I found this article that I wrote a few years ago on my computer and thought that someone may find it useful.
Tips on Plugging for GT’s
By: Craig Thomassen for Inwater 4/02/06
Giant kingfish are one of the biggest fish that you can expect to hook up to when casting plugs, either from the beach or from a boat. They are not only big, but brutally powerful and aggressive. Add to this the fact that they are dirty fighters always looking for a bit of structure to cut your line off on and you have a serious challenge on your hands. For this reason most fishermen have sleepless nights thinking about doing battle with this worthy adversary.
I have spent years hunting giant kingfish. I have caught many, using many methods, but the biggest thrill is still that massive surface smash when a big GT hits a surface popper skipping along the top. One second your plug is innocently hopping along, next instant there is a shadow behind it, then the water bulges and suddenly there is a sheet of water sprayed a couple of metres into the air and the rod buckles in your hands and line is streaming off your reel at an alarming rate. Enough to set even the most seasoned fisherman’s heart racing.
I am going to share some of the tips and tricks I have learnt with you here and hopefully some readers will find these help in getting that dream fish.
I am going to separate this into two parts; plugging for GT’s from the side and then doing the same from a boat. There are some major differences in tackle and techniques here and it makes sense to address them separately.
From the side:
The first thing one needs to do when plugging for kingfish from the shore is to get your tackle right. Being such big strong fish everything needs to be perfect to give you the best chance at landing your fish. Your tackle will be tested to the limit.
A fairly short, light, yet strong rod is ideal. The reason for this is that plugging is hard work and a light rod will mean you can make more casts, which translates into more opportunities to catch fish. The rod needs to be strong because these are big, powerful fish that need to be controlled when they head for structure and try to cut you off. A stiff rod in the region of ten foot long is ideal. You may not get quite the casting distance with this that you will with a fourteen foot surf rod, but distance is seldom necessary when targeting kings and the shorter rod gives you so much more power and leverage when fighting fish. In the old days one these sort of rods were not available on shop shelves and had to be custom built. These days there are some excellent store bought rods available that fit this profile. Shimano’s Exage 80 HSA series for example are perfect.
The reel to match with the rod should be a multiplier with the ability to hold plenty of strong line and a fast retrieve rate. Anything with a gear ratio of less than 6:1 is going to mean lots of hard work for the fisherman and I wouldn’t recommend it. The reel should have an excellent drag system, the line should run off smoothly, even against a tight drag under pressure. If the drag sticks, slips and jerks it is not going to be much use against big kingfish. The line will either break when your drag sticks or the fish will get out of control and run for the rocks when the drag starts slipping. If your drag is behaving badly take your reel in to your tackle store and ask them to service the reel and replace the drag washers. Cheaper models generally have less reliable drag systems. The best reel on the market for this type of fishing at the moment is the Shimano Trinidad series. These have fast and strong gears and amazingly good drag systems.
The line should be at least 35 pound breaking strain and of a good quality. There is no point in buying good tackle and then saving on the line, this is what joins you to the fish and is critically important. There are many good brands of line on the market and you generally get what you pay for. I prefer high visibility lines with good abrasion resistance for this type of fishing. The Double X high abrasion in yellow is excellent. I always use a wind-on leader of clear line around eighty pounds and twice the length of my rod. This is joined to the main line by making a loop with a Bimini twist in the main line and then tying the double line to the leader by way of a back to back uni-knot. These knots must be tied carefully and checked before trusting them. Test your knots by pulling hard, rather snap up during a test than when you have a fish on. I use no swivel, and simply tie my plug to the end of this leader. You can have the best tackle and line in the world, but if your knots are suspect it is not going to help at all, so spend time practising and perfecting tying these knots.
The plugs to use for surf casting to kingfish are in two categories. Firstly narrow bodied, heavily weighted plugs for long casting and days of very strong wind. These plugs are either shaped in the pencil popper design, or narrow chisel nosed plugs. The weight should be right at the back of the plug. They will cast well into a strong wind without giving you overwinds. The downside to these designs is that they do not have as enticing an action to the fish and need to be retrieved very fast, which is hard work for the fisherman. When the good water is closer by and one is not casting into a strong wind it is preferable to use a different design of popper. These can be lighter and thicker bodied. Either in the chugger or blooper style with cupped face, or in the chisel nosed shape with a thick shoulder section. These plugs should preferably float at rest and can be retrieved far slower and with a stop-start action. They cause a lot of splash and look far more helpless with their slow splashy action, and this drives kingfish wild. On the downside they take far more skill to cast and result in overwinds more easily, especially when casting into wind. The hooks and split-rings supplied on lures are seldom up to the standard required for fighting giant kingfish and I would recommend changing them for the strongest that you can buy.
