Are kings the most frustrating?

[Nolongeramember]

Hey mate,

Yes I threw stick baits at them too! I was land based so no trolling involved. I've caught many while trolling, lures and livies. It was just this one instance for 2 whole friggin hours that I couldn't get a hook up no matter what I did. The worst part was I had time to think of everything I could do to get a hook up but no joy!

No weight at all? Just the plastic and bare hook. Makes a big difference when they are surface feeding.

Also, forgot to ask but did you get a look at what they were feeding on and the size? Sometimes matching the hatch is impossible when the bait is microscopic. That's where the larger plastics come in...

[Guest mike2153]

Mate one problem I have is how do you know what the salmon are feeding on I've tried to look for bait fish swimming around them etc but all

I ever see is the salmon, yea I've never caught a barra either hahaha, you'll get there they obviusly just didn't want to play today

[Scratchie]

Try these Scratchie, sometimes they work.

Drop a bit of burley into the water, and drop a small piece of bait in with the burley (squid strip, piece of fish fillet but not too big, on a small hook, about size 2) and let it sink. Sometimes the kingies will grab your bait, but you need to be quick to strike.

If the kingies are smart, they will not touch the sinking bait, so slowly jig it upwards. When the kingie swims up to it, pull the bait away quickly, but only a short distance. If the kingie swims back to the bait, pull it away quickly again, sometimes they will have a grab at it.

If that does not work, try a bit of burly but bounce the bait on the surface, lift it a short distance out of the water and drop it back onto the surface like a wounded small fish. Quite often they will have a grab.

Another way is to use a fillet of yellowtail, tailor, mackerel, about 10 to 15cm long. Cut some diagonal slashes across the flesh part, so the fillet looks a bit mangled, thread a hook, about size 2, into part of the fillet so that the hook is covered above the line, and drop the bait in front of the kingie. When the kingie swims up to the bait, give the fillet a short but sharp jig, so that small cut pieces of flesh drop off.

With these techniques, you are fishing a short length of line to the hook, so you will need to be quick to set the hook, as the kingie will spit out the bait when it feels the hook. If you hook up, be prepared for a fast get away by the fish.

If none of these work, head for home.

Thanks for that yowie! I'll will be sure to try some of those techniques when I'm there with bait!

[Scratchie]

No weight at all? Just the plastic and bare hook. Makes a big difference when they are surface feeding.

Also, forgot to ask but did you get a look at what they were feeding on and the size? Sometimes matching the hatch is impossible when the bait is microscopic. That's where the larger plastics come in...

Sorry, I did have a jig head..... As for what they were feeding on were about 3inch size live bait in their thousands.

[Nolongeramember]

Mate one problem I have is how do you know what the salmon are feeding on I've tried to look for bait fish swimming around them etc but all

I ever see is the salmon, yea I've never caught a barra either hahaha, you'll get there they obviusly just didn't want to play today

Yep I know what you mean. They were probably so tiny you didn't even notice them.

[fisholb]

Mate...always bring bait...so u have more chances of hooking one...sometimes the fish will prefer bait than lures...also try the squid skirts on float...works most of the time for the kingys/salmon/bonito and other pelagics...goodluck...

[Scratchie]

Thank you to all raiders for your input!

It goes to show how valuable for knowledge this site is. Everyone has a different technique or choice of bait/lure that works for them and are happy to share that info.

It doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work for me but it can be something that I try or something that I haven't thought to try, hence increasing my knowledge and chance of catching that fish.

I hope everyone that has read this thread has got something out of it, thanks again for all your feedback!

Cheers scratchie!!!

[jordy]

Fished a southcoast jetty all night live baiting for kings with yakkas for zilch.when packing up in the morning left last yakka out and started throwing left over prawns out watching the slimies and yakkas in a feeding frenzy.low and behold a pair of 1 metre plus kings cruised around the Melee.cranked the live bait in and dangled it on their noses to no affect tried butterfly yakka and fillets on the 10kg outfit they did not want a bar of it.as a last throw of the dice grabbed the bream gear 5kg mono straight through 1/0 suicide hook and floated a whole prawn down with the last hand full of prawns.whacko I'm on and a terrific 20 min battle raged which in the end seen my mate climb down the ladder at end of jetty and release the big bruiser.only regret camera packed up only a great memory of my biggest king caught.

[Krispy !]

