KINGFISH

FACT FILE
Name:	Seriola lalandi, Pacific yellowtail kingfish.
Size:	1-70kg.
Tackle:	10-16wt. Strong saltwater reels with smooth drags capable of min. 6kg drag.
Season:	All year, best fishing from Nov-May.
Locations:	Harbours, reefs, over seamounts and pinnacles.

Yellowtail kingfish, more commonly known in New Zealand as just kingfish and known in the United States as Californian yellowtail, is one of New Zealand’s most formidable saltwater fly fishing targets.

A relative of the Amberjack and member of the jack family, Kingfish are well known in New Zealand as an aggressive feeder and an even more aggressive fighter. When coupled with fly fishing, these features make kingfish a prime target for saltwater fly fishers.
Kingfish are renowned as being dirty fighters, frequently running hard for the nearest obstacle around which your fly line may be wrapped. They are eager takers of well presented flies often in direct vision of the fly angler.

The places kingfish frequent are often reefs inshore and offshore, estuary mouths and at certain times in summer heading in to harbors pursuing baitfish. Fly fishing techniques vary depending on which situation the kingfish are likely to be found in.

In New Zealand’s summer, from December through to late March, kingfish come into coastal waters as the baitfish move in closer. This means kingfish can be found in shallow areas even allowing sight casting with flies to huge fish. Some of our coastal reefs up to 10 miles off shore can host huge schools of ravenous kingfish that roam in packs frequently driving baitfish schools to the surface.
Schools of juvenile kingfish, colloquially called rats, are common. These small kingfish are usually in the 2 to 5kg range with schools so dense a fly has no chance of drifting deep. Rats are frequently fly fished to with 8 to 10wt saltwater specific fly rods and reels, lines can be slow sinking but we prefer fast sinking integrated head fly lines such as the Teeny TS series of saltwater fly lines. Clousers, gummy minnows, surf candies and poppers on floating lines are all successful flies.

Large kingfish is a fantastic fly rod challenge. The current world record stands at 25.2kg taken on 10kg tippet IGFA recognized saltwater fly tackle. This was taken several years ago remarkably from shore in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty. Our biggest fish so far taken on IGFA 10kg tackle is 24.5kg and several kingfish over 20kg are landed on flyfishing tackle every year from our boat Saltflyer. Maximum size is thought to be around 70kg.

Tackle is 12 wt minimum and sometimes the 14 and 16wt fly rods get thoroughly tested too, our choices include the CTS range, Sage Xi2 series, Cam Sigler rods and other equal brands.
Top quality reels are necessary as these fish require hard drag settings, we use Shilton, Abel and Tibor saltwater fly reels. Again Teeny TS fly lines are ideal mostly in the 450 to 650 grain weights. Flies are large baitfish patterns including clousers, deceivers, fat-boys and flashy profile flies.

Fly fishers seeking New Zealand kingfish can be offered a variety of terrain so all tastes can usually be catered for. Deep dredging for big kingfish on sunken pinnacles, live bait teased fish around reefs, rat kingfish in large schools and shallow harbor sight flyfishing for baitfish ambushing kings in the 8-20kg range are all possible.