A Right Royal Fish

Justin called out, ‘don’t let him run or he will bust you up in no time, just hang on’. These things are strong, they pull like Mac trucks. With the drag three-quarters on and pointing your rod tip at the fish, the pressure on the hands is enormous. I have often said the key difference between saltwater fly fishing and fly fishing for trout is that with trout you have to get them to take the fly and the rest is relatively easy but with saltwater fly fishing, especially with big fish, the big secret is hanging on.

In all we caught seven Kings for the morning and we would have caught more if it was not for a huge shark that crashed on the surface some one hundred feet away. The second time it did this we saw its tail and believe me it was huge, at a guess it was a big Bronze Whaler. Obviously King Fish was on the menu for breakfast.

I was thinking of asking Justin how long we were going to be there. With a shark or sharks like that under us, which I am sure was larger than our boat, it made me a little unnerved as I thought, what if I hooked another King and one of them wanted it? Like I said, just a thought and we survived.

King Fish average around the 5 to 10 pound mark and upwards of twenty pound when the big schools come in. Fly fishing with #8 outfits is hard work but a lot of fun and highly recommended if you can get down this way.

The King Fish populations in and around Sydney have increased in numbers since commercial fishing was banned in the bay a few years back and what is amazing is the quality of this now major sport fishery. You can contact Justin via his website: www.sydneyflyfishing.com.au Believe me, it is worth it if you spend a day or two with him; he is a real pro.