Offshore King

[Larkin]

Gday Raiders, 

headed out of Port Hacking this morning to try for kings out wide. 
On the way out saw what I thought was a pontoon floating on the surface - thought to myself someone’s going to run into that. Then it started to move a little. A very large humpback and possibly a calf just resting on the surface. Very close to shore. 

Grabbed live bait then met up with two mates out of Botany before heading out.

Picked up a Bonnie on a jig, then changed locations.

A king comes up next, followed by 2 reddies - all on live bait. One of the livies was a decent sized slimie prob 20cm - the reddie must of been munching on it as I don’t know how it would have swallowed it whole. All caught on 7/0 circles.

Both mates got a kingy each too. 

Loading up at the ramp met fellow raider @Mass - he managed a mixed bag from inside fishing nippers. 👍

[TheFishyFisherman]

Looks like you had a great day! My friend got a bream on a 20 cm-ish live bait (yakka) too somehow. Maybe it was hungry and munching it like the snapper you caught.

[big Neil]

What a buzz that would have been seeing the whales lazing around on the surface. A good session for you all but it will probably get better as the weather warms up a bit.

bn

[bessell1955]

Wow the whales are coming in closer.  What a great photo. 

[Ryder]

Not a bad days work, great catch!
I love to see whales just doing their thing, considering when I was a kid they had almost been hunted to extinction, they have made and amazing comeback.

[Yowie]

Nice work there Chris. All look good, however, I would take the reddies over the kingie for the plate. 

I caught a few kingies at Lord Howe Island many years ago, and found the taste to be superior to those caught in NSW.

Good to see the whales lazing about off the mouth of the Hacking. People pay big money for a whale cruise, when us fishos see them for free.

[Pickles]

Great report Chris - a buzz seeing the whales and a solid king. Unlike Dave, I think I’d let the redies go and enjoy the kingfish - interesting how some like one species over another.

[Larkin]

4 hours ago, TheFishyFisherman said:

Looks like you had a great day! My friend got a bream on a 20 cm-ish live bait (yakka) too somehow. Maybe it was hungry and munching it like the snapper you caught.

I’ve had some jumbo yakkas (25cm) that had a snapper mouth outline in the middle. I think they grab them from the side and chomp them. Different to kings who swallow head first.

3 hours ago, big Neil said:

What a buzz that would have been seeing the whales lazing around on the surface. A good session for you all but it will probably get better as the weather warms up a bit.

bn

Was surprise to see them so close to shore. The first photo is how they were sitting for a few minutes - I couldn’t tell what it was. Even now looking at the photo I can’t tell what I’m looking at.

3 hours ago, bessell1955 said:

Wow the whales are coming in closer.  What a great photo. 

Just lazing around close to shore off Cronulla. A few came past out wide too

3 hours ago, Ryder said:

Not a bad days work, great catch!
I love to see whales just doing their thing, considering when I was a kid they had almost been hunted to extinction, they have made and amazing comeback.

Thanks Ryder!

plenty out there now. Some days they’re everywhere.

2 hours ago, Yowie said:

Nice work there Chris. All look good, however, I would take the reddies over the kingie for the plate. 

I caught a few kingies at Lord Howe Island many years ago, and found the taste to be superior to those caught in NSW.

Good to see the whales lazing about off the mouth of the Hacking. People pay big money for a whale cruise, when us fishos see them for free.

each fish prepared the right way can taste amazing. 
I too prefer the reddies cooked on the bbq or pan fried, but I have had some beautiful grilled kingfish that was mouth watering. This one will be prepared as sashimi - my favourite!

it was very close in - just off Cronulla esplanade. 
 

2 hours ago, Pickles said:

Great report Chris - a buzz seeing the whales and a solid king. Unlike Dave, I think I’d let the redies go and enjoy the kingfish - interesting how some like one species over another.

haha, to each their own eh

my family prefer the humble flathead over anything. 

[Yowie]

8 hours ago, Larkin said:

I’ve had some jumbo yakkas (25cm) that had a snapper mouth outline in the middle. I think they grab them from the side and chomp them. Different to kings who swallow head first.

 

You could be correct with that considering the larger yakkas.  The larger ones grabbed, crushed with the crusher back teeth, then chunks chewed off. Little yakkas would go down in one piece.

[Basil D]

its a nice time of year, Reds and King fish everywhere and luckily we are having good weather breaks to chase, Ive so alive been back on the water as well.