The most coveted species of fish for the New Zealand saltwater fly angler is the Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi) and it can be caught everywhere from harbors to coastal areas though the larger specimens tend to be found along the Middle East Coast of the North Island and around offshore reefs and islands.

We will look at a number of species in this section but the "Kingie" will dominate simply because of it's importance to the New Zealand Saltwater fly scene.

I consider any rod bigger than a #10 to be among the "Big Guns"... I use Sage Xi2's and TCR's for most of this work primarily for their robustness and super casting actions... Because so much of my fishing is land-based I have mainly 9' rods but if you believe most of your fly-fishing will be boat based you may find the 8' rods to be more practical.

When tackling big fish the ultimate consideration must be paid to your reel. It must be robust, strong with a faultless drag. Fortunately for the angler the choice of reels that fit the bill are numerous today and much of what you choose will come down to personal preference. These high end reels are expensive and must be a carefully considered purchase. If you are going to buy a reel for taking on big fish my suggestion is to ask questions of fishing forums, talk to your local experts and if possible, use their gear or at least witness it in use. I have a variety of reels I have collected over the years but without doubt my number one "big fish" reel is my Sage 3600D. It's drag is smooth and strong, the reel is extremely robust and holds enough line for almost any encounter, well any that you are going to win at any rate.

When I set up my lines for saltwater fly, especially on the bigger sets but realistically it applies to everything from 5 weights up (I have a five weight setup I often use on small Kahawai) I set them up in a specific fashion. Every connection signifies a drop in breaking strain... let me explain. Let's say I am setting up the 3600D. I will start with 500 meters of 60lb Gel Spun backing. A braided loop to loop connection (See Arbor to Fly DVD for the best information on how to set up these loops and connections) connects this to 115 ft of 55 lb Rio Slickshooter running line which is then looped to 30ft of Rio T-14 shooting Head. The T-14 tests at about 30 lb. This in turn loops to a 20lb leader which is simply made using a guide bimini with a risutto finish and the fly is attached with a Lefty's Loop Knot. With the rig configured in this way you should virtually always be able to break off a snagged fly with no fear of losing a line. Many dirty fighting fish, and of course the Kingie comes instantly to mind, will frustrate this system at times by cutting your lines on structure... this, while sometimes expensive, is part of the fun of pursuing them.

So you're armed with a state of the art "big gun" salt fly outfit and you're ready to do battle... Where do we start... Most New Zealand anglers will be aware of their local Kingfish "hotspot" as talk of such things is not usually hard to find among anglers... and taking a Kingfish from shore is, I believe, one of the finest challenges on offer in New Zealand Saltwater. To save a long laborious article on this I have prepared an audio Podcast, the first in a series, on taking Kingfish from shore... go to the Podcasts page for more information and to download.

This page will soon contain information on pursuing XOS Snapper, Kingfish, Trevally, Marlin, Sharks and more... stay tuned for it's updates. Not all information will be supplied directly by me, but we will network with the recognized experts in these specific fields to bring you the most up to date expert information possible.