Kingie Week
The only thing better than putting someone onto their first fish is - putting someone onto their first kingfish. And the only thing better than both, happens when the first fish IS a kingfish! Last week I headed up to Long Reef with super keen new fisho Ed Symonds. Picked up some jellybean yellowtail on the way and started down rigging just north of White Rock. It didn’t take long:
Not a big one, but legal. Ed couldn’t have been more pleased:
On top of everything at the office and with another great forecast back on the water the next day (Saturday 13th .) The plan being another morning’s double down rigging – simply because I’m a big believer in doing more of what’s working:
But the current had backed off and the bite had died down. Only tailor hitting our big squid baits:
At one point, Xavier boated the biggest red rock cod I’ve ever seen:
Flat out at work all week, because the enforced virus homestay has meant a lot of blokes are rediscovering their love of fishing. With multiple incoming requests to go fishing, coming in from friends and clients, I cleared the decks for a run on Friday. The day started well when, while picking up Josh at Watsons Bay wharf, we spotted some valuable squid jigs snagged on the pylons:
Over to the Middle Head bait grounds, where the yellowtail were swarming:
We filled the bait tank quickly:
Up to Long Reef and down rigging once again:
The hits came thick and fast. But mostly small - until Josh boated this chunky 80:
Downrigging is deadly. We use our downriggers to explore the reef. Working structure and marking fish on the sounder, until we get a hit. Once the hookup happens we chomp the pot, float unweighted pilchards or live bait back, and try to convert one hit into many. It all starts with the downrigger. Click the link to learn more:
Back out on Friday, this time on James Taylor’s big beautiful Black Watch. Two more new fishos aboard, both keen to get their first kingfish. Mission accomplished:
All kings caught on our 250 gram jigs:
Check them out here:
Next week, trying something different. Chasing groper around the South Head washes. Will report in with pics and video if anything interesting happens. Thanks for reading
Andrew Hestelow
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