What line and rig for land based kings?

[Guest Guest123456789]

Gday raiders. Ive been following this topic as has been good banter and love how everyone agrees at the end. So now everything is clear it sounds ljke everyonr loves these stradic 5000s. I am currently looking at investing in getting a new spinning combo about 6'6" as i am about to get intp jet ski fishing. Wpuld you recommend this real for chasing pelagics few miles off shore?

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Most definitely. The FJ has been discontinued at my local store replaced with a new stradic model (forget the initials).

On a side note, this is a semi uneducated statement, but wouldn't the noise of the jet ski scare off the fish? One of the spots I fish is near a boat ramp and a beach. As soon as I hear a JetSki kick over I pack up and leave. These guys spend hours hooning back and forth and the fish make an immediate exit.

[fragmeister]

They both are! One is an optimist and one a realist.

Spot on Scratchie!

[Camo1808]

Most definitely. The FJ has been discontinued at my local store replaced with a new stradic model (forget the initials).

On a side note, this is a semi uneducated statement, but wouldn't the noise of the jet ski scare off the fish? One of the spots I fish is near a boat ramp and a beach. As soon as I hear a JetSki kick over I pack up and leave. These guys spend hours hooning back and forth and the fish make an immediate exit.

You would think so but most 4 stroke jet skis are sooo much quieter than your arverage 2 stroke outboard. Its easy to pack ready for a session and very efficient. Its actually becoming pretty huge. Mostly in qld which is were im mpving to in 2 months. Im thinking the thrill of hooking a dolly or decent kingy/tuna on a ski rather than strapped to a big boat would be a prettu good rush

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[Mike89]

Wow! This topic heated up pretty quick! I guess we are all pretty passionate about our fishing and I agree that it's best to use what works for you and brings you confidence - faith in your gear and rig is a huge x factor that has an understated influence on catch rates in my opinion. It's great to get so much feedback on what people like to use here.

It does happen, generally I bring a 10lb rod for a bit of fun inbetween runs (for the likes of bonito and small pelagics) but my heavy outfit is not all that heavy....I run an 8-12kg 9ft penn rod with a Daiwa surf basia (12kg max) and generally don't go above 40lb braid 80lb leader. A lot of blokes are running straight 50lb mono to 80lb fluro on the bigger reels.

I've also recently bought myself a 9ft 8-12kg Penn Prevail - caught a bunch of salmon with it so far and plan to use it as the kingy rod.

The reel I've got on it now is the old Spinfisher SSM 650. It's a bit chunky and I need to have a few dedicated practice sessions to perfect my distance casting, but I think given I'm only after the rats and smaller models for the time being (as Luke pointed out) it'll be a good outfit for now.

Current line is 30lb braid and probably 40lb or 60lb fluoro leader. From the suggestions here I think that should suit my needs although I'll definitely consider upping the strength of the leader to 80lb.

Although at present the areas I'm planning to fish are jetties and breakwalls, I'd love to get out on the rocks (with the proper safety gear) to target kings as well. Would braid be a definite no-go from the rocks because of the risk of having your line shredded? On the rocks I'd also want to use a heavier leader than I would from a jetty, would this be right?

Thanks for the stack of replies guys, definitely some good suggestions from everyone here. In the last couple of weeks I've seen probably a hundred live kingies in tanks outside seafood restaurants and at the fishmarkets where I am at the moment. They don't look such the feisty beast swimming idly around a 3ft tank but I know they'll give me hell when I hook one. Can't wait to get home and get fishing!

[Adsy91]

Jump onto youtube and look up morningtidefishing, they are byron bay boys and absolute freaks at what they do. It's all land based game fishing and they have quite a few instructional vids about gear...the reason I'm suggesting these guys is they are sponsorship free so they have zero bias towards brands and will give you some pretty solid money saving advice about gear...definitely saved me some cash over the last year =)

And you're right this got heated real fast haha you can't say fishos aren't passionate though hay!

[stevefish]

To keep the heat,

What is targeting small kings about?

The answer, lack of confidence.

Once you put a bait in the water you're in the game, be ready.

Kings will eat a livie near half their length, seriously disappointing when a foot long livie results in a throwback. The same bait will be good enough for any King plus anything else that could be there.

Be ready for the big one, it might be there on your first shot, have the gear to land it!

[Crossfire63]

To keep the heat,

What is targeting small kings about?

The answer, lack of confidence.

Once you put a bait in the water you're in the game, be ready.

Kings will eat a livie near half their length, seriously disappointing when a foot long livie results in a throwback. The same bait will be good enough for any King plus anything else that could be there.

Be ready for the big one, it might be there on your first shot, have the gear to land it!

Mate

Im with you. And I read in this thread that some people actually only go after rats .

IMHO if your not using a a Live bait over 30cms your not in the game for a fair dinkum king fish.

