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 Fishing The Kite
Tommy Rothery, Captain and Owner of the "Polaris Supreme" out of San Diego, Ca. explains proper techniques to fish the kite.
Kite Fishing
Kite fishing is without question, the most exciting tuna bite you'll ever see. When a big tuna crashes a kite bait, the entire boat goes nuts. It's an impressive visual display of the food chain at work, especially when you're on a long range trip at the Revillagigedo Islands. You'll see Volkswagen sized boils are standard as the Tuna attack the kite. Sometimes you can even see Wahoo soar ten feet or more out of the water chasing a bait that the kite has just picked up with a wind serge and left the bait suspended in mid air. I've also seen anglers nearly get yanked out of their boots when a large Tuna explodes on the bait. One instant they're ten feet from rail and the next second they're pinned to the rail with two or three guys holding them down as their 100# gets smoked off their reels.
There is no mistaking when the kite gets bit. Everybody on board starts yelling "boil on the kite" and sometimes the fish will blow out on the bait two or three times before actually getting it. It's incredible! Then the familiar "wind-wind-wind" chant echoes from all the other anglers and crew members. Conversely, kite fishing can be very fickle. I've seen guys fish the kite for two and-a-half hours, give up, and the next guy in the rotation is out for two minutes and hooks into a 200# plus Yellowfin. Kite fishing can break your heart that way. That's why it's a love/hate relationship with many long range anglers.
I love the kite not just because its exciting but because it gives the angler a great shot at landing a big fish. If the hook gets set correctly your chances of landing that fish are very high. That's because you’re using absolutely the heaviest gear possible. In kite fishing all the terminal tackle is out of the water so the fish can't detect it. Big forged 9/0 to 12/0 hooks, 200# to 300# leader, even wire leader if desired, 100# to 130# main line with Spectra backing to 100# and 50 to 80 wide, two speed reels. If you have good connections the odds are in your favor that whatever hits your bait will be landed. Sometimes it's just having that extra confidence and heavy tackle that will make the difference in getting these big cows to the boat.
The kite gets used most often on the 14 to 16 day trips but it can also be a great tool for fishing at Alijos Rocks or Tuna Alley at Guadalupe. We always fly the kite while on the hook. It's not used much off shore, because once you hit a school the fish could sink out quickly and you need to go chase them down again. If the kites are out you could lose touch with the school because it takes so long to bring the kites in. Off shore you need to be mobile and quick in order to get to the next spot when the fish pop up again. Operated correctly it's a strong fish producer because it will get your bait out away from the boat where the bigger fish lurk. These bigger fish will hang out in the current or chum line waiting for scraps that the smaller Tuna will create as they feed. These big fish become opportunistic and kite baits become irresistible.
For kite fishing to be effective you have to have the right conditions. The wind has to be going back behind the boat directly over the chum line. If the current is going the opposite direction of the wind it will do you little or absolutely no good. You want to be in the chunk chum line or your live chum line whichever it may be. Once in a while you will get bit when you're outside the chum line but most of the time you want to be right in it to be successful.
We use a regular 10/0 reel or other back-up reels on a 9 or 10 foot stick, as our kite flying rig. It's spooled with Dacron line with a clip attached to hook the kite on. This rig is flown by a crew member and the appropriate kite for the wind conditions will be utilized. There are a variety of kites for flying in light, medium or heavy wind. Some conditions will require that a helium balloon be attached to the kite to ensure it stays airborne. The kite will be flown 150 to 200 feet behind the boat. The release clip will be riding on the kite line and you clip your main line, which is attached to the bait, into this clip. There will also be a strike indicator attached to your swivel at the top of your leader. This ranges from yellow or orange caution tape to strips of garbage bags. This indicator helps you see when you get bit and also helps in locating your bait in a tough glare situation. I always recommend fishing with polarizing sun glasses when on the kite because you can have tough lighting conditions. A good pair of polarizing glasses cut most of the glare so you can see the indicator. If you can't see your indicator you're lost and might as well have a beer and stop fishing.
To get your bait out you need to put your reel in free spool and the crew member will fly the kite back behind the boat to the correct distance. The key to an effective presentation is to keep the bait dancing on the surface. It should be out there splashing and causing a commotion. You don't want your bait to get down three feet or so under water, it won't get bit. Conversely, you don't want it dangling six feet out of the water for obvious reasons. A lot of times we actually get bit while we're setting the baits, because they're streaking across the top of the water. I've seen 200 pound fish inhale the baits off the kite less than 20 feet from the boat. You just never know when fishing the kite but that's why they're so cool.
You should always fish the kite in your harness and rod butt plate with your reel clips locked into your reel. Always fish with your reel in high gear. So when you get picked up you can grind quickly to get all the slack out of your line before setting the hook, which we’ll talk about in a minute. You'll be positioned by the crew, so you don't get in the way of the other anglers fishing the rail. This usually means you're some ten feet back from the rail, parallel with the bait tank along either side of the boat. Some guys want to be secured with a safety line just in case big "Mo" tries to pull them over (Check with crew if this is a concern for you.). You will be jockeying from free spool to being in gear constantly watching the indicator and bait to position it correctly. When the bait sinks too deep reel in until you see it. If the bait is up in the air then go to free spool to bring it down. You’ll get the feel of this very quickly.
The crew will bait up the kite for you because there is some special rigging that will need to be done. The most popular baits right now fluctuate between Flying Fish, Giant Squid and various Mackerel. Live fliers and Giant Squid are candy for the big Tuna. Fresh dead fliers, rigged with their wings out, and frozen Giant Squid are also very effective.
Setting the hook is critical in kite fishing. The key to setting the hook is to "wind-wind-wind." The clip that connects your main line to the kite may be some 100 feet in the air. When a fish takes the bait there is usually a boil and the indicator will go under water. At this point you will reel in as fast as you can, helping your main line to release from the clip. Continue to reel until all the slack is out of your line, I’m talking about so tight you can’t gain anymore line. Then drive the hook into the fish with a solid swing. If you’re rigged with a circle hook just keep grinding until the fish starts to pull drag then just slowly raise your rod tip. Once the line is taught the fish will usually be pulling hard and trying to melt your drags. Hold on and go for it!
Kite fishing is exciting and full of anticipation. You never know what or when something is going to blow out on your bait. Some people hate the kite but I love it and if you want a shot at the fish of a lifetime don't ever miss a rotation.
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