While it’s been a slow start for the King’s due to the late warm currents and lots of rain, the pelagic surface fish action has been spectacular. The Salmon, Bonito and Trevally that were working hard at the Heads have moved in to Middle Harbour and the stretch between Clifton Gardens and Bradleys Head.
With this in mind, I thought I would share a few tips for getting amongst them with lures.
1. Trolling lures is a great way of finding a number of species. It works exceptionally well on Bonito, Tailor and Spotted Mackerel. However, it isn’t as effective on Salmon, Strippies, Mac Tuna, Frigates and Trevally, and its success rate on Kingies is relatively poor. Trolling is best done with Minnow style lures. Metal baitfish profiles and skirted type lures the likes of Christmas trees are good when the fish are high up in the water. Those types of lures will ride high at the trolling speeds required for pelagics (4-8 knts). Minnows offer deep diving capabilities or at least reliable depth control. My favourites are Tsunami Super Barra and Jerk Minnows.
2. A trolling pattern must be established in order to locate the concentrations of fish. This usually involves a close run first and then moving a little bit wider on each run after that. Troll both directions on each run because it’s common to find fish biting in one direction and not the other. Keep an eye on; your sounder for baitfish concentrations, other boats trolling to see where and what they are catching and so you don't run into them, birds working the surface, current lines and most importantly knarly waves, bombies etc.
3. Most people I know would rather cast to pelagic fish than troll for them. What do you do though if you want to cast a lure or fly to pelagics but can't visually or electronically find them? Troll until you find them and then cast. Elitist fly fishermen who refuse to carry conventional gear on principal, are doing themselves a disservice in this respect. Trolling lures is a legitimate fish finding tool, even if you do not like or intend to catch them this way.
4. When the time comes to approach the school there's a few things to keep in mind. Don't charge right up or into the feeding school as this will almost certainly put them down. There are exceptions to this when a rapid approach is essential. Certain species will, at times, feed in very short bursts and if you are not there quickly you will miss your shot. You must approach fast but keep your distance. The obvious distance to pull up is at the extremities of your personal casting range.
You must consider your boat shadow as this will put fear into your school long before the engine noise. Shadows are the early warning sign of a large predator where engine noise is unfamiliar and fish have proven to be to be far more wary of dangers that they are familiar with. The basic rule is to never get between the sun and the fish. The lower the sun is in the sky the more this applies.
Try to anticipate the direction that the fish are moving and be sure not to but your boat in their path.In windy conditions you can use the wind to make a quite approach on a school but position your drift to take you alongside the school and not over the top of it.
5. Never assume that the fish you are seeing on the top are necessarily the fish you are catching. In these situations it is not uncommon for fish of different species to layer, ie Salmon on top, Bonito under them and then Trevally under that. Your first few casts should be retrieved immediately but later casts should be allowed to sink to varying depths before the retrieve. Many pleasant surprises have come from this technique.
Silver Trevally rarely feed right on top but are quite common below the Winter Salmon. They will take lures at these times- often on the fall. Kings are regulars below Tailor and Bonito. The first sign of them is when one follows a hooked Tailor or Bonnie up to the boat.
6. Kingies are the easiest of all the pelagics to locate but usually the hardest to catch. Their biggest downfall is their love of shade but to some extent its also their saviour. Structure creates shade and it is very easy for us to locate, but it also gives the kings something to wrap us around. Remember that they will face into the current when they are holding. Avoid lures that rattle for Kingies and that includes anything with trebles and split rings. Sluggo is no.1 but you will occasionally get away with poppers as the splashing sound helps mask the rattling of the hooks and rings.
7. Although most of the pelagics make much better table fish than they are credited for, they are primarily sought after as a sportfish. I don't intend to do recipes or preparation of individual species but there are a few golden rules for pelagics if they are to be kept for the table.
-Bleed, gut, gill and ice asap.
-Fillet and skin just before you intend to cook them.
-Most pelagics don't freeze well although Trevally, Kingfish, Amberjack and Samson are ok for a few months.
-The species that don't cook that well will probably be good sashimi. ie Frigates Strippies and Mac Tuna
-vFillets are best cooked as you would a rare steak. Overcooking will dry them out.
Australian Salmon are the exception and fully deserve their reputation as revolting.
