Daiwa’s Topwater Fishing Basics

SELECTING THE RIGHT TOPWATER ROD & REEL

• - Most casting rods are 7’6” – 8’6” in length and are suitable for the boat or land based fishing. Dedicated land based rods tend to be in the 9’0” – 10’0” class.

• - Make sure the lure rating on the rod matches the desired lure weight that you’ll be casting, this will allow the rod to perform in its optimal range and maximise casting distance.

• - The rod should have plenty of power in the butt section for fighting fish. A stickbait rod should have a softer tip so you can work the bait without ripping it out of the water. A popper rod should have a stiffer tip section so you can pull the popper through the water and create a “bloop”.

• - An easy rule of thumb for getting a suitable set is matching the line rating on the rod to the size kings you are targeting and the locations you are fishing:
• PE3 Smaller Kings - inshore locations.
• PE5 Medium Kings – inshore and offshore locations where medium sized fish will be encountered.
• PE8-10 Large Kings – Offshore and land based destinations where XOS Kingfish may be encountered.

• - The reel you choose should hold 300m of your chosen line weight and have adequate drag to give you the stopping power when required.

• - Generally topwater reels have higher gear ratios so you can pick up the line faster after the sweep 5.7 - 6.2:1 ratios are good.

TOPWATER LURES

There’s no shortage of options on the market but here’s a couple of key points when choosing your next topwater lure.

• - There’s really 3 classes of topwater lures, stickbaits, poppers and swimming poppers:
• A stickbait is designed to be swum & mimics a wounded baitfish.
• A popper works by an aggressive pulling motion to create a large splash to mimic a fleeing baitfish.
• The swimming poppers are a hybrid and let you both swim the bait & pop.
• Sinking stickbaits can be good when the bait is holding deep. Or if the surface is rough, this will allow you to work the stickbait more naturally vs a floating bait that can be hard to work in rough conditions. 

• - It always pays to have a selection of lure styles and colours, each has its chosen day where it will out fish the others.

A bundle of On Top Lures demonstrating good lure variety. Find out more about the OTL story here!

• - My go to method when choosing a bait is, if it looks fishy and there are schools of fish on the surface or birds, I’ll tie a stickbait on. If it feels quieter, I’ll start with a swimming popper to create a bit more commotion and see if anyone is home. Again, if a stickbait hasn’t got any attention, a shift to the swimming popper will often get a bite. 

• - Wooden vs Plastic – Generally a wooden lure has a more natural action as they are heavier but still buoyant. This gives them a natural roll that mimics a wounded baitfish. Good quality wooden baits generally come with a higher price tag, but if they get the bite the extra $$$ is worth it. Wooden baits tend to work better across a wider variety of surface conditions and maintain their swimming action. Plastic baits can be harder to swim in choppy conditions. The benefits of plastic baits is they still catch fish and come with a reduced price tag.

• - Then there’s colours, again it pays to mix it up. Some days they will be tuned in to natural colours that imitate the bait they are eating. Other times vibrant bright colours will trigger an attack response and get the bite, I always carry a mix.

• - It pays to have a mix of sizes too. Especially if the fish are tuned in to smaller bait.

Yellowfin tuna are partial to a well swum stickabit, as Hamish Beattie proves with his self-made NaCl lure.

TOPWATER LURES – RIGGING AND LEADERS 

• - First and foremost, fish barbless hooks or squash your barbs. It is better for the fish and for you should you get a hook in you.

• - There are a plethora of way to rig your topwater lures. A lot of the time it comes down to personal preference and what lets the bait swim the best. Most packet purchased baits are tuned with the hooks to get the best swimming action. Sometimes baits will only swim with double trebles so they are keeled properly. So fine tune your baits to get the best results.

• - The BKK range of barbless trebles are hard to go past, also their single assist rigs are gaining popularity amongst topwater anglers.

• - In relation to leader, I prefer use mono as it has more shock absorption for repeated casting and when fighting fish. Fluoro is super unforgiving and stiff but the benefit is higher abrasion resistance. 

We recommend J-Thread Spartan mono as a topwater leader solution. 

• - Here’s a basic guide to leader recommendations:
• PE3 50-80lb
• PE5 80lb – 100lb
• PE8+ 100lb to 150lb.

• - Sometimes if the fish are line shy, going down a leader size will get a bite but will also put you at risk of getting dusted up.

SELECTING A LOCATION TO FISH

• - The simple formula to finding Kingfish is structure, current and bait.