Colour of the plug is less critical in foamy, churned up inshore water than in the clear offshore water. A good rule of thumb is to use white or bright coloured plugs in daylight and dark coloured, even black ones at night or in low light.
After having the right tackle, the next most important thing is to be fishing in the right place at the right time. The right time is easy. Kingfish prefer moving close inshore to hunt under low light conditions. This means that first light and last light are premium periods to fish for them. Also they like coming into the shallows when the tide is full and water is surging so that they have an advantage over their weaker prey with their powerful swimming strength. For this reason fishing for kingfish during the high periods of springtides is ideal. Especially the last two hours of the pushing tide. Spring tides coincide with new moon and full moon. I prefer the new moon spring tide, I just seem to have better action then. Kingfish are also more active during the hot summer months. Using this information to plan your trip means you can give yourself the best opportunity for success. It is critical to wake up early and be at the fishing spot and actually casting while it is still dark and fish through the dawn. The same applies to evening. It is important to continue casting right into the dark. If you fish this way you will definitely catch more fish. Sometimes the window of opportunity is narrow and you don’t want to miss it by just a few minutes either way.
The next important thing is to be fishing in the right place. For starters kingfish are most common on the Northern KZN coast and in Mozambique. They like places where there is deep water or deep channels leading in to the shallows and where there is nice churning wave action frothing the water and making the visibility low. This usually happens around rocky points or at river mouths. Clearly the big fish will be hunting where the bait fish are hiding, so keep this in mind. You will have very little success and waste lots of energy casting your plug out randomly into clear blue water. The baitfish use structure for security and the milky water of wave action as cover. Sandbanks, points and reef with current, wave action and patches of milky water are the best places to probe, even if they are right against the side. Watch the water carefully for signs of bait fish being chased, places where you see swirls and splashes are where you should be fishing. Sometimes you can see patches of dark water that are shoals of nervous baitfish bunched close together, work your plug around these, there is usually a good reason why they are nervous.
The way you retrieve your popper can also make a big difference to the number of fish you get to hit it. The popper must look to you like a panicky and preferably tired or injured baitfish. Experiment with different speeds, twitch the rod tip, rip the popper through the water, give it a stop start action. Try it all, you will see what looks best. Simply casting and retrieving at a steady rate will get fish, but not as many as working hard at making your lure especially enticing. Every plug is different and they each work best when retrieved differently by the angler. I have had a fish following a plug curiously for some distance with no sign of wanting to actually hit it. I started shaking the rod tip hard as I retrieved causing the popper to dart about erratically and suddenly the fish accelerated forward and smashed the lure viciously. It pays off to try things.
When a kingfish smashes at a plug it is often sudden and vicious, taking the fisherman by surprise. Sometimes the fish does not connect on the first attempt. It is really important to keep the plug moving, and if possible give it an even more panicked action. Some anglers get such a shock that they stop retrieving and the fish simply turns away, others strike hard and if the fish didn’t connect with the plug they rip the lure away. If the fish misses on the first smash and the plug keeps going he will more than likely hit it with even more intent the second time. Even if he connects, yet does not hook up if you cleverly give the popper an injured action, slower, yet panicky he will often hit it again. The answer is not to strike at all when you have a hit, just keep reeling. When you feel the line go tight reel fast until your rod is pulled flat, and only then lift it sharply to set the hook.
Fighting kingfish from the shore can also be a tricky business. These fish will use all of their strength to try and get to a rock or bit of coral to cut your line. You need to control the fish. If you are fishing in a place where there is no hard structure then you can relax and fight the fish like any other fish. Unfortunately this is seldom the case. Most kings are hooked close to dangerous structure. This is where the long leader earns its keep. Ideally the drag must be set as tight as your line can handle. You put as much pressure as possible on the fish to stop it reaching rock. Drop the rod tip sideways and move yourself to change angle and keep the fish away from the rocks, sometimes you have to run along the beach after the hookup to change the angle. If the fish is simply too big and cannot be stopped then you need to change tactics. At the first sign that he has reached rock loosen the drag completely and allow the fish to think that he is free. With no tension on the line it will not easily cut and the fish will swim for deeper water where you can tighten up and start the fight again. All of this takes keeping a cool head and acting fast, but it can be done.
