27 THE FISHING PAPER - JANUARY 2016
www.thefishingpaper.co.nz
The kingies are here, now what? Mark Roden
The inevitable excitement that builds around the annual appearance of kingfish in shallow was tempered this season because of the later arrival of these fish due to weather. So now things are heating up, let’s look at spearfishing strategies for targeting kingfish. On a big day, I’d start with a ‘stop off’ at a known kingie spot: I say ‘stop off’ because if the fish aren’t there, I give it twenty minutes and move on. I know I’m impatient - probably why I’m a hopeless line fisherman. Everyone gear up and get in the water together, and stay close. Kingfish are curious but their attention span is even shorter than mine. A school might only do one pass and if everyone is geared up, guns loaded, and float lines untangled and strung out, the chances are
greater that everyone will see the fish. It’s also a lot safer when everyone can see what is going on and good to have backup if you get a fish on and it looks like it might break free. A second shot really subdues a fish and guarantees it getting boated. After about 15 minutes, human nature being what it is, guys start to swim off in different directions. There is nothing worse than one guy getting back to the boat and saying: “I was surrounded by big fish, but I’d just missed a blue cod and didn’t have my gun loaded, and you guys were miles away…” Sticking together increases everyone’s chances. Kingies will come to you and the more splashing and action the better. Adopt the ‘one up one down’ technique, basically using your This is when judgement kicks in.
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WETSUITS SPEARGUNS FINS• MASKS GLOVES • SOX WEIGHTS/BELTS FLOATS...
buddy as a big lure; watch as he is surfacing and the fish will sometimes appear under him, either attracted by his big fins or thinking he is another big predator that might drop something. Fish are good at getting behind you. If you drop down, don’t eyeball them or try to swim after them. Drop to seven or eight metres, level out, then start looking; they will find you. If a school swims by, this is where your judgment kicks in: do I spear the first one I see, wait for the bigger one, or just watch and hope they’ll swim around for ages? Your call, but if it’s your first time, my advice is to shoot the closest legal fish you see. Then all hell will break loose; these fish go ballistic, so let your gun go, let the float line run through your
fingers, keeping moderate tension on it, and try to steer the fish away from rocks where it will wrap the line and rip the spear out. Get to the surface, call out to your buddy, work the fish, and get it close; it will often get a second wind when it sees you up close, so be ready. You have to be aggressive at this point, get the fish in a bear hug, grab your knife and iki it – job almost done. Get back to the boat, untangle the inevitable mess of lines and get the fish on ice! Don’t leave it on the deck while you jump in for another look; these fish go off real quick. So what’s the best way to prepare kingfish? Talk to Crimpy!
Lenny’s Rig lucky for Lindsay Ron Prestage
Lindsay Stuart has been taking me out into Tasman Bay recently aboard his mussel sourcing boat, Victory. However it has been the passengers who have been pulling in the snapper, much to skipper Lindsay’s chagrin. On closer inspection of Lindsay’s gear after a couple of dud sessions for him, I was horrified to discover blunt hooks and poorly tied traces! I decided to set him up with a decent bait runner set, terminating with a brand new Lenny’s Rig. This rig, developed by Lenny Smith, consists of a three-way swivel and two
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Lindsay’s luck turned thanks to Lenny’s Rig.
traces of varying lengths with a ball sinker on the main line above the three-way swivel. I use fluorocarbon for the traces. Kevin Bannan and I first saw the effectiveness of Lenny’s set up years ago when we regularly fished Kenepuru Sound. Lenny often outscored us with our conventional straylines. Sometimes Lenny would have a sinker of 4oz! Anyway, once Lindsay utilised Lenny’s Rig, he hooked into the snapper, easily outscoring the rest of us on his boat and getting his share of the snapper bonanza going on in Tasman Bay again this year.