a kingfish, the less they will be enticed. They are not like murray cod and are not territorial. You can't irritate a king into taking a lure or bait.

With this in mind, you can either wait for the fish to come to you or you can go to the fish. I prefer the latter. My anchor is rusting out from lack of use as I am constantly on the move.

. Last week while fishing with my mate Peter we got fish in 5-7m of water but it is very difficult to drag them out from the shallows.

These kings are on the verge of breeding and are feeding up so where ever there is bait, the kings will follow

Got done more than we'd like. To have a better chance I look for deeper water but the secret is the presence of bait.

Areas where you find these fellas is a good place to start!

Thanks for that!

Will keep it in mind!

Cheers, Tom

[Dazzlar]

Great posts namesay a man with a lot of knowledge on kings. I wish the government would ecknowledge that's how it should be managed

[lostproperty]

This is a question I get asked VERY often. The spots for kingfish are no secrets as they are well known. You can even buy maps in tackle stores which show all the good kingfish spots in Sydney. The trick is to be there when the fish are there. I move around a lot when fishing for kings. Often travelling many many kilometers. My theory is that kings will hit your bait or lure within seconds or not take it at all. The more you present a bait or a lure to a kingfish, the less they will be enticed. They are not like murray cod and are not territorial. You can't irritate a king into taking a lure or bait.

With this in mind, you can either wait for the fish to come to you or you can go to the fish. I prefer the latter. My anchor is rusting out from lack of use as I am constantly on the move.

. Last week while fishing with my mate Peter we got fish in 5-7m of water but it is very difficult to drag them out from the shallows.

These kings are on the verge of breeding and are feeding up so where ever there is bait, the kings will follow

Got done more than we'd like. To have a better chance I look for deeper water but the secret is the presence of bait.

Areas where you find these fellas is a good place to start!

Amazing mate, thanks for sharing!

[namesay]

Even fish like this guy (11kg) will give you a run for your money in the shallows. They can be very stubborn but at this size you can stop their runs most of the time.

But today I had a couple of fish which destroyed my tackle in 50+m of water. One fish took around 80m of line before finding the bottom. Another broke the rod at the butt and took my whole outfit!It was a brand new Shimano T curve Ocea rod. Only a week or so old.

The tackle store where I bought the rod has been talking with the shimano rep. Will see how this saga turns out but I am cheesed off about losing a good fish, a good reel and braid . I have broken several rods in my life but NEVER from the butt like this rod did.

I did manage to land a couple of fish to 130cm but I have a feeling the ones that got away were better fish. We will never know.

Photos of fish when you are fishing on your own aren't too flash but serve the purpose.The hatch on my boat is 72cm long so you get an idea on the size of the fish.

Edited December 5, 2012 by namesay

[stevo-72]

Great report mate ... and from past years, you are a great wealth of knowledge. Ive also broken many rods from fishing to transporting them or just being a silly bugger but yet to see one go BANG in the but section...LOL hope they replace it for you.

[namesay]

Great report mate ... and from past years, you are a great wealth of knowledge. Ive also broken many rods from fishing to transporting them or just being a silly bugger but yet to see one go BANG in the but section...LOL hope they replace it for you.

I hoping that as well. The rod comes with a 12 month warranty. It wasn't abused and was correctly used for the purpose it was designed. Damage or other losses coming from defective construction is also something that is covered by the consumer laws in Australia so the loss of my reel and line is another issue that needs attention.

Lucky I suffered no personal injury ... apart from sore shoulders and back from winding in kingies

This is from the shimano website describing the Ocea series of rods-

"The two spin and two overheads are designed for use with 15 to 37 kilo Power Pro and other braided lines, which is the way of the future in stand-up game fishing.

While intended as switch baiting rods, the Oceas are equally at home trolling for tuna, kings and other bluewater ruffians.''

Seems like I was doing what the Shimano guys described the rod to do!

[namesay]

Great posts namesay a man with a lot of knowledge on kings. I wish the government would ecknowledge that's how it should be managed

I find it hard to believe that there is no tonnage quota for kingfish! Rec fishos have bag and size limits. Fisheries can estimate how many fish are taken by rec fishos based on catch data. But the commercial fishermen have no quota for kings!!!.It is like an open cheque book. How can you say you are managing fish stocks if the pros are given no limits to how many they can catch .

The commercial value of kingfish has risen since the introduction of sushi and sashimi in this country. I still remember when kingfish were considered ''mother-in -law'' fish and weren't considered proper food. Guys used to curse kingfish as they wrecked their snapper gear. Catching kings on old fashioned mono was a challenge much bigger than it is now with our super lines. I still remember the 80's when large kingfish and yellowfin were prolific and we managed some incredible captures on primitive gear. In the 21st century kingfish have a second chance.

