Harbour Kings Encouragable????

[Lovey80]

Hi guys a mate and i went fishing in Sydney Harbour yesterday for a king hunt. Boat was in the water by 0615 and we were off for some live quid to no avail. We tried a couple of other places but no squid. We cut our losses after an hour or so and went for some Yakkas where my mate always gets a few. When we got there we anchored up in about4-5m of beautifull clear water and within minutes there must have been thousands of yakkas around the boat. So on we went happily filling up the live bait tank.

After about 45 mins i saw a nice 80-90cm King fish cruise through the school of kakkas but it wasnt feeding . So we rigged up some yakkas and frozen squid on 4 rods and waited. Over the next maybe 2 hours we saw kingies allround the boat sometimes 2 at a time from about 65cm to 90cm. We kept the bait in the water and pulled out the plastics and poppers and even floated bait on one of the rigs.


The Kings would have a look at the bait and lures but not a hit. Anyone got any hints on actually getting the little teases to go on the bite or ya think maybe they'd had their fill for the morning????


Cheers Chris

[Niko--]

Hi Chris.....looks like you have the opposite problem. After breaking my hoodoo I'm getting squid again but can't find the bloody kingie's- have been chasing to jews at night mainly for last few months but tried for the kingies a few weeks ago and nothing around the usual haunts..........
I've heard different things about kingies but fresh/live squid usually gets them going in whatever mood their in, try something different after a short time (eg- sight cast plastics at them) as once they switch on again it's usually on for one and old.

[Niko--]

Also......make plenty of noise when dropping anchor - I've seems them change dramatically - I was pulling up after a frustrating morning, banging away - one last cast - hooked up and had a great session afterwards. Read the same in other articles. In that situation I would try t anchor up again....nothing ventured nothing gained. Another option is withdraw bait for 10 -20 minutes, rebait regularly. As you can tell....always change tactics with kingies - they are like bream - if you don't get hit within a short time you generally won't get hit.

[Lovey80]

Thanks Niko. My mate out of luck casted a few times and just as he did he saw kings comming in the right direction. The plastics actually landed about a metre or so from them. They'd turn and have a look but no strike. We tried splashing up the water and throwing the odd dry burly, excited nothing but the Yakka's.

Anyone else care to give up a secret or two?

Cheers Chris

[Sean]

I used to fish for them around the channel markers and wedding cake a bit but was fairly inexperienced. We used to motor upstream, drift past casting poppers (about 130mm) and cranking them in over and over. We actually used to get a few every now and then.

Now that I have done a fair bit of Bream fishing up on the North NSW coast I wish I could have another crack at them with a much more refined technique.

If I were to fish for them now, this is what I would do.

Power in there, (I have heard this as well, they are nosy buggers but I think if you power in there again and again they would figure you out pretty quick.) put in the electric and start up current drifting past but once past stay downcurrent with electric, as they would face into the current and you would be less obvious.

I would use 6kg braid max. and say 6kg flurocarbon leader, and just realise, I don't believe in 40lb line in any situation I always use no where above 6kilo line and accept that on the very very odd occasion you will get busted up.
I would then use exactly the same poppers I use for bream, 50-70mm. cast at the bouy and pop them back slowly with big pauses. I think this would irritate the crap out of kingies and they would hit for something to do. We once had success trolling a small popper like that out at north head, and interestingly enough, it was yellow and black striped, similar colours to a king. might have been a coincedence but all other lures failed that day.

Now I am not saying hey, this is a guarantee and I have used it successfully for over 20 years. I have never used it but I think it might work. And even if you go out and try it and get smashed up, you have a starting point.

I would love to have a go at it but don't live there anymore so if you try it let me know how you do.

BTW we used to always find the Western wedding cake to have more fish around it, and the green marker first out of middle harbour to be the most successfull one. Good luck mate, let me know how you do. Sean

[Marlin_Mike]

I am ex sydney, and the harbour has to be one of the most beautiful stretches of water anywhere.

Mike

[Lovey80]

Thanks Sean, ill give it a go. The western wedding cake is no longer! fell down not that long ago so all the fishos are hopping they rebuild it the same.

Cheers Chris

[Pistol_P]

I am ex sydney, and the harbour has to be one of the most beautiful stretches of water anywhere.

Mike

Me too.....There are some great upper reaches of Sydney Harbour that are awesome and you feel like you arent in a big city.
Although its soooooo over populated and crowded down there now that its hard to escape from the crowds anywhere.

Pete

[Sean]

If you are after a change of pace and have an electric, head up into the upper reaches of the Lane cove river, and cast small poppers for bream. Once again I have never tried this spot with poppers, but I reckon it would be a great spot for them. I tried up there once with divers but as I am yet to get a bream on a diver and get 10 fish a session on poppers I think it would work.

Cast into the shade, fish high or close to tide and pop....pop....pop the lures back, you will soon get followers if they are there. Sean

[Niko--]

Was doing that all the way up middle harbour only last week - followed her right to the end. Never done that before - always to much action in the harbour proper - what a relaxing day. W didn't see or hear another person for a few good hours. A few decent flatties and bream to make the day even more enjoyable.

But in regard to the earlier discussion, I have been in the midst of school 100 metres across....about 5 boats throwing everything at them possible, inlcuding flies, and not a thing. That's fishing.....sometimes the most frustrating experience....that's why I love it.