Report 049 Learning how to jig for Kingfish… 31st of December 2010

Before going on Christmas holiday this year, I mentioned to my thirteen year old son Jayden that I would do my best to help him catch his first ever Kingfish…so this was my ultimate holiday fishing goal.
I needed the conditions to be perfect for such a goal, as most of the areas I had in mind for the experience would be at least ten miles offshore. The destination was to be Sail Rock, as with my previous Jetskifishing adventure I knew there was plenty of fish activity.
The night before we had discussed the probabilities with a quick lesson on what to be ready for and not to under estimate the power of the elusive Kingfish…New Years Eve was going to be the day and I hoped the conditions were as predicted for Jayden’s planned trip to try and catch that Kingy.
I have met plenty of keen anglers who have fished most of their adult life and they have not yet landed a Kingfish, so for Jayden at thirteen years old this could be a big challenge.
We left at first light, with a full tide, allowing us to get out the river mouth at 5.30am. The conditions were glass and we maintained a constant cruising speed of sixty kilometers per hour to reach Sail Rock in just over thirty minutes.

We arrived to admire the sunrise and as we prepared our jigging equipment we could see the Kingfish swimming beneath the ski in the clear water. As my metal jig lay resting in the water, whilst giving Jayden some last minute tuition and tips, we could see how inquisitive the fish were, as they were circling the resting jig…
The moment had come and Jayden deployed his jig while using the lighter Daiwa Monster Mesh jigging set. After lowering the jig to a depth of thirty five metres he was soon simulating his version of mechanical jigging, which worked a treat! He was hooked up on his first retrieve to a Kingfish and hanging on with a smile ear to ear… All while, I was barking instructions with encouragement on his hook up.

After a short battle and what he was so proud of after his awkward struggle, he soon had a new respect for these street fighters of the sea. The first hook up was only a small rat, yet put him through his paces and was well worthy of snap shot.

After a gentle release of his fish, Jayden was full of enthusiasm; back in to his work enjoying a frenzy of Kingfish, one after another! What more could he ask for, he was learning at a vibrant fishing ground and having fun with Dad. As the morning went on, the fish caught increased in size and fortunately a gentle weight increase as he got more experienced.

Another photo opportunity, with this one close to his first legal Kingfish.

Jayden needed a break for a while as he ran out of puff from the hard work endured while jigging. This gave me an opportunity to have a quick fish, while we surveyed the area for larger fish… We decided to fish some deeper water in the area, which held some better sizes. Jayden’s next session, had him on to a screamer, he was hanging on and losing a battle, not being able to turn the fish! We patiently tried to persist, hoping the fish would tire while slightly tweaking the drag… This was a failure and the fish busted the assist hook, leaving us wondering if that could have been a good fifteen kilo fish for the junior Jetskifisho.
At this stage we knew there were better fish, so we continued working the sign in the deeper water as pictured.

Jayden was back on to another… which was landed, then followed by another two, which resulted in this larger one!

He was so happy landing his personal best and is already keen for his next Kingfish session!

Important trip data:
High Tide – 4.27am
Hot fishing Time – 10.00am to 11.00am
Fishing area – Sail Rock, New Zealand
Rod and Reel – Jayden - Daiwa Monster Mesh Model # MM582XHB-SIC and Daiwa Saltist 30T
Andrew - Daiwa VIP # 6460M-BW 6ft and Saltist LW 50A
Baits – Metal Jig – 230 gram Zest – Pink and Green/Gold jigs