THE KING IS BACK!

Swimming in our oceans you will find creatures going by the name of king prawns, king salmon and king this and that. Lets not forget Australian queen fish and royal trumpet fish. As far as I’m concerned there are only one king and that is Kingfish (Seriola Lalandi). Crowned for one simple reason they are the true kings of all the sport fish that swim the southern ocean.

Yellow fin king fish at their best

My babe hard at work

Squid are a popular bait for bottom fishing

All that hard work for nothing

My girlfriend and I have fought some of the greats in the last few years but these suckers go! In both Australia and New Zealand these fighters have a reputation second to none. Montague Island is known Australia wide for its big game fish but here in Norway it is relative unknown. There is a reason for this.

Montague is a little island basically it’s a wild pile of rocks a few kilometres from land. The only inhabitants are the local park ranger and a few hundred seals. So if you have not heard of this island then don’t worry. I can tell you who has: Skot McColl, Zane Grey and thousands of other Australian fishermen.

Before for I’m finished you will never forget this islands name because this place rocks!! Its simple to find Montague just drive south of Sydney for about three hundred kilometres and turn off at the sign post marked Bermagui It is here that you can book your charter boat and guide. We chose a small boat call “point five” this is owned and operated by one of the coolest blokes I’ve met in along time. Not only is he a passionate fisherman but also he is a skilled captain. One that I have no problem recommending to any one interested in catching these heavy weight fighters

Enough of where to catch these fish what you need to know I how to catch them! Australians use a number of methods to catch king fish. They are famed for their moodiness so the need for knowing you techniques is important. HERE ARE THE THREE BEST:

1. BAIT FISHING. Floating live baits under large floats called balloons and allow the fish to run a good twenty meters before sticking. Recommended baits are minnows and garfish. The other form of bait fishing is allowing squid pieces to sit on the bottom and if a fish bits stick it the moment it nibbles. Note if bottom fishing be prepared for the fish to run for the nearest reef so don’t be afraid to play their first few runs hard

2.LURE FISHING. Casting and jigging is a common practice. Something to take note of I took with me a Norwegian cod lure and managed to jig a fish, so don’t forget to try the odd lure from your homeland.

3.TROLLING. Trolling with baits and lures has been a technique employed by many of the charter boats for an untold amount of years. Both live baits and lures of all make and models are used. With all these techniques its all ways best to follow the advice of the captain on the day.

Normally charter operators supply the rods and reels for these adventures but if you wish to try this fishing in your own boat here is a list of the tackle you will need.

1. LINE. 10 kilo (0.6-0.8) is a minimum requirement with a leader of
20-kilo breaking strain.

2. HOOKS. Hooks must be no smaller than 6/0 and a maximum of 10/0

3. RIG/ROD. All your rods should have high-speed runners and tips. As I said earlier the use of large floats with a 100-gram running
lead weight, which will lower your bait to the correct deeps, this is the best method for bait fishing.

I have told you almost everything you need to know about this form of fishing but what I have neglected to inform you. Strange things can happen on these trips. Grethe and I had the bad luck to pick one of the windiest days I’ve ever seen on the ocean. This made our job all the more difficult but to make matters worse a large colony of Australian fear seals were on the prowl.

After a few great fish and a hell of a lot of tossing and turning in the boat
Grethe hooked what seemed to be a great fish. Now there is nothing more I enjoy than watching my babe fighting big fish. This day was no exception. Her and the fish were putting up a great fight and I was ready with my camera to record this hallmark moment but to our surprise this was never going to happen. With out warning a 300 kg bull seal came from the deep to chew her kingfish to “bits”.

Never have I seen an animal of such size or strength annihilate a fish in such a short time. All Grethe had to show for her effort was a bloody head. In hindsight the memory of that seal throwing his new snack in the air will out live the memory of yet another fish. So if you find your way to Australia then here is a species that must be on your things to do list……….

SKOT