Kingfish (Seriola lalandi )

General Info

Now to the kingfish....Say the name kingy and its conjures up all sorts of thoughts, mostly power and fighting ability for me. Its one fish that would tend to put a certain degree of fear into the minds of most anglers. Recognized for its dirty fighting talents ,kings tend to have a nasty habit of knowing where structure is and how to dispose of any annoying pressures from its mouth!.

The first time i landed a king it was a long battle on 10kg line, raining and cold but at the time i didn’t feel anything. My knees were shaking with excitement and i was nervous as hell expecting to loose it. Thankfully all things came together and after 20 or so min’s ,17kilo's of fantastic king were brought aboard. Ill remember that battle for a long time to come.

The first thing you notice when holding a king is the muscle this fish possesses, no flab, all solid....Like a fish fed a diet of steroidal squid all its life. Definitely one of the most intimidating fish South Australia has on offer.

Kings make for great eating also!

Solving the puzzle

First things first, we want to make sure our gear is up to the task! As with all fishing, quality of reels,rods,line,swivels and knots is paramount but especially when it comes to the king. Line strength needed is generally around the 15-24kilo mark depending on location with some fisho's using 80lb braid to try and subdue determined specimens.

Balloon rigs with 1-3 metres of trace below the water are the norm .Light line is tied to the balloon to the swivel so that in the event of a hookup ,the balloon breaks of from the rig and the angler can fight the fish without any extra drag running through the water. Balloon rigs are handy also for that fact they will hold bigger live baits at the desired depth.A pair of good quality 8/0 hooks will be a good choice.

Baits generally consist of live squid and fish.... kings are quite happy to try and reduce your lure collection ,with bibbed minnows,lipless crankbaits,poppers and soft plastics possibly on the king's menu.

Well fellow anglers,go and get amongst them!