KNOTS & RIGS
IF you’re serious about chasing big predatory
sportfish such as yellowtail kingfish, mulloway,
cobia, tuna and billfish then there’s no surer
method than fishing livebaits. I love my lure and
f ly fishing, but deep down I know that I’ve
probably caught more large game fish on livies,
particularly live slimy mackerel and yellowtail,
than by any other method. I was recently invited
by Brett Corderoy, a good fishing mate and old
work colleague, to spend a day offshore chasing
kingfish with my buddy Scotty Thorrington
from Haven Charters (ph. 0419 440 869) aboard
his 34 foot Black Watch Freedom.
We left the Brisbane Water early to fish
some of Scotty’s regular haunts off Terrigal on
the NSW Central Coast. It was a pretty long
run out to his favourite marks, but as I’ve
witnessed numerous times before, he doesn’t
mind burning fuel to ensure he puts his clients
onto fish. Previous trips chasing kingies had
resulted in good catches mostly taken on
Samaki and Daiwa knife jigs; however, this
trip turned out differently with the majority
of the fish taken on either live slimy mackerelor yakkas. As Scotty has told me before, it
always pays to make the extra effort to fill
your live bait tank with yakkas and slimies as
they’ll still produce fish on those infrequent
days when the jigs aren’t getting hit. Livies
will also often produce the larger kingfish,
especially later in the season. Anyway, we
ended up having a great day landing around
25 kingies, most of which were released, but
we each took a few home for the table.
Modern bluewater threadline
tackle is ideally suited to
livebaiting for kings and other
species such as mulloway and
samson fish. Scotty’s Samaki jig
rods work equally well as livebait
outfits. He recommends reels be
loaded up with a minimum of
24kg GSP braided line and prefers
multi-coloured lines that are
incrementally marked as it makes
it easier to accurately drop the live
baits down to the depth that the
kingfish are holding. Qualitymarine electronics such as the Raymarine fish
finder/GPS units that Scotty uses are a must
when chasing kingfish to find bait and fish
holding structure. To consistently achieve good
results in this style of fishing requires
competence in the use of both fish finder and
GPS units. If you’re serious about getting into
the offshore fishing scene I recommend you
buy the best quality marine electronics you can
afford. Scotty also stressed the importance of
fishing your livies at or just above where the
kingfish are holding. He has used this livebait
rig (opposite) effectively when chasing kingies
at depths to 180m off Port Stephens.
Rigs for offshore livebaiting have to be simple,
tough and reliable. An Albright Special is used
to connect a 100lb hard monofilament leader to
the GSP braid main line. A paternoster rig with
a Gamakatsu Octopus Circle hook size 9/0 is
looped onto the dropper. Pull firmly on the
circle hook to locate it tightly on the end of the
dropper loop. Scotty commented that the stiffer
this rig is, the more effectively it works with
regards to hooking fish. See the accompanying
illustration for details.
Favoured live baits include slimy mackerel,
yellowtail and pike which Scotty pins through
the top of the head with the hook point coming
out under the jaw, although they can be bridle
rigged if that’s your preference. He has also
enjoyed good results on kingfish using these as
dead baits that have been butterf lied to give
them a more enticing action.
An end loop knot tied in your 100lb hard
mono leader allows you to change snapper
leads depending on the depth you’re fishing
and the amount of current running at the
time. Scotty advocated that the use of the
lightest possible sinker that will get your bait
down to the depth the fish are holding will
result in more successful hook ups. AnotherLivies Get The Bites!
If you want results on offshore sportfish like kings,
jewies and cobia, then send a couple of livies down and wait
for the hook-ups!
TECHNICAL EDITOR MARK WILLIAMS IS A HIGHLY E XPERIENCED
ANGLER WHO WRITES REGUL ARLY FOR FISHO.WITH MARK WILLIAMS52 | fishingworld.com.au | March 2015
Double hook ups aren’t
uncommon when
livebaiting for kings.Qualit y threadline
out fits as used for
jigging are ideal
when livebaiting.