Fished a southcoast jetty all night live baiting for kings with yakkas for zilch.when packing up in the morning left last yakka out and started throwing left over prawns out watching the slimies and yakkas in a feeding frenzy.low and behold a pair of 1 metre plus kings cruised around the Melee.cranked the live bait in and dangled it on their noses to no affect tried butterfly yakka and fillets on the 10kg outfit they did not want a bar of it.as a last throw of the dice grabbed the bream gear 5kg mono straight through 1/0 suicide hook and floated a whole prawn down with the last hand full of prawns.whacko I'm on and a terrific 20 min battle raged which in the end seen my mate climb down the ladder at end of jetty and release the big bruiser.only regret camera packed up only a great memory of my biggest king caught.

Mate targetting kings at night is almost pointless, they come around and begin to feed at sunrise as you experienced.

[Spooooled]

Thank you to all raiders for your input!

It goes to show how valuable for knowledge this site is. Everyone has a different technique or choice of bait/lure that works for them and are happy to share that info.

It doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work for me but it can be something that I try or something that I haven't thought to try, hence increasing my knowledge and chance of catching that fish.

I hope everyone that has read this thread has got something out of it, thanks again for all your feedback!

Cheers scratchie!!!

Rapala SXR12 in glass ghost colour or the SXR10 in the same colour, or the lively lures Mack bait in 4inch or 5inch. Ever give them a go? Have always worked for me when nothing else seems to be working.

[Scratchie]

Rapala SXR12 in glass ghost colour or the SXR10 in the same colour, or the lively lures Mack bait in 4inch or 5inch. Ever give them a go? Have always worked for me when nothing else seems to be working.

No I haven't but I'll be looking out for them next time I'm shopping!

If got a few things to try first but waiting for this bloody wind to p$&s off!

[Scratchie]

Ok, so after a few days to reflect and a few at work, I got up this morning and headed out to chase them damn kings again!

Armed with all the knowledge from feedback, bait, lures, hardies the works, I went back to the same spot and similar tide, baitfish everywhere and what do you know!

They didn't bloody show up!

Now I'm even more frustrated than the first time. Spoke to a local fisho while I was there and he said there were hundreds of them yesterday!

So I hung around throwing unweighted prawns around the wall looking for bream but only managed about 10 sweep, that filled the cormorant up that was occompioning me!

There's always next time!

Very frustrated......scratchie!!!

[arpie]

Happened like that to me at Pittwater a few years back - smashing bait in & around the marina there & I chucked a tackle shop at them & no takes!!

A buddy (also in a yak) cast out an unweighted 6-7" white Sluggo/long SP ....... hooked up!! The white ones look like a squid or occie tentacle left over from a predator attack ..... and being unweighted, just floats around naturally!

I'll be in Sydney at the end of the month - I may just have to try Pittwater again, I reckon!!

cheers

Roberta

Edited November 7, 2013 by Roberta

[Scratchie]

That's rather interesting Roberta!!!! That has just given me a few ideas around the washes, out the front islands. Will have try that when this wind p##ses off!

Cheers scratchie!!!

[arpie]

Hi Scratchie

our Sponsor, Berkley does a Pearl WHite in Gulp Shad - I reckon they'd be a real goer as well ....... well worth getting a packet too!

Now .... PLEASE ....... go get those Kingies!! Damn wind - it would blow you off the rocks today!!

cheers

Roberta

[Twinfisher 4.9]

Admire you for not taking bait.......but could you bend the rules a bit and take a block of pillies? For burley only, just to stir them up. Also making noise gets them excited - no, not singing, drop an anchor, rattle your chain, splash the water.......and then there are days when nothing works!

[fisherman666]

Hey mate, have you tried chromies? I dropped two rats at my feet in the past week off Stockton break wall. I'm yet to land em but I've got the hook ups both times on a 20g raider or (knight). Interestingly both times I have had nearby fishos jigging up yellow tail and slimies. Maybe that had excited the kings now I think about it?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[Scratchie]

Hey mate, have you tried chromies? I dropped two rats at my feet in the past week off Stockton break wall. I'm yet to land em but I've got the hook ups both times on a 20g raider or (knight). Interestingly both times I have had nearby fishos jigging up yellow tail and slimies. Maybe that had excited the kings now I think about it?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Hey mate, I tried that exact lure that day. I seriously changed so many things but just could hook one. I think it was just that day. I'm awaiting there return to that spot and I'll be there, with a plan and enough arsenal to fill BCF!