Where Do Kingfish Go At Night?

[soft-on]

I often ponder on the possibilities of this while fishing the "Dark Hours"

I'm sure I have come up tight on Kingfish a few time but never landed a kingfish at night or seen any.

It might just be me but I have never really seen one caught at night ever. Come to think of it I have never even heard it come up in conversations that kingfish are caught at night either.

Does anyone catch kingfish at night?

I am thinking Tailor are Pelagic too and they are a popular night fishing species and are regularly caught, so what happens to kingfish do they sleep, hide or go out to sea?

Thanks All

Cam

[slinkymalinky]

There's some great footage of catching some huge kings at night on one of the DVD's of the NZ fishing show. Maybe we don't hear much about it because nobody really bothers to try???

Cheers, Slinky

[Frizzy]

I've caught one and seen 3 caught on seperate occasions down around Wollongong a few years back.

They were all hooked on frozen pillies suspended under a float targetting tailor.

[Dreamtime]

I often ponder on the possibilities of this while fishing the "Dark Hours"

so what happens to kingfish do they sleep, hide or go out to sea?

Thanks All

Cam

They look for the Queenfish !!!!! , just like you and I

[frankp]

They look for the Queenfish !!!!! , just like you and I

Classic, good call

[Ray R]

Go to sleep in a KING SIZE BED ! ! !

[jewgaffer]

When fishing for jew at night I am very familiar with hooking up accidental kingfish like everyone else I suppose. I have found accidental night time hook up time to suddenly occur after experiencing no other bites in deep sheltered areas out of the current around it, when there is an early to mid evening run out tide on the way. Kingfish mark time waiting for the run out tide and if they feed up on the run in, they will wait around in schools in areas where they can save energy until the tide picks up to run out, so that they won't have to work hard to go back again. They then come back in with the run in tide and moreso when wind assisted and so the cycle goes on.

I emailed Cam a pic of a double hook up of a kingfish and a decent jew showing the rail bridge in the background of all places, which I caught quite a few years back in the mid run in tide. The tide was runnung very fast that afternoon so I guess the kingfish just followed the flow of the main river and locked in behind good structure.

I was fishing for jew with Andrew Humesy one night just inside a point near Seaforth anchoring there at the last hour of the run in, fishing in close in the dark, waiting for the tide to run out, when suddenly in the pitch black we had kingfish of good size all around the burley container and Andrew managed to get one to take home. The school left in a hurry as soon as the tide turned back which was our jew time, and where the school of kingfish were at our boat there was hardly any current at all at either tide, just like some occasions in the past.

So the best way to have a go at kingfish at night would be to go to similiar points during the last half of the run in on nights when the tide starts to run back in an early to mid evening time frame.

Who knows you might find that time and tide is the trick for getting your kingfish at night, especially when the wind is the blowing from the east or north east. Even when the tide settles, a head wind makes it harder for outside fish to swim back and obviously a tail wind makes it easier for them to come in.

Cheers

jewgaffer

Edited July 31, 2008 by jewgaffer

[Davemmm]

Twice in the last few years I have landed Kings at night. As Jewgaffer says they were a by-catch whilst targetting Jews. Given the position and the bait it is not suprising. They were both taken in the early hours of the morning on live Yakkas around bare island in botany bay.

Im by no means an expert but I guess Kings are like most species in that they are still active at night and I reckon if you got the right spot they might be more active at some times after dark.

Dave

[slayer666]

Go to sleep in a KING SIZE BED ! ! !