BlueWater Boats & Sportsfishing – July 2019

(Nandana) #1

PART 1: Thedeadly system


AUTHOR: LEIGH TUCKER
PHOTOGRAPHY: TIM SIMPSON; JOSH TEMPLE; ADRIAN E GRAY

Although you rarely see it happening, gamefish regularly look at your offerings and refuse
them – costing you a strike. Stealth often pays big dividends, and there is no better stealth
technique than a fishing kite. Little known and rarely used in Australian waters, this strategy
holds enormous potential for increasing your catch of tuna, sailfish and many other gamefish.

A


vulnerable baitfish is even more enticing to a
predator than one with a good chance of escape.
For a predator, an easy meal ensures success
and conserves energy. All pelagic species react
aggressively to the sight of a struggling baitfish, and when
the struggle occurs on the surface it generates splashing


  • and splashing is code for panic. It’s the same reason
    that surface popping lures are so effective. A baitfish that
    frantically splashes on the surface sends a loud message
    of vulnerability to all predators in the vicinity, and these
    baitfish are usually the first to be eaten.


In this series I’ll detail a proven game fishing
method that exploits this predator magnetism to
splashing. The technique appeals to tuna, sailfish,
marlin, dolphinfish, giant trevally, mackerel, yellowtail
kingfish, cobia and many more. I’m referring to game
fishing with a kite, a strategy that is almost foolproof
when wary fish are refusing visible leaders and hooks.
When executed properly, this technique makes your
hardware virtually invisible. When you don’t need to
troll fast in your search to find fish, kite fishing is often
the deadliest game fishing tactic you can use.

ULTIMATE STEALTH


NO VISIBLE HOOK


OR LEADER


40 facebook.com/BlueWatermagazine

Free download pdf