I believe the size limit should be larger for kings. The minimum size should be 75cm as this is the size when the fish is ready to breed. If you are to take a fish out of the system you should let it replace itself. 75cm makes sense as the fish has had a chance to breed at least once.

There should also be a reduction in the bag limits. 5 is too many for a fairly large fish like kingfish. 2 or 3 is plenty.

However, most importantly there should be a commercial tonnage quota on kingfish ASAP. The commercial sector for far too long have had a proportionally bigger voice than rec fishos. They show figures that outline how much they contribute to the economy and use that to bully politicians.

Ever since the introduction of a fishing licence, rec fishos have shown that we contribute to the economy in a far bigger way than previously thought. The only problem has been that we have not been united in our voice but that is slowly changing with forums like this and with social media. Remember the super trawler? Rec fishos are finally finding their voice.

The saving grace for kingfish have been farmed fish. These kings are fat and this makes them far superior in its eating qualities. All rec fishos should recommend them to their non fishing mates! Hopfully these farmed fish will out compete the wild fish and plain economics will prevail in the market place and the wild fish will be there for all of us to enjoy

Edited December 5, 2012 by namesay

[mgj]

Kelvin,

Good to see you posting again-well done as usual.

I often see you catching livies before heading out to those outside reefs.

I only flyfish and I've done OK lately.I have a few deepwater fly techniqes

sorted out.Next week I go to NZ after XOS Kingies.

Here are some recent Sydney pics.This Kingie went 86cm.

Mark

Edited December 5, 2012 by mgj

[mgj]

Kelvin,

Good to see you posting again-well done as usual.

I often see you catching livies before heading out to those outside reefs.

I only flyfish and I've done OK lately.I have a few deepwater fly techniqes

sorted out.Next week I go to NZ after XOS Kingies.

Here are some recent Sydney pics.

Mark

[namesay]

Mark I hope you have a ball over in NZ.

Are you going to do any conventional fishing or is it fly only?

By the way I LOVE bait fishing. Fishing for tiddlers always gets me in and we really have to remind ourselves to stop fishing for bait and go fishing for real.

Squidding in particular is something I can't get enough of. In the last few years this too has become a specialised form of fishing. No longer do we use handlines and tie on an orange bit of plastic but use all the hi tech eging gear.

You should hear all the oohs and ahhs whenever a big squid or slimey mackeral is brought onto my boat. Sometimes it creates more excitement than a 15kg kingie

[mgj]

Mark I hope you have a ball over in NZ.

Are you going to do any conventional fishing or is it fly only?

By the way I LOVE bait fishing. Fishing for tiddlers always gets me in and we really have to remind ourselves to stop fishing for bait and go fishing for real.

Squidding in particular is something I can't get enough of. In the last few years this too has become a specialised form of fishing. No longer do we use handlines and tie on an orange bit of plastic but use all the hi tech eging gear.

You should hear all the oohs and ahhs whenever a big squid or slimey mackeral is brought onto my boat. Sometimes it creates more excitement than a 15kg kingie

Kelvin,

I do both over there.On my 6500 Saltiga Gear the biggest I have landed went 28kg and on fly 21 kg-I hope to do better this year.

Mark

[mgj]

Kelvin,

I do both over there.On my 6500 Saltiga Gear the biggest I have landed went 28kg and on fly 21 kg-I hope to do better this year.

Mark

Edited December 5, 2012 by mgj

[quintrex480]

This is a question I get asked VERY often. The spots for kingfish are no secrets as they are well known. You can even buy maps in tackle stores which show all the good kingfish spots in Sydney. The trick is to be there when the fish are there. I move around a lot when fishing for kings. Often travelling many many kilometers. My theory is that kings will hit your bait or lure within seconds or not take it at all. The more you present a bait or a lure to a kingfish, the less they will be enticed. They are not like murray cod and are not territorial. You can't irritate a king into taking a lure or bait.

With this in mind, you can either wait for the fish to come to you or you can go to the fish. I prefer the latter. My anchor is rusting out from lack of use as I am constantly on the move.

. Last week while fishing with my mate Peter we got fish in 5-7m of water but it is very difficult to drag them out from the shallows.

These kings are on the verge of breeding and are feeding up so where ever there is bait, the kings will follow

Got done more than we'd like. To have a better chance I look for deeper water but the secret is the presence of bait.

Areas where you find these fellas is a good place to start!

Great Kings mate! you definitely know your stuff. I totally agree with you about "kings will hit your bait or lure within seconds or not take it at all". I've been out many times to spots where I usually land these hoods, I sound them out and they are definitely there, but they just won't hit the squid. What do you reckon that is? and got any tips on how to entice them to strike? maybe they are full and I got there a tad too late maybe?

thanks