Lakes Entrance Kingfish

[re-tyred]

Well it is well known that Kingfish come into the lake system during the warmer months. They are usually quite difficult to catch, so very few target them. They pop up in a number of locations but are there for maybe a day or a few hours and gone. The end result is very few people use heavy gear, when they do get a kingy they get spooled. It is somewhat difficult to land one on 4lb flatty gear.
For many years I have trolled heavier gear in a few locations in a vain attempt to get one. I have been spooled on light gear, but as soon as I target them i don't get a thing.
Heard a few rumours that some had been hooked up around the footbridge this week. Went down there Wednesday for zip, just one small salmon.
Well today thought I would go and have a fish. Loaded the whiting gear, bait and a heavy lure rod. As I left the ramp i chucked the heavy gear in and trolled my way towards the north arm hwy bridge. You just never know. As i past under the bridge I had a small nudge then a bit of weight , so put the boat out of gear and wound in what was obviously a small salmon. When i still had around 20mtrs of line to go,bang.... weight comes on and things suddenly go nuts. Reel is peeling off line like nuts. Cranked the brake up a bit and my rod is bent double, 8ft 10kg that is very flexible. Off this fish goes one way , then back another. I was gaining line when it changed direction and then losing it again. Couple of guys at the skate park ramp spotted me and start pointing, soon we have a small crowd as I drift/get towed closer to the ramp. Dare i think this is a kingfish? Certainly isn't a skate and going too hard for even a big salmon and anyway I had a small salmon and something gobbled it up.
Finally start to beat this thing into submission and get it close to the boat, flash of yellow tail, big fish, must be a kingy, bzzz of it goes out of sight again. Another couple of minutes battle and yes it is doing circles under the boat, definitely a kingy. Grab the net in one hand and try to get it in as it zooms past. Touched it and bzzzzz off it goes. Ok deep breath.. battle it back, think calm thoughts, get net, scoop it goes in and bounces back out taking enough line that i can't reach it. Drop net wind it back in, let is circle get the timing right and in the net, drag the net over the side and its bouncing around the deck thrashing about and tangling every thing in a spare prawn net i had sitting there... Crowd that was collectively holding it's breath gives a cheer. Yeah my first kingfish out of the lake...
70cm not huge by kingy standards but a darn good fish.
Spent an hour trying to repeat it but no go, so I went down the entrance and caught a small salmon, came back and put it out as a live bait, No takers. Oh well another one ticked off the bucket list.

[purple5ive]

bloody ripper!!! well done mate, that would have been so much fun

[Mattblack]

Can I ask what type of lure and rod/reel combo were you using?

[re-tyred]

Nothing special, reel is just an chinese egg beater, 12+1 bearing 8000.I did replace the brake washers in it. Rod is an 8ft whipstick, very flexible fibreglass. Lure is just a bibbed lure that I picked u of the beach last week , mind you the lure caught the salmon that the Kingfish decided was his.

[re-tyred]

Oh and that is 60lb braid with a 50lb mono leader

[Lightningx]

Very nice mate!
Sounds like it was a great fight! Glad you ended up landing it in the end

[ben475]

nice story!

[Sebb]

Good on you, well done.
I'm jealous, I've never caught a kingfish.

[Tackleberry]

Well it is well known that Kingfish come into the lake system during the warmer months. They are usually quite difficult to catch, so very few target them. They pop up in a number of locations but are there for maybe a day or a few hours and gone. The end result is very few people use heavy gear, when they do get a kingy they get spooled. It is somewhat difficult to land one on 4lb flatty gear.
For many years I have trolled heavier gear in a few locations in a vain attempt to get one. I have been spooled on light gear, but as soon as I target them i don't get a thing.
Heard a few rumours that some had been hooked up around the footbridge this week. Went down there Wednesday for zip, just one small salmon.
Well today thought I would go and have a fish. Loaded the whiting gear, bait and a heavy lure rod. As I left the ramp i chucked the heavy gear in and trolled my way towards the north arm hwy bridge. You just never know. As i past under the bridge I had a small nudge then a bit of weight , so put the boat out of gear and wound in what was obviously a small salmon. When i still had around 20mtrs of line to go,bang.... weight comes on and things suddenly go nuts. Reel is peeling off line like nuts. Cranked the brake up a bit and my rod is bent double, 8ft 10kg that is very flexible. Off this fish goes one way , then back another. I was gaining line when it changed direction and then losing it again. Couple of guys at the skate park ramp spotted me and start pointing, soon we have a small crowd as I drift/get towed closer to the ramp. Dare i think this is a kingfish? Certainly isn't a skate and going too hard for even a big salmon and anyway I had a small salmon and something gobbled it up.
Finally start to beat this thing into submission and get it close to the boat, flash of yellow tail, big fish, must be a kingy, bzzz of it goes out of sight again. Another couple of minutes battle and yes it is doing circles under the boat, definitely a kingy. Grab the net in one hand and try to get it in as it zooms past. Touched it and bzzzzz off it goes. Ok deep breath.. battle it back, think calm thoughts, get net, scoop it goes in and bounces back out taking enough line that i can't reach it. Drop net wind it back in, let is circle get the timing right and in the net, drag the net over the side and its bouncing around the deck thrashing about and tangling every thing in a spare prawn net i had sitting there... Crowd that was collectively holding it's breath gives a cheer. Yeah my first kingfish out of the lake...
70cm not huge by kingy standards but a darn good fish.
Spent an hour trying to repeat it but no go, so I went down the entrance and caught a small salmon, came back and put it out as a live bait, No takers. Oh well another one ticked off the bucket list.

Could not have happened to a nicer bloke ......


Cheers TAC

[CarlG]

Well done mate.!
Tbh, any kingy is a good kingy. Catching one like that, takes a bit of skill and luck, good On ya.