THREADFIN FUN!

One of the most enjoyable and exciting fish you can fight from a Kayak here in South East Queensland is the Threadfin Salmon.

These beasts can grow well over a metre and if you're targeting these guys from a Kayak - You'll find out just how much fun these big angry fish can be when you're in a Yak.

If you're yet to catch one.. the info below might just help you to tick off this awesome species.

 Lippy's hot tips for threadies!

HOW TO TARGET

When targeting these beasts down deep, there's one go to lure that I find works a treat - and that's the Ima Koume 90. 

The profile of this lure combined with the weight and action helps keep the lure down on the bottom where the Threadfin Salmon are, and produces a very appealing action that makes a perfect snack for Threadies.

I use this lure near structure where the water is relatively deep (anywhere from 6 - 12m)

I find small hops just off the bottom with pauses gets these beasts on the bite.. even sometimes deadsticking the lure about 30 - 40cm off the bottom really can get them to bite more when they're fussy over an aggressive action lure.

A lot of times I've found that too much lure action was a bad thing. 90% of my Threadfin were caught simply letting the lure sink to the bottom, winding up about 30cm of line and literally deadsticking off the bottom.

The benefit of being in a Kayak here, is that you can drift and hold this position - literally letting your lure cover ground at the exact strike position it needs to be at for these beasts to have a swipe.

HOW TO FIGHT

When fighting these guys.. I've found not to go too hard too soon - they can have some serious grunt and can often snap you off if you try and fight that.

I've found it best to set the hook firmly, back off the drag just enough so that if they run you can give them some movement (but not too much) and after about 4-5 runs.. they'll gas themselves fairly quickly and fatigue.

That's when you can tighten your drag and lift them up without too much fear of a bust up.

 You'll know when they're gassed - they tend to come up sideways with a roll rather than fighting and swimming!

HOW TO GEAR UP

I'd suggest at least 20lb line (Braid and Leader) and a reel size of 3000 to tackle these guys.

I've often found shorter rods or 'Power sticks' are great, often you won't need long distance casting to catch these fellas - you can literally stop and drop over the side and work the bottom below you.

A shorter rod also helps when they run under your kayak - you can dunk the rod without too much fear of it snapping or bending too far like a 7 foot rod might.

I've caught all my Threadfin on a 2-5kg rod that was 5'10 in length (my shortest rod)

Go the POWER STICK!!

GOOD EATING..OR SHOULD I RELEASE?

Well.. that's completely up to you!

Thready do make a great table fish despite their ugly almost catfish like appearance.

If you do plan to release them though - often they will have inflated swim bladders and won't successfully release.

You may need to swim them, or, pierce their swim bladder in the right place to relieve the air pressure and help them get back down to their depths.

there's a few videos on YouTube on how to do this - always worth a watch if that's your plan!

HOW TO FIND THEM

These fish are prominent around the ports, docks, and also fish fairly well coming into Winter.

 Persistence is key. And the use of a fish finder also helps detect where these guys are.

 Usually they will hang out in small schools, and will appear as big lines / almost arches off the bottom. I find where there are both Jewfish and Thread existing in the same area..

 Threadfin tend to be down deeper and appear more as slightly curved lines on the sounder in bunches, where as the Jewfish tend to sit about mid water Column and appear as a prominent arch or upside down 'U' shape on your sounder.

Often where you find Threadfin, you will also find Jewfish.

The best time I have found to fish for both of these species - is within one hour before, during, and one hour after the tide change.

They tend to be on the move and hunt when the tide changes, but not only this - if you're fishing in a strong current or tide change, the slack tide can also help get your lure down the bottom and stay down where it needs to be without too much influence of a rushing current moving you or your lure out of place.

This is why heavier vibes and jigs like the ima koume 90 are great - they've got the weight to get to the bottom and stay there where they need to be right in the striking zone of the threadfin.

I hope this info helps you to land one of these amazing creatures.

They are definitely a bucket list fish to tick off, especially from the Kayak.

If you have have other questions or want to know more - feel free to drop me a line at anytime or jump on the Yak Hunters QLD page.

I'll be happy to assist if I can!

Cheers and tight lines,

Lippy

Yak Hunters Australia