Catching big kingis is made for Winter fishing. Anywhere from Whakatane and out to White Island and even further afield, up around the Coromandel and Great Barrier, into the Hauraki Gulf, up past the Hen and Chicks and on into the winterless North. Somewhere in that lot is the big kingi you have dreamed about. Sure there are not as many kingis about over winter but those that are big. Around half of the World Records for kingfish, virtually all held in New Zealand, are for fish taken in winter. If you consider that there are far less people who fish over winter, then the ratio of big fish caught per angler over winter is way ahead of the fish caught per angler over summer. So are there any special techniques required for fishing kingis over winter? Not Really The same techniques that work over summer, work over winter. Live baits will catch the biggest kingis. Because there are less numbers of fish around getting a good berley trail going is essential, to attract the fish and hold them. But if your berley proves unattractive get on the move. Kydd Pollock, who should know more than most about catching big kingis considering who taught him, and has a world record to prove it, is making up some live bait rigs that work well down in the big kingi hotspots off White Island. Jump into Just Fishin’ to have a peep. Jigging is a good way to get some action going or to confirm what the sounder is telling you, but once you have located a school of kingis, if you really want to target a big one, drop a live bait down amongst the pack. Most jig design seems to concentrate on making sure the jig will move at high speed without tying itself in knots. So narrow profile jigs can be the go. But pop a couple of wide, flat sided jigs in your tackle box, especially jigs that can be bent a bit. Sometimes over winter, especially if water temperature are very cold, an exaggerated slow flutter will turn kingis on when speed does not. Too often winter is the time many of us put away the game gear and dream about next summer, ignoring the kind of kingi fishing most of the rest of the world only dreams about. The other day while looking at things fishy on the Internet I came across some reports from the big party boats operating off California. They were getting really excited about getting into schools of kingis, some of the fish were over 20lbs, their emphasis, not mine! Sometimes we forget just how lucky we are! |
"The Fishing was so good I thought I was
here yesterday."
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