Setting
- Attach the coastlock clip on the end of the line on the handspool to the eyelet on the keel of the Flexiwing kite and fly the kite up until the dropper cord appears from the handspool.
- A coastlock clip (tied to the end of the mainline on your fishing rod) is then clipped to the dropper cord.
- Allow both lines (fishing reel and handspool) to run up together until the bottle cord comes off the handspool.
- Attach a 1 litre bottle to the big loop tied in this cord.
- Fill the bottle with enough sand or water so the kite cannot quite lift it off the beach then let 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 pre-stoppered 5 hook sections. Attach a weight to the spare eye on the first crossline swivel and clip your baited traces to the 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 weight to the next crossline swivel.
- Disconnect the coastlock clip at the end of the first 5 hook section, keeping the second hook section on the handspool as a spare.
- Attach your back trace to the snap clip.
Thats it, just let the rig run out to the desired distance offshore, keeping a light drag setting on your reel will prevent any chance of overruns or birdsnests while setting.
Paul's Fishing Kites Dropper Rigs are supplied 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.
A second kite or Flexiwing Skyhook will increase you kite safety and fishing distance
in areas where boats are present.
Retrieving
Let the gear fish for around 10 to 20 minutes before winding it back in. Retrieving, re-baiting and casting the gear a number of times throughout the day is an easy operation.
When the line is wound back in to the point where the dropper line is within reach secure the rod in a rod holder, set the reel drag to light and grab hold of the dropper line.
As you pull the dropper line, bottle, leader line and hook section in toward you by hand the kite will gain altitude as it stores the dropper line and mainline in the air. With the bottle in hand, lock the drag on the reel and pull the bottle, leader
line and hook section 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
Packing up at the end of the day's fishing is a reversal of the setting up process.
Retrieve the line as previously mentioned and remove the traces and weights from the hook section.
IMPORTANT
Wind the hook section back onto the handspool first, followed by the leader line, bottle cord and dropper line. Unclip the rod line (mainline) from the dropper connection and wind the kiteline onto the handspool.
As the kite will still be attached to the kiteline as you retrieve the line, be careful to keep a secure hold on either the handspool or the kiteline. Taking a few minutes to store the line correctly means hassle-free fishing next time.
More kite instructions
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. |