• - Kingfish will generally sit on the pressure side of a reef. This is where there is an upwelling of nutrients that attract the baitfish and in turn the Kingfish.

• - Look for other indicators such as birds, surface feeding schools of fish, upwellings and current lines.

• - Generally fishing the change of light will yield the best results, morning or night.

• - Make sure the tide is running.

• - Avoid the full moon, kingfish can be finicky around this time.

• - Target areas that are 0 – 60m deep. I finder deeper reefs that kingfish hang on tend to only come to the surface occasionally. For example, if there were sauries in the area or they had pushed a school of bait / squid to the surface. On deeper reefs use your fish finder to locate the bait schools close to the surface and cast at them.

• - Spring, summer and autumn are the best months to get kings on top. Winter can be slower but you have the chance to get a real trophy.

Take a topwater holiday! This 40kg Giant Trevally was caught in New Caledonia on a NZ-made NaCl lure.

Surface schools of baitfish are always a good place to try, here’s some pointers:

• - Avoid casting into the middle of the school as this tends to put the bait down, especially if they are finicky.

• - Also avoid casting over the school, sometimes the stickbait looks like a bird and frightens the school.

• - Target the edges, this is where predatory kings will be looking for a fish that leaves the safety of the school.

• - Avoid drifting through them.

Marker Poles & Buoys 

• - Marker poles and buoys are always good spots to target inshore kingfish. 

• - Early season and early mornings are the keys here. By late summer the kingfish that reside here would have seen 100’s of lures.

WORKING YOUR TOPWATER LURE

• - A stickbait should be swum, this is achieved by sweeping the rod tip close to the water. The aim being to get your lure to dive under the water, swim in an s-motion and pop back up. The majority of the time the fish will crash your bait on the pause. If hit misses it, it is vital that you remain composed, if you tumble your stickbait out of the water now it will likely put the fish off. Another sweep and pause usually gets the bite. 

• - Sometimes you can speed this action up to fire the fish up or if they are feeding aggressively.

• - Small short stabs of the rod tip can create a “walk the dog” action, this can be effective particularly on calm days.

• - If the water is rough it pays to watch the waves and pull your bait into the back of a wave. If you pull it off the front it will look unnatural & put the fish off.

• - If it is really rough a sinking stickbait can be a good option.

• - A popper as the name suggests, should be popped to create a big splash and bubble trail. Again, the fish often crush a popper on the pause.

• - With a swimming popper, mix it up between sweeps and pops for the best of both worlds.

FIGHTING THE FISH – FISH CARE – OTHER NOTES 

• - Generally the harder you pull on a Kingfish, the harder it will pull back.

• - It’s ok to really lean in to a fish if you’re fishing PE8 plus. Generally a bigger fish on PE6 and below will be in the drivers seat, so it’s a case of hanging on and a bit of good luck.

• A couple of tactics to employ if you’re getting a towelling. Drive the boat on top of the fish, less line angle give the fish less opportunity to bust you off. Lead the dog, sometimes with light line pressure you can lead the fish away from the danger zone and restart the battle on more favourable ground. 

• If you’re fishing heavy drags and you have the fish beat and close to the boat, backing the drag off slightly can help avoid pulling hooks. It also makes the fish easier to control if he takes off under the boat or around the motor. Heavy drags at this stage can make a topwater set hard to manage.

Try get at least one crew member to give you a hand when landing a fish.

• Once the fish is boatside, if you want to let it go, flicking the hooks out with a long nose set of pliers is a good option. If you want to bring it onboard, a lip gaff or long lip grip in the bottom jaw is a safe approach. Always use barbless hooks, you’ll be thankful if you ever get a hook in you, the fish will thank you too! When releasing fish, be quick, have cameras etc ready before bringing onboard, a wet towel over the eyes can keep the fish calm and a deck hose in the gob can keep them healthy. 

• If you decided to keep the fish, ideally bleed it in your chilly bin to avoid sharks turning up. Make sure you take a good supply of salt ice to keep you fish in the best possible condition.

If you’re getting sharked, leave the area. There’s no point in wasting fish after fish to sharks. 

Kingfish are a hardy fish and release well, it’s always good to see them swim off again. Always take only what you need and practice catch and release so the next angler can enjoy catching the same fish. There was one tagged fish at White Island that was caught and released 5 times, so they survive well. 

Good luck for your next top water mission!

By Daiwa New Zealand