20Lb line and 5kg rods are what we use to catch the bait

[mrsswordfisherman]

I am really liking the way raiders debate - we are very lucky we have guys as our members that are able to without belittling anyone.

Pretty sure we have sifted out the troublemakers over the years

Good job men! much to be learned by everyone by listening to others

[Guest Guest123456789]

Mike, my advice, and I may be wrong mate I am relative fishing noob, start out light then step it up. Particularly when you're fishing a new area and targeting a new species from land this is a good approach. Better to get busted up and step things up then go too heavy, get no bites, think there are no fish about (when there are) then move onto a different area or give up. This way us land based recreational fishos can catch as many kingfish as we can while they are in close spawning, then the pro's and guys on boats get their shot when they move to the deep reefs come winter.

[Adsy91]

I'd agree with you there flatheadluke... Im under 170cm and weigh about 60kg on a good day so the light gear really makes a difference to my enjoyment and after all that's why we fish right!? Perhaps with some fitness and weight training I'll be better equipped to handle the hoodlums with the heavy rods and lines.

[Mike89]

I'd agree with you there flatheadluke... Im under 170cm and weigh about 60kg on a good day so the light gear really makes a difference to my enjoyment and after all that's why we fish right!? Perhaps with some fitness and weight training I'll be better equipped to handle the hoodlums with the heavy rods and lines.

Thanks for the sound advice Luke. What would light be for kings then? You don't mean the 10lb lines, or do you?

[Adsy91]

I would call the 10lb more extra light (but still possible). My light set up is the penn prevail 8-12kg matched with a daiwa surf basia 25qd (basically a 5000 size reel in daiwa's sizings) this has 300m of 30lb j-braid which if fishing the rocks I use a minimum of 50lb fluro leader up to about 80lb. My heavy set-up is much the same as the fellas saying 10lb is too light but I am yet to catch a fish on it. Im really enjoying the feel of the 8-12kg rod and it casts between 20-70gram lures beautifully.

[RexSenior]

Haha, what an awesome bit of reading!

Throwing my 2 bob's in...

For me fishing is a balance of doing what I know works, learning on the job what works better and fitting both of these in with what makes me happy when I fish.

Sometimes I go out just to catch one fish for the pan and come home empty handed, yet have a better time than spending a full day under stress about catching the big one.

My 5 year old son has his day made by catching a toad. My point is we are all in different boats and fish for different reasons. I use to fish so heavy that I barely caught anything and when I did it was never enough. Now I enjoy fishing light, giving the fish a chance and feeling satisfied when I do come home with a feed.

[Guest Guest123456789]

Thanks for the sound advice Luke. What would light be for kings then? You don't mean the 10lb lines, or do you?

10lbs braid, 16lbs fluro, 3000 or 4000 reel. I've caught a 50cm bonnier and a just legal King on this set up.

My heavy set up is 20lbs braid, 30lbs fluro leader on a 5000 reel.

But I'm fishing from rocks which is different to harbour. Reading the forums Krispy, Allen or Gianni are the guys i'd be speaking to.

[Guest Guest123456789]

Haha, what an awesome bit of reading!

Throwing my 2 bob's in...

For me fishing is a balance of doing what I know works, learning on the job what works better and fitting both of these in with what makes me happy when I fish.

Sometimes I go out just to catch one fish for the pan and come home empty handed, yet have a better time than spending a full day under stress about catching the big one.

My 5 year old son has his day made by catching a toad. My point is we are all in different boats and fish for different reasons. I use to fish so heavy that I barely caught anything and when I did it was never enough. Now I enjoy fishing light, giving the fish a chance and feeling satisfied when I do come home with a feed.

+1. I'd rather 3 sessions fighting 1x 3kg fish each session than 2 sessions catching nothing and 1 session skull dragging a 9kg fish on 50lbs braid. Edited January 16, 2016 by Guest123456789

[Razzell]

10lbs braid, 16lbs fluro, 3000 or 4000 reel. I've caught a 50cm bonnier and a just legal King on this set up.

My heavy set up is 20lbs braid, 30lbs fluro leader on a 5000 reel.

But I'm fishing from rocks which is different to harbour. Reading the forums Krispy, Allen or Gianni are the guys i'd be speaking to.

Amen to that. Those boys know what they're doing. Krispy is the Kingfish whisperer.

[Nolongeramember]

+1. I'd rather 3 sessions fighting 1x 3kg fish each session than 2 sessions catching nothing and 1 session skull dragging a 9kg fish on 50lbs braid.

I would prefer option B. 2 sessions catching nothing and 1 session a 9kg.

Trust me, you won't be skull dragging a genuine 9kg king no matter how big the braid or gear you have.

[smashdcrab]

I would prefer option B. 2 sessions catching nothing and 1 session a 9kg.