Once you have landed the fish it is best to lay it on a wet towel, remove the hook as quickly as possible, take your photo’s and get it back into the water. Kings fight themselves to the point of exhaustion, so they need to be revived for some time before being released. This gives you time to look at the fish and enjoy the feel of him in your hands and rest yourself until he starts to struggle and you can let him swim off to fight another day and you can pick up your rod and start looking for more trouble
From a boat:
Plugging for kingfish from a boat is tremendous fun. These big, powerful fish will test your strength and your tackle to the very end, so it is important to have everything absolutely right. The tackle to be used from a boat is quite different to that used from the shore.
Firstly casting distance is not at all important from a boat as you are floating right above the fish. Secondly long rods get in the way on a boat and are difficult to wield and to stow and it is tricky to land a fish on a boat with a long rod. Ideally a rod of around eight foot should be used from a boat. It should have plenty of backbone and be able to be put under massive pressure.
The best type of rod and reel would be spinning tackle as opposed to a multiplier. Spinning reels do not cast as far as multipliers, but they are easier to use, they cast lighter plugs more effectively and have superb drag systems. The lighter weight plugs are far more effective when fishing from a boat. They float at rest and can be worked far slower and with a very enticing splashy action. You do not need to cast them into the wind as when you are on a boat you can position yourself and choose your direction of casting.
A good quality spinning reel such as the Shimano Stella, or Saragosa models is important. The reel should have a front drag and a good line capacity. When fishing with these reels you can load them with braided lines, which are thinner, stronger and have less stretch than monofilament lines. It is best to use braid with a breaking strain of not less than fifty pound breaking strain, preferably eighty pound. This should be loaded onto the reel under tension so that it is tight on the spool and the line does not pull into itself during a fight with a big fish.
A leader of around a hundred and fifty pound monfilament can then be connected, using a back to back uni knot, three turns on the mono side and seven on the braid side. This should be connected to the popper using a heavy duty swivel and a split ring.
Poppers for offshore fishing should be large and fairly light in weight. They should float at rest. A variety of colours should be carried as colour is more important in the clear offshore waters than in the milky inshore water. On certain days specific colours can be more effective than others. A selection of white, pink, yellow, purple, chartreuse and white with red head would about cover most options. Hooks and split rings on these plugs should be replaced with extra heavy duty hardware bought separately from your tackle store. The supplied end tackle is seldom up to standard for the type of fight one is going to experience with a big kingfish.
The popper should be cast out and allowed to rest for around ten seconds after landing on the water. It should then be given a hard rip and allowed to rest again while the slack line is taken up, then maybe one more rip, then reel it back, giving it the occasional twitch. The water over the offshore reefs is generally clear and fish get a good opportunity to have a look at the lure. For this reason it helps if the popper is as realistic looking as possible, for example eyes are important. Also the action of the lure needs to be very enticing.
Very often the splash made from the popper landing on the water has already got the attention of any kingfish in the area and that first rip can be enough to get a gigantic smash, much in the way of using topwater lures for bass.
The drag on the reel should be set very hard and the fish made to fight for every inch of line that he takes. A big kingfish will still often manage to get down to the reef and start looking for a pinnacle to cut you off on. Fight the fish with short pumps of the rod, putting all of the strain on the butt end of the stick. Between pumps take up line by reeling the rod back down again into position to start the next pump.
The best area to find kingfish around a reef is usually on the sand just up current of where the reef starts. Otherwise you can do a long drift along one of the reef edges. Even on offshore reefs the best feeding times for kingfish are around the high tide periods, especially when this coincides with low light times of dawn or dusk. Giant kingfish often accompany whalesharks, so if you see a whaleshark feeding near the surface it is a good idea to approach into casting distance with your boat and make a cast or two near it. If you don’t get a kingfish you could get a cobia or a queenfish.
