Fishing Victoria Forum

So headed out to the RIP this morning with 3 other mates.

As usual, we arrived a bit too late and the tide change had already happened, so the current was running out.

Nevertheless we started jigging, livebaiting with calamari (prev caught in portsea) and also using California squid heads on paternoster rig.

The live squid got hit on my tuna rod, peeling line off like crazy. Managed to get it under control and after a 20min fight, a reasonable size kingfish (my first) was near the boat.

My mate grabbed the leader by hand and was just about to gaff the fish when it shook its head and freed himself. I was devastated, as this was my first kingie! Estimate 7-8kg fish going by mates opinions.

With the current fast increasing and the seas becoming choppy, it was impossible to continue fishing. We pulled the pin and headed back.

So devastated and I will never forget my "MATE" lol

Now I've got the bug to go back out, so if anyone is interested to join me PM me.

Wow now I am jealous,

Dam so close!!!

Don't be jealous, I lost it anyway.

The fight however was incredible. They are such a powerful fish!

Even on my 24kg tuna rod it felt so strong.

Good effort Chris. I'm trying to land my first this year so it's great to read about technique etc. Cheers

Few things I noticed about fishing the RIP for kingfish were:

- need to always have a skipper who has studied the marine maps for the area BEFORE heading out
- need Navionics or similar (and depth finder) with marked spots of where you will be fishing BEFORE you head out
- finding the fish is not that easy, so gave that up.
- instead concentrated on fishing the edge of drop-offs in shallow water (E.g. 20m to 60m)
- whatever technique you are using, DONT let your line/hook drag on the bottom. It will catch on the reef and you will loose your rig/line/most of your spool. (I lost 300m off my tuna rod expensive mono) the current is so fast that once its shatched, you can't do too much.
- livebait is good, but freshly caught dead bait also works as well. Try fresh squid heads on a single circle hook paternoster rig with a heavy weight. keep the weight about 1-2m off the bottom.
- use a strong leader like (80-100lbs) and 50lbs braid or 24kg quality mono.
- one its hooked, dont allow ANY slack in the line until your fish is in the boat. I lost mine because we slacked the line.

and boating wise:

- always wear life jackets onboard
- dont anchor in the RIP
- stay clear of the shipping channel
- watch out for the swell and if you have a low freeboard on the boat, get a mate to hold you off by the back when you are fighting the fish
- if ever you FEEL unsafe, pull the pin and head for cover inland. Don't risk it.

Cheers

Damn. Im pretty keen to get a king this year.
When are you thinking of going next.
Zero experience though. And no heavy gear lol
What sort of gear did you use?

Good report mate! Sounds like fun and something I have been thinking of doing but not sure where to start!

Would be keen to come along for the ride and get a feel for the RIP!

ChrisAbout wrote:Few things I noticed about fishing the RIP for kingfish were:

- need to always have a skipper who has studied the marine maps for the area BEFORE heading out
- need Navionics or similar (and depth finder) with marked spots of where you will be fishing BEFORE you head out
- finding the fish is not that easy, so gave that up.
- instead concentrated on fishing the edge of drop-offs in shallow water (E.g. 20m to 60m)
- whatever technique you are using, DONT let your line/hook drag on the bottom. It will catch on the reef and you will loose your rig/line/most of your spool. (I lost 300m off my tuna rod expensive mono) the current is so fast that once its shatched, you can't do too much.
- livebait is good, but freshly caught dead bait also works as well. Try fresh squid heads on a single circle hook paternoster rig with a heavy weight. keep the weight about 1-2m off the bottom.
- use a strong leader like (80-100lbs) and 50lbs braid or 24kg quality mono.
- one its hooked, dont allow ANY slack in the line until your fish is in the boat. I lost mine because we slacked the line.

and boating wise:

- always wear life jackets onboard
- dont anchor in the RIP
- stay clear of the shipping channel
- watch out for the swell and if you have a low freeboard on the boat, get a mate to hold you off by the back when you are fighting the fish
- if ever you FEEL unsafe, pull the pin and head for cover inland. Don't risk it.

Cheers

Did you see any fish busting up on the surface while you were fishing Chris?

ChrisAbout wrote:Don't be jealous, I lost it anyway.

The fight however was incredible. They are such a powerful fish!

Even on my 24kg tuna rod it felt so strong.

Bugger mate next time.

Must have been a lot bigger than 7-8kg for a 20 minute fight with that gear.