Rigging techniques for Vic Coast kings by Jarrod Day

For those in the know, kingfish aren't your typical run of the mill fish. In fact, they can bring even the most experienced anglers to their knees. From my experience, there isn't a species as tough in Victoria as kingfish and none that can easily strip 80lb braid from a reel's spool in mere seconds. Kingfish get the nickname 'Hoodlums' for being extremely brutal when hooked up. Like a gang of criminals, these fish are tougher than any nightclub bouncer and in the split second you lose focus, it's all over. Today they are a household name on the Victorian fishing scene, though they have become heavily targeted in recent years, they still pose a challenge for anglers of all levels of experience. Targeting them is not as easy as it seems. You might head out to their regular haunts in season and find them holding down deep with your electronic setup or see them busting up a school of slimies on the surface, but when it comes to hooking and landing them, well that's a total other ball game. Due to their strength and power, kingfish will always find any weakness in your tackle, which is why you always want to ensure that all your rigging connections are 110%. Unlike other Victorian fish species, targeting kingfish can be caught using varying techniques with the most common being jigging, live baiting, trolling and general bait fishing with each requiring attention to detail. JIG RIGGING Kingfish are quite an inquisitive species, however, more often than not they can switch into attack mode at the glimpse of something moving fast in the water. I think before their brain analyses what the foreign object is they are already hunting it down and then find themselves hooked. One of the most effective methods used to catch kingfish is jigging. Although the technique of jigging is strenuous enough, rigging the jig doesn't need to be. Jig rigging is simple as it uses multiple pieces of terminal tackle including swivels, split rings, solid rings, hooks and of course the jig. Putting it all together is like a jigsaw puzzle, but when you begin keep in mind that the split ring is the central part. While some jigs come pre-rigged with a hook, these are not always reliable, and you may want to replace that hook with a specifically made Yakamaito, Shout or Owner Assist hook to ensure strength and quality. LIVE BAITING RIGS If there's one fish that will find any weakness in your rigging, it's a king. As brutal as they are it is imperative that all knots are inspected after tying as well as tested before being deployed as best you can. Live bait rigs can be made in a number of ways with the simplest being a metre or so length of 80-100lb nylon or fluorocarbon leader. The best hook setup is a Mustad 4x strong 6/0-8/0 Hoodlum Livebait hook with Mustad 1/0 Jigging Assist hook looped onto the live bait hook. This setup is then tied to the leader using a three turn uni knot. The purpose of the jigging assist hook is to make the rigging of the live bait faster, limiting the amount of time you have it out of the water and this maximises its life when sent to the bottom. After you have attached the hook setup, on the other end of the metre length of leader, tie a rolling size 1/0 swivel to prevent any line twist when in the current. The rest of the setup comprises of a ball bearing snap swivel crimped or tied to the end of your 80-100lb leader that is connected to your braid. Attached to this, is a kingfish 8oz barrel sinker followed by your live bait rig. Keep in mind, depending on the strength of the current you might require two kingfish sinkers to get the bait down to the strike zone. Once all that is in order, the live bait can be threaded onto the hook setup by pushing the assist hook through the membrane above the live bait's nose. This rigging technique will keep the livie alive long enough for it to be eaten. If you're using a live calamari, the hook setup is a little different. Instead of using a live bait hook and assist, a snelled octopus hook setup is recommended. While the rest of the setup is the same, you will be using an 80lb leader and a set of 6/0 octopus hooks, fix one to the end of the leader and snell the other around 15cm apart. Of course, calamari come in all different sizes, but this setup is a good general rule. TROLLING RIGS If you haven't tried trolling for kingfish, then it is probably something