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Extreme Jigging: Dogtooth Tuna, Yellowtail Kingfish (Hiramasa), Amberjack, Samson Fish => Reports & Expedtions => Topic started by: Shane Hartstone on April 12, 2010, 06:05:52 AM
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Hi guys, Just got back from a 5 day trip on "Enchanter' to the 3 Kings. The weather was crap, with 20-30knots each day, and a good swell. I havn't got many photo's, due to the salt water spray going everywhere.
(http://s3.postimage.org/gnXVS.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=PqgnXVS)
This was my first fish, off the first drop, on the middlesex bank. 37kg, you can't start a trip any better than that!
(http://s4.postimage.org/1WJs9.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1WJs9)
This is Chris Quinn from Port stephens, a self confessed "jigging novice". His previous best Kingfish was 8kg, and on this trip he bettered that well and truely. I loaned him my Expedition/JM500 origional, and I have never seen any newby catch so many big fish.
(http://s3.postimage.org/gryUS.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=PqgryUS)
Check out the wave in the background! This was the first of Chris's 37kg Kingfish.
(http://s4.postimage.org/1ZK10.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1ZK10)
Here is Chris hooked up on my rod, while i'm making a PR connection for him! Its the first time he has jigged with an overhead, and hooks up big time on the first drop...
(http://s2.postimage.org/rdTbJ.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=TsrdTbJ)
And the result, another 37kg kingfish. Thats two 37kg kingfish, in a day, from a 'jigging novice". I know maybe 2 or 3 jiggers in New Zealand who have caught more than two 37kg kingfish in their life, let alone two in a day! Beginners luck at its purest!
(http://s2.postimage.org/reB5i.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=TsreB5i)
Sean with a 38kg Bass, the first big Bass for the trip.
(http://s4.postimage.org/1_VRi.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1_VRi)
My 47kg (PB) Bass, biggest of the trip.
The 3 kings is a place for 80lb braid minimum, its no place for light tackle. You never know when the big boys will show up. Due to wind strength, 400-500g tail weighted jigs were the norm.
Lance (skipper) from Enchanter, as an awesome rough weather skipper for putting you on the fish. While we were catching trophy fish in 30 knots of wind, other boats were sheltering from the weather.
If anybody is after a shot at a big King fish, The 3 kings is a good place to start!
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Sweet job nuthead,made the most of the crap weather foreshore, dont no about lending rods to Aussies though lol
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Mate looks like you were fishing in the middle of a Tsunami in some of them pics,great work first drop 37kg fish...Wow :o
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Crap...how did you guy stand, let alone jig??? Wicked trip though. :D
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Awesome - what a great effort, well done.
I was over there a few weeks ago at White Island, we had the great weather and a fair shot at those awesome monster Kings but were simply destroyed - heaps of hook ups, but we were humbled very quickly. In the end we were using 22kg of drag on 130lb main and 200lb leaders that were 8 meters long and still just got destroyed - very frustrating.
We even managed to get a 9 ft Bronze to the boat - but sadly not those Kings !
How delicious is that bass - man it taste great, and I dont even typically eat fish !
It is great to see those Kings in your photos, the Jig Master Guru/owner was out there the same time as us and he was slaying them on 100lb max leader, he was normally uses 60 to 80lb leader due to its impact on the jigs, so clearly we were just doing it wrong ? -I believe he boated numerous 30 and 40kg Kings each day for 6 days, video to be released soonish.
This has simply highlighted my lack of knowledge/experience in the jiggin "big fish jigging dept" -
oh well we will have to go back and try again.
Thanks
8)
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Peter, the rocks at white Island are very sharp, and will savage any leader that touches it. Heavy drag and a big chunk of luck is how to get them. One trick that a few of the boys use it to use coloured braid, and stop your jig a few meters from the bottom, and try to get your hookup just that little bit further from the bottom. Works sometimes.
It was very hard to keep your footing while fighting the fish, sometimes it was easier to wedge yourself up the side of the boat.
One morning it was so windy and rough, when one of the guys had a spew over the side, I wore some of the spray... Yuk!
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Sweet report Shane, those are some wicked kings bro!. Congrats!. Did you chuck any topwater stuff at them?
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Only in North west Bay one evening Josh. The tides were wrong for the Princess group on the last morning. We had 6 popper rods too...
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No joy in the evening?, heading up there next month and will be doing a bit of topwater and jigging. Ginga is up there at the moment, no doubt he will be giving them a good nudge with his tasty Carpenter stickies.
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Im feeling sea sick just looking at the photos ! Heading over next Sunday 2cnd . ill be happy with one half that big .. 18 kilos would do
Great fish ..
Vic
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You will smash a 18kg fish at the kings no drama, a 46kg was caught on a jig, weighed and released last week,along with numerous 30kg models.
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i can only dream of catching fish like that, well done!
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looks like a good trip[ man, well done!