Deployment and Fishing Instructions
The kiteline is attached to the end of the mainline on the large kite reel.Attach the kite to the kiteline.
Make sure the coastlock clips on the end of the kiteline are securely locked closed when connected to the eyelet on the keel of the kite and over the wingspar. Please refer to the kite instructions if you are unsure
of how to do this
Launch the kite and skyhook, if used, and let the kites fly up until the first dropper cord appears off the kite reel, this is around 60 metres.
Engage the ratchet on the reel to lock the reel. Connect the coastlock clips on the end of the handspool to the spare loop in the dropper cord.
With the dropline connected to the mainline, release the ratchet on kite reel and allow the kite to pull line from both the beach reel and the handspool.
The bottle cord is the next cord that comes off the handspool. Engage the ratchet on the kite reel to lock the reel. Attach the 2 litre bottle to the large loop tied into this cord.
Simply pass the large loop through the handle of the bottle and up over the bottom of the bottle. Then fill the bottle with enough sand or water so the kite cannot quite lift it off the beach.
Release the ratchet on the reel and allow the bottle to run down to the waters edge, taking line from both the reel and the handspool as it goes.
Next to appear from the handspool are the two hook sections. Attach a weight to the spare eye on the first crossline swivel and then clip your baited traces to the pre-stoppered hook section (e.g. clip one trace on, let two stops go, clip another trace
on). This allows for an empty space between traces and prevents the traces from touching one another or becoming tangled.
Attach a second smaller weight to the next crossline swivel.
Disconnect the coastlock clip at the end of the first hook section, keeping the second hook section on the handspool as a spare. Attach the long back trace to the coastlock clip you have just disconnected.
Paul's Fishing Kites Dropper Rigs, as supplied, are rigged for fishing over clear snag free areas. They are not rigged for fishing on or near reef, foul or rocks. Fishing these areas require the terminal tackle to be altered to a ledger rig or dhan
line to retain the safety of the kite and mainline. For more information on a variety of reef hooks sections click here
NOTE: If there is any chance of boats in the area, be sure to only set the gear to a distance where you can keep the mainline supported clear of the water.
Retrieving
Retrieving, re-baiting and setting the gear a number of times throughout the day is an easy operation.
We recommend the rig be left stationary to fish for around 10 to 20 minutes before retrieving it.
DO NOT USE THE KITE REEL AS A WINCH. It is a line bank only.
Walk the line up the beach and wind the slack line onto the reel, removing excess sand in the process. Avoid using wood or similar objects to wind the line around to retrieve the gear as this may cause scuffing or line abrasion and weakening of the
line.
Continue walking the line in and winding it onto the kite reel until the dropper line is within reach. Grab hold of the dropper line and let the ratchet off the reel. Pull the dropper line in, as you do this the bottle, leader line and hook section
will be pulled in as well. Allow the kite to lift, this will keep the dropper line and mainline stored safely in the air.
When the bottle has been recovered put the ratchet on the reel and pull the bottle, leader line and hook section and fish up onto the beach clear of the surf. It's then a matter of simply going through and removing the fish, re-baiting the hooks, and
it's ready to be set out again.
Packing up at the end of the day's fishing is simply a reversal of the setting up process.
After retrieving the line as previously mentioned, remove the traces and weights from the hook section.
IMPORTANT
Always wind the hook section back onto the handspool first, followed by the leader line, bottle cord and dropper line. Unclip the dropper line from the mainline and wind it back onto the handspool.
Taking a few minutes to store the line correctly means the gear is ready to use again next time.
Bait
The most commonly used baits for kitefishing are fresh or salted trevally or scaled mullet cut into strip baits 20 to 25 mm wide and 50 to 75 mm long. Fishing with these baits will result in catches of snapper, gurnard and kahawai that reflect the abundance
of each species in the area.
Pilchards are a very effective bait for those targeting kahawai or trevally and, if the hooks are set mid-water, john dory and kingfish are can also be targeted with these baits. Care needs to be taken when using these soft baits to ensure they don't
fall off.
Strips of high quality squid are a top bait particularly when large to very large squid are used. Fresh or frozen octopus is a very good bait for targeting snapper on the east coast but should not be used on the west coast as it catches far too many
sharks. Gurnard do not like squid or octopus so don't use these baits in areas where gurnard are the main catch.
Because of the distances involved with kitefishing it is important to use a firm fresh bait. Pre-frozen baits, unless heavily salted, often do not last the distance and serve only to feed the paddle crabs within the initial 300 metres of the shore.
Salted fish fillets can also be used successfully in areas where it is difficult to obtain fresh bait but catch rates will be affected. The best bait of all is trevally, kahawai or yellowtail mackerel taken on a previous set on the same day. The
fresher the bait the better the catch.
Target Snapper Hooks
All of Paul's Fishing Kites rigs are supplied with Target Snapper Hooks.
These hooks are designed to reduce gut hooking to less than 1%, increase your catch of large snapper while reducing the number of undersized snapper you will catch.
Target Snapper Hooks are a recurve hook and for optimum fishing results should be baited as follows:
- Scale and fillet your bait
- Cut bait into strips
- Put the hook through the bait at one end of the strip, penetrating the flesh first then through the skin.
NOTE: Do not choke the bight of the hook and don't hook your baits through the centre of the strips as this can cause the bait to spin and may twist and tangle the traces. |
