Yellowtail Kingfish
Kingfish, Yellowtail, Kings
Seriola lalandi
Overview
Yellowtail Kingfish are one of South Australia's most exciting sportfish — fast, powerful and fond of structure. Kings patrol jetties, shelf edges and offshore reefs and are famous for bulldozing first runs. They will take live baits, deep-diving lures and jigs, and test any outfit you own.
Quick Info
Identification
A long, muscular fish with an olive to blue-green back, a bright yellow stripe running along the lateral line, yellow forked tail and sleek pointed head.
The bright yellow lateral stripe and matching tail, plus the long powerful body, make Yellowtail Kingfish unmistakable.
Samson Fish are similar but stockier, with a more truncated tail and no continuous yellow lateral line — kingfish are slimmer and faster.
Where to Find Them
Typical depth: 2-60 m
Fishing environments: Boat, Jetty
When to Fish
How to Catch Them
Cast jigs or stickbaits into structure or cruising fish and work them hard, drop jigs down over deep structure, or fish a live bait under a float near a jetty or reef. Expect the first run to be the fight — do not fight against a kingfish's run.
A live bait presented just off structure, a fast-worked jig or a slow-trolled deep-diving lure around the edges of structure all work for kingfish.
Fast and aggressive — kingfish respond to worked jigs and stickbaits moving hard; mix in pauses over deep structure.
An instantaneous, powerful hit and immediate heavy run — no mistaking a kingfish strike for anything else.
Keep winding through the strike with the drag set; kingfish are fast and hit hard, so a firm sweep finishes the hookup.
Gear up heavier than you think — kingfish punish light tackle. Work structure edges with jigs and live baits, and hold the rod low while fighting to use leverage against powerful runs.
Gear too light and drag too loose, and not following the fish away from structure on the first run — most kingfish are lost by failing to turn the fish from the structure.
Best Baits
Rigs & Gear
The boat setup for Southern Bluefin Tuna — skirted lures or deep-diving hardbodies trolled in a spread behind the boat at walking pace, worked through baitfish schools and temperature lines.
A simple but devastating setup — a small metal slice lure cast hard and retrieved fast through busting fish. This is how salmon, snook, trevally and tommy ruff get caught from beaches, jetties and boats all over South Australia.
A strong, simple rig built around a live baitfish swimming naturally — the setup for kingfish, tuna, mulloway and big snook when only the real thing will do.
Current SA Fishing Rules
CURRENT SA FISHING RULES
Always check current regulations before fishing. Fishing rules and closures can change.
Keeping Your Catch
Support the body with both hands, never by the tail alone — bigger kingfish are extremely strong; keep the fish calm and release unwanted fish quickly.
If keeping a kingfish, dispatch and bleed quickly before icing.
Slush ice as soon as possible; kingfish flesh holds well when cooled quickly.
Cleaning & Filleting
Gut, scale lightly and rinse. Larger kingfish are often gutted and cooked whole or cut into steaks.
Fillets are thick and muscular — cut down the backbone, then trim off the bloodline centre for the best eating.
Skin crisps well when grilled or seared skin-side down.
Fillets are essentially boneless; no pin bones to worry about.
Cooking
Delicious seared rare on a hot pan or BBQ, glazed with soy and citrus, or cooked as a whole fish. Great eating quality with firm white flesh.
Where to Catch Them in SA
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