James Clain Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 I am very aware that kings prefer extremely fresh baits. Due to the fact that I am a land based fisho at the moment. I have been having some trouble getting onto some Squid and Yakkas. Are there any baits you can buy that actually are known to work or would it just be better to use some big poppers and slugs (any good ones). James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisholb Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 Caught kingys on chicken strips just plain chicken thighs cut into strips also u can buy frozen Cali squid cut into strips frozen pillys cut in cubes fresh is best but u can still catch kingys on any bait depends on how hungry the kingys goodluck 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recurve Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 In NZ it's widely known that piper or Gar fish are the best baits for Kings. You can rig them up like a livie and pop them. Never done it but seem it on TV a few times. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoingFishing Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 Hi James Kings love a live bait, sent out under a balloon if your landbased. Squid can be tricky and I am not really a squid catching kind of guy so I can't help there. I'm sure some if the others can help. Yakkas on the other hand are very easy. You will need to get there during the dark, before sunrise and burley hard with anything smelly.......smashed pilchards...cat food. Bread and tuna oil....pretty much anything works. Try around any of the wharfs in Sydney harbour especially those with lights and you should be in luck... Keep the burley trail going and you should have some yakkas in the burley mix eventually.. it can take up to half an hour sometimes so be patient. When sunrise comes you will notice they will disperse and become harder to find and catch. If your looking to catch a king I would say best baits in order are (others may have different). 1. Live squid or cuttlefish 2. Live yakka or slimey 3. Freshly caught squid strips 4. Fresh yakka slimey cut bait 5. Anything else. I've even had them as by catch on prawns. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Clain Posted May 4, 2019 Author Share Posted May 4, 2019 @GoingFishing Which Wharfs have lights in Sydney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoingFishing Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, James Clain said: @GoingFishing Which Wharfs have lights in Sydney. Most, if not all of the ferry wharfs in Sydney Harbour have lights. Rose bay, kurraba point etc Edited May 4, 2019 by GoingFishing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Hornet Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 +1 on the fresh garfish cast and retrieve. I rig them on multiple snelled hooks. Try and get them from a good fish shop rather than a tackle store. If you're chasing larger fish, frozen and defrosted frigates under a balloon will often outfish other live baits when times are hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browncrab Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 Catch a bonito or salmon or trevally and strip a fillet then send it out under a float. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bombora Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 Garfish is a gun king dead bait. retrieve them medium/ slowly. Before tying on the ganged hooks you'll need, slide the leader through a two cm or so length of lumo tubing with wide enough diametre that you can wedge the gar's bill snugly into the tube (Snap the bill off a couple of centimetres). The tube keeps the gar aligned nicely and is also an added attraction. As far as lures, hard to go past a largish white sluggo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welster Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, bombora said: Garfish is a gun king dead bait. retrieve them medium/ slowly. Before tying on the ganged hooks you'll need, slide the leader through a two cm or so length of lumo tubing with wide enough diametre that you can wedge the gar's bill snugly into the tube (Snap the bill off a couple of centimetres). The tube keeps the gar aligned nicely and is also an added attraction. As far as lures, hard to go past a largish white sluggo. What type of gang do you use? Traditional gang, gang with swivel join or snell. A few years ago on a snelled gar with the tube as you suggest I had some success. Edited May 5, 2019 by Welster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volitan Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 I’ve had success on whole Lund’s Squid. It’s sold in boxes in tackle shops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthman Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 (edited) I've found great success in using frozen yabbies, live ones of course would be better. Suspended under a float would be the go if you are land based, little splitshot sinker to keep it vertical, 4/0 circle hook. Yabbies being fairly easy to get and still work when frozen! Edited May 5, 2019 by anthman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoingFishing Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 6 minutes ago, anthman said: I've found great success in using frozen yabbies, live ones of course would be better. Suspended under a float would be the go if you are land based, little splitshot sinker to keep it vertical, 4/0 circle hook. Yabbies being fairly easy to get and still work when frozen! That's new! Can't say I've ever heard of yabbies for kingfiah bait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welster Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, GoingFishing said: That's new! Can't say I've ever heard of yabbies for kingfiah bait. When I first got a boat we had a livey out under a float and it was the frozen nipper that got the 75cm king. I don’t think I’d target them that way though. Edited May 5, 2019 by Welster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koalaboi Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 Would live poddies do the trick? KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthman Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 Most of the time have yabbies with me as a universal bait - working suprisingly well when other dead baits have not. Maybe not the best but certainly works and generally easy to acquire for the OP to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddyT Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 Kings will eat any old rubbish some days and get really fussy on others. These days i get nearly all my kings downrigging livies which is obviously not an option when landbased. The good news is however that yakkas and squid are an option off most wharves in Sydney harbour so can i suggest that you first of all go looking for bait- get good at catching it and have a system in place to keep it alive or at least in good condition (for squid). Spinning gar is a very good option but good gar are very hard to buy and i will prefer to use gar ive caught myself (and vacuum packed). For ganging them dont use the p!@#weak 4200 gang hooks use mustad tarpons , also the "head start" rigs are pretty good (google them). Rat kings will eat strip baits and pillie cubes around wharves especially in warmer weather when competition fires them up. Big kings like big bait but they also like any easy feed of squid . Sluggo style soft plastics are my goto lure these days . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthman Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 11 minutes ago, PaddyT said: Kings will eat any old rubbish some days and get really fussy on others. These days i get nearly all my kings downrigging livies which is obviously not an option when landbased. The good news is however that yakkas and squid are an option off most wharves in Sydney harbour so can i suggest that you first of all go looking for bait- get good at catching it and have a system in place to keep it alive or at least in good condition (for squid). Spinning gar is a very good option but good gar are very hard to buy and i will prefer to use gar ive caught myself (and vacuum packed). For ganging them dont use the p!@#weak 4200 gang hooks use mustad tarpons , also the "head start" rigs are pretty good (google them). Rat kings will eat strip baits and pillie cubes around wharves especially in warmer weather when competition fires them up. Big kings like big bait but they also like any easy feed of squid . Sluggo style soft plastics are my goto lure these days . Agree with the sluggos, great lure! I also always carry a surface walker in case I see surface activity in the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
campr Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 At times any so called rubbish fish that is alive will out fish dead baits. One of my faves are trumpeters as they are extremely hardy and stay alive forever. Ron 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Clain Posted May 14, 2019 Author Share Posted May 14, 2019 11 hours ago, campr said: At times any so called rubbish fish that is alive will out fish dead baits. One of my faves are trumpeters as they are extremely hardy and stay alive forever. Ron What If you cut the spine off a small leatherjacket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macca02 Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 Live yakkas is number one for me. When rock fishing while having a live yakka out a unweighted half/whole pilchard in the wash can be quite effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panfergirl Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 (edited) Hi Mate! Recently bought frozen squid at the tackle shop, thawed it out on my way out and bagged out on Kingies. Edited May 16, 2019 by Panfergirl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingie chaser Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 I guess you can look at it as percentage fishing. What percentage of the time will a King take or not take a certain bait?? To me Kings are a bit like trout, one day you can dangle some live grub in its face & it will totally not be interested, put some mimicked fly if front of it & it goes nuts, next day its the reverse. The answer is...………………….there is no right answer, its whatever they are in the mood for at the time & that's why it pays to be prepared & have a variety of strategies/tackle/bait ready or in your kit. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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