Trust me, you won't be skull dragging a genuine 9kg king no matter how big the braid or gear you have.

I think things have changed alot recently in king fish angling. He fishes 10lb leader with 17kg of drag and skull drags 9kg fish....im definitely doing it wrong.

I also will take the 9kg loner over the 3 barely legals if given the choice. I would love to see a minimum size limit increase to 75cm like it is in New Zealand, so we have a more sustainable future with it. It is certainly not sustainable if people are actually targeting the small fish.

Edited January 16, 2016 by smashdcrab

[Guest Guest123456789]

I would prefer option B. 2 sessions catching nothing and 1 session a 9kg.

Trust me, you won't be skull dragging a genuine 9kg king no matter how big the braid or gear you have.

Fish 100 metres with a size 12 snapper sinker and yes it is a skull drag. The fish doesn't even take any line with the drag set to max.

[Guest Guest123456789]

I think things have changed alot recently in king fish angling. He fishes 10lb leader with 17kg of drag and skull drags 9kg fish....im definitely doing it wrong.

I also will take the 9kg loner over the 3 barely legals if given the choice. I would love to see a minimum size limit increase to 75cm like it is in New Zealand, so we have a more sustainable future with it. It is certainly not sustainable if people are actually targeting the small fish.

Mate you're misquoting me, but anyway all the best like I said we are all fellow raiders

[smashdcrab]

Fish 100 metres with a size 12 snapper sinker and yes it is a skull drag. The fish doesn't even take any line with the drag set to max.

Can you tell me where i can fish in 100 meters of water, land based please? And maybe you should update your PB list, you list an 81cm king as your best..thats a long way off 9kg.

edit: and yea we all fellow raiders, dont take it personally, i just find some of your information a little off tangent...but im sure you are just trying to help so your intentions are good.

Edited January 17, 2016 by smashdcrab

[Nolongeramember]

Fish 100 metres with a size 12 snapper sinker and yes it is a skull drag. The fish doesn't even take any line with the drag set to max.

I thought this thread was about land based.

But anyway, the 9kg you pointed out is a meter fish and above from there. Don't worry about if the fish can take line off your drag or not, nobody "skull drags" 9kg plus kings on ANY handheld gear. Maybe except for Hulk Hogan in his prime.

If someone claim's they can I would like to see it.

If you want to target undersized and maybe the odd lucky legal from land based then go your 10lb. Nothing wrong with that if that's your thing and that size are the only fish around at the time. But you can forget having a real chance at anything bigger on such light line.

[Guest Guest123456789]

Can you tell me where i can fish in 100 meters of water, land based please? And maybe you should update your PB list, you list an 81cm king as your best..thats a long way off 9kg.

edit: and yea we all fellow raiders, dont take it personally, i just find some of your information a little off tangent...but im sure you are just trying to help so your intentions are good.

Texas reef or 12 mile are about 100 metres depth (offshore). But you know that already right? They are super popular spots. Edited January 17, 2016 by Guest123456789

[Guest Guest123456789]

I thought this thread was about land based.

But anyway, the 9kg you pointed out is a meter fish and above from there. Don't worry about if the fish can take line off your drag or not, nobody "skull drags" 9kg plus kings on ANY handheld gear. Maybe except for Hulk Hogan in his prime.

If someone claim's they can I would like to see it.

If you want to target undersized and maybe the odd lucky legal from land based then go your 10lb. Nothing wrong with that if that's your thing and that size are the only fish around at the time. But you can forget having a real chance at anything bigger on such light line.

Haha I'll tell my brother in law you think he has the strength of hulk hogan. He won't dispute that with you! I would though....

You're right, catchimg monster on 10lbs is very unlikely. That's why isughested to Mike to take two set up, a light (10lbs) AMD a heavy (20lbs). Again, when you fish a new spot and species it makes sense to go light as possible. Either you'll get busted off or struggle to land a good fish,at which point you can switch to the heavy set up. Fishing heavy and getting bugger all makes no sense at a new spot because there may well be the target species there but they aren't hitting your lure/bait because the leader is spooking them. It's all about excluding as many variables for failure initially. Land based is different to a boat, you don't have a sounder and you can't simply winch up the anchor and move to the next ground.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Guest123456789

[smashdcrab]

Come on just be a little realistic about things please. If you want to use a 9kg king as an example...the fish wouldnt even be able to tell the difference between 10lb or 20lb outfits...he wouldn't even know he was hooked. They are both superlight to fish for fair dinkum kings. Even 30lb is too light for real kings if there is any structure involved. You only have to lose a couple of $40+ stick baits on the 30lb leader before you get the picture.

And bring things back to land based where the OP started...boat fishing kings is a whole different thing again.

And please tell us if your best king is 81cm as your PB list states , i would hate to think i had been wasting my time arguing with someone that has only caught juvenile fish.