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LIFE undeniably moves faster and faster the older you get, so much so that you begin to lose track of time and how things used to be not all that long ago. When finding some time to reflect on my fishing exploits over the past decade or two it was surprisingly apparent and hard to fathom just how much has changed over a relatively short period of time with certain fisheries and target species from a recreational angling perspective. One example that stuck out most was easily the yellowtail kingfish, a species that has experienced a fairly rapid increase in tactical and targeted fishing approaches mostly thanks to the technological advancements that have shaped today’s modern fishing scene. It’s probably fair to say that compared to 15 years ago these fish are now targeted in completely different ways and the odds have been drastically pushed in favour of anglers when it comes to battling these hard-won brutes. My initial trips chasing big kingfish many years ago would literally involve rounding up a few livebaits and then dropping the anchor in a likely location to deploy them under balloons until we eventually got bored enough to call it stumps for the day. We would then look to repeat this on consecutive days without so much as even turning a reel before heading back home with our tail firmly wedged between our legs. You could almost compare it to a lottery style of fishing where anglers would line up with baits deployed hoping it would be their turn on the day to strike it lucky with a big king hook-up. And with sounders being relatively basic in nature there really weren’t too many other feasible options available at the time.
GAINING MOMENTUM
A few years later some of the focus started to shift on casting baits and lures at schooling fish in more shallow regions. This saw a change in dynamics between a passive sit and wait at anchor method to an active approach of seeking out fish and sending an offering into them. This wasn’t necessarily for everyone because unless you had a lure or bait in the water your chance of catching a fish was effectively zero. Modern day four stroke outboards and bow mount electric motors certainly added to the allure of this style of fishing with more stealthy approaches possible to further increase the hook-up rate with these often cagey fish. Add in the application of drone technology and with a pair of eyes in the sky these more shallow water roaming fish could literally be referred to as a bunch of sitting ducks. Although drones have only really kicked off in more recent times they are still continuing to gain more and more momentum and recognition as vital pieces of fishing equipment to really dwindle down the time that was previously wasted on aimlessly and fruitlessly searching widespread areas for zero return. Instead efforts can be targeted right down to the exact location where fish are holding.
Rewinding a little however and rumours started to circle of multiple fish being caught with downriggers which was never really considered to be a popular option on the radar here in SA until then. Sure we had seen them used interstate on some of the popular TV fishing shows at the time but the types of locations portrayed on these media platforms were quite different to the places you were likely to encounter South Australian kingfish. It took quite a few years for word to slowly get out but eventually most boats were working the kingfish grounds with downriggers and livebaits in tow. Technology was really ramping up too with anglers quickly discovering the benefits of SideScan and DownScan to pick up roaming fish and fine tune this particular technique even further. It’s fair to say that the fish really started to become quite pigeonholed with nowhere to hide. You could literally spot a school of kings well away from the boat, drive over to them and place a bait or lure within an inch of their nose and anticipate a hook-up. Advanced HD target separation and even 3D imaging played a huge role to literally pick out or define individual fish amongst structures or bait schools to the point that you could make out an almost perfect kingfish silhouette on the sonar screen. This is a far cry from the more traditional sonar days of standard frequency vertical imaging that made it a hell of a lot harder to decipher exactly what you were looking at let alone the fact that you were limiting to viewing only what was directly underneath the boat.
TACKLE DEVELOPMENTS
When looking back at our multiple fishless days chasing kings and comparing them to current day modern techniques we are almost surprised if we don’t head home with at least a couple of runs on the scorecard nowadays. And I’m dead set positive that if we were still sitting out there watching our balloons bobbing up and down with livebaits suspended below this would certainly not be the case. In essence what seems like a small change over a brief period of time at quick glance is actually a fairly significant evolution over a considerable timeframe of one or two decades. Fishing tackle advancements have further paved the way here too with relatively small reels now capable of punching out seriously high amounts of drag to put the brakes on some of the bigger kings that would have previously won their way to freedom. Braided mainlines developed to let go well and truly above their designated breaking strain mean that rod and reel systems can be pushed to their limits with greater confidence and knot strength to boot. Terminal tackle is also more robust and refined to the point of gear failure being a much less likely proposition when compared to angler error. Essentially many fish that would have been lost all those years ago are now getting caught and it’s hard to argue that this isn’t the case.
PROS AND CONS
This sort of fishing evolution could easily be viewed in two ways, depending on your stance. The optimist would find it hard to argue that catching big kings more successfully is of any concern especially to the average recreational punter who effectively pours hundreds if not thousands of dollars into catching fish of this calibre. Others however may interpret the technological advancements to be a double-edged sword with further fishing pressures placed on our fish stocks as a result of the increasing success rates over the years. There really is a delicate balance in this argument and it’s not just here in SA either with these same thoughts echoed throughout many other states encompassing the more southern half of the Australian coastline. Concerns have been kicking around for a while but it seems they’re often falling upon deaf ears and not much has changed as a result. I’m going to avoid jumping into a political hot mess here by referencing the commercial sector side of things so instead from a purely recreational fishing perspective I personally would love to see a slot limit placed on this species along with bag/boat limit reductions to ensure we preserve and look after our stocks a lot better. I’m a huge advocate of recreational catch and release fishing for these yellowtail marvels, especially the tagging side of things given the highly successful release rate when they’re looked after properly. This is evident in the volume of tagged fish recaptures however beneath the surface this is also somewhat of a worry too. High recapture rates don’t necessarily indicate that more fish are being caught but instead it can also highlight that the stock biomass is potentially not as big as one may consider. A bit of concerning food for thought here!
FISH PUSH BACK
Thankfully the one saving grace is that yellowtail kingfish are a highly intelligent species and they too have evolved a little themselves over the years. In more recent times downrigging has in my opinion certainly lost its effectiveness to an extent in the areas we frequent. We seem to make more and more passes over kings these days without even tempting a bite. I’m convinced that they have seen enough downrigger bombs pass by their faces to know that something’s up especially as this technique really gained serious popularity within the last ten years. We even went through a stage where Gulf fish were getting bombarded with knife jigs with reasonable success but they too have even lost a bit of edge and effectiveness to an extent. This is probably what ultimately pushes anglers to try different things, apply new technology and unlock different ways of successfully targeting these fish though. The next in-vogue technique is no doubt only around the corner.
Migratory patterns have also changed and this continues to keep anglers guessing with a little less predictability about the fish. Port Augusta, an iconic South Australian kingfish mecca, for example has certainly experienced this with the closure of the main power stations that once operated here. These stations utilised the upper Gulf waters for cooling purposes which resulted in hot water being returned back into the Gulf. The fish used to be attracted to the area because of this hot water that was pumped out but with the last remaining power station closed in 2016 we are starting to see a latency effect in migratory pattern changes. Fish are still visiting the region but anglers are now having to spread their wings further abroad in search of them given they are no longer as confined to a relatively small area.
Nonetheless yellowtail kingfish are unarguably still considered quite vulnerable and at risk of further fishing pressures regardless of where you may be situated in the country. We’ve seen what has transpired over the past ten to twenty years and can therefore only imagine what the next decade or two hold as far as technological advancements go and further refining the success rates on this prized species. Whilst we have certainly benefited from a recreational angling perspective with the proposition of hooking and landing big kingfish being much more likely these days we still need to fish with intelligence and play our part in taking only what we need whilst we await further guidance and potential change in the sense of fishery management. Our future depends on it!
