namesay

You seem to know a fair bit about the new ocea series. The rod broke while I was downrigging around 30-50m of water. I like this depth as it at least gives you a chance to turn the fish. While downrigging I have the rod in one of the holders specifically placed for this prupose. It is angled at 30 degrees which does not high stick the rod and in over 5 years of owning my current boat, NO other rod has broken while downrigging using the same techniques. If you are an experienced downrigger you will realise you cannot run too much drag pressure while doing this as the rod is almost impossible to get out of the holder! The max you can run is around 8kgs otherwise you cannot get the rod out to fight the fish. Even at this setting it is going to be tough on your gear. You also run the risk of breaking your rod holder or even the boat's gunnels. Only when the rod is out of its holder do you increase the drag. This is fishing 101 for all gamefishing. I was running at max 7kg on the reel when the rod broke. More likely I was running 5-6kg of drag. This is one disadvantage of a star drag reel as the setting can be a little vague. The rod is designed for this drag rating and even more as the shimano website states that the rod can handle up to 50kg line. See the compare section on the following link. http://www.shimanofish.com.au/publish/content/global_fish/en/au/index/products/rods/Offshore/ocea_offshore.html When the rod broke I was using a shimano trinidad 40N. It is as you know a star drag reel. This reel will punch out around 12-13kg of drag at max. So whether you are using 40lb line or 80lb line the reel's drag capacity will not allow you to reach the line's breaking point. You also have be built like a gorilla to work this much drag pressure for any length of time without a game chair. I use Varivas PE8 line on my jigging master reels and the Daiwa 6500 exp as these reel have far greater drag capacity. The heavier line isn't only for its breaking strain but braid can be fickle when used often in salt water. Salt often builds up in the line and gets into the weave. This can weaken the line considerably especially where it makes a sharp turn e.g at the bail roller and rod tip. In sydney I normally run an 80lb leader and no more as the fish are extremely shy. My leader is often of a lesser breaking strain than the main line as braid is more exensive than mono! However, the heavier line really comes into its own when the fight is vertical as it often with kings. The rod is no longer a factor as it is normally pointed straight down at the fish thus eliminating the lever working against the angler. You are really fighting the fish straight off the reel. This is where overheads have a mechanical advantaqe. Then it is thumbs, fingers..anything to add extra drag to stop the fish busting you off. During this phase you can really push the limits of the line but the rod isn't even loaded! But this is besides the point as when the rod broke it was only fishing routine drag levels.

I hear you Stewy! Only if they lived off longreef!

Water temps play a big role in the metabolism of kingfish. They can tolerate a fair range but really love it when it is 19-24C. Right now the water is somewhere between 20-21C and this is IDEAL for kings. At the moment they are really supercharged and even smaller fish will give you plenty. In winter big kings are far easier targets. I have caught kingfish in 12C. They fight like a wet blanket!This is NOT fun. In New Zealand kings are often found in colder water than we are used to here and the fight from a big fish is nowhere near the same as it is in our warmer waters. They feel heavy but haven't the same kick. This is the same when we jig them over winter months. They are definitely slower off the mark and don't have the same zip. A lot of guys who are used to chasing them in summer find the winter fishing definitely easier and are surprised to see bigger fish really struggling to pull. I no longer bother to chase kings when the water temps fall below 18C because of this reason. The attraction of kingfish for me is their fighting prowess. Their run for cover and the sheer pulling power means you really don't know if you are going to land it. The heavy drag settings means hooks can pull and terminal tackle can fail. The fight from a big king is full of adrenaline and you can never really settle down. Other gamefish fight clean and you just wear them down with modern equipment. Just put on a gimbal and harness and even very large fish can be tamed without much fuss...but with kings it is a different ball game. In ideal water temps, it is like being body punched by Muhammed Ali. By the way I have made regular trips to Perth for samson fish ever since this fishery opened. Although the samsons are cousins of kingfish and in WA they are big and pull as hard as a kingie, they lack the mongrel attitude therefore are fairly easy targets. Most of my mates get a bit bored just after a few fish. But not so with kings. We keep on coming back for more and keep the tackle shops in business

I must congratulate you on a fine capture! Those big kings an ultimate angling challenge. keeping a few fish to eat is OK but the bigger fish tend to be a bit tough. They also tend to be females. I release a lot of fish but also keep a few as well. As long as we look after our fish stocks there should be plenty for all.

You can try to fish lighter. Going down in leader size helps. You can also berley or use different baits or lures but these tactics often won't work. Kingfish are very moody. Some days they will belt everything while other days they will sit doggo and refuse all baits and lures. Better to fish elsewhere in my opinion and try again later. P.S. I have some examples where I switched techniques to get teh fish to bite. I caught this fish on a jig after all the baits failed. This fish measured 121cm. Whereas this fish was caught on bait when the lures failed. Is the biggest fish my boys have landed so far. A skinny fish but length is 110cm. Sometimes switching techniques will get you that strike.

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

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

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

Thanks everyone for your kind words. I have chased these fish around the country and have been lucky to score a few good fish from time to time. I was fortunate to have fished when there were no marine parks or even bag/size limits! I keep getting asked the same question constantly and that is "where"? The simple answer is to try everywhere. Big kings do not hold in one spot indefinitely. They need a lot of food and small bait fish don't like hanging around them. When you observe these fish in the water, they are constantly on the move. So try a lot of places and eventually you will find them. Of course it is no use if the fish aren't around. You really need to know their preferred temps,salinity, water clarity etc. You will also find that keeping a good diary will help. This is made easy on sites like this as the archived posts and reports will give you a good idea of the seasons/months the fish are likely to be found. The best course of action is to fish hard and often and the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place. Cheers Kelvin

That sounds like pretty good advice.......But it is hard to go fishing for kings with a handline and the tackle industry is really hurting at the moment. We all need to support our local tackle stores otherwise they are out of business. This in the long term is detrimental to our favourite sport and pastime. Imagine if our tackle stores shut down. Where would a little kid start? Where would they get the inspiration? Where would you get the advice? Sure if you have been around, fishing is no brainer but for a beginner the advice you get from a tackle store is priceless. I don't think you can spend TOO much money in a tackle store! It supports an aussie institution.. might even turn the economy around. We already have the greens trying to lock us out of our fishing spots. Water pollution ruining our fish habitats. Over population. Over exploitation of our fisheries..etc. Perhaps by reading a simple fishing report like this you get fired up to get out there,or get a small piece of the puzzle that is fishing or even see what is achieveable in our local waters then it is time well spent. I write these reports from time to time not to prove anything or make any money or for notoriety but to help promote our sport and because Stewy is a good guy!. My mates already know what I get up to and I really really hate being noticed. I don't like revealing the methods and spots which have taken almost 4 decades to develop however, Rec fishing is facing its darkest hour. We have to fight off the forces which seek to destroy our sport. In a forum like this we are all batting on the same side. Rather than making dismissive comments perhaps a positive attitude will mean more people will enjoy this great sport. After all these years of wetting a line, fishing isn't JUST about catching fish. It is about your mates, the scenery, the tackle, the boats...... and even forums! Cheers Kelvin