Kite Techniques Fishing

Fishing with kites is a tactic employed in saltwater, primarily by offshore anglers fishing for sailfish, but it can be used for many species in both inshore and offshore environs. The main purpose is to work a live bait far from the boat, but kite fishing also offers the clear water advantage of presenting the bait without an obvious fishing line. Although baits fished off kites can be presented at various levels, they are typically fished on or close to the surface and are worked both while trolling or while drifting.

The principle of kite fishing is similar to that of using sideplaners (see) or planer boards (see) in that the kite carries the fishing line and bait away from the boat at distances that can be varied and, via a release clip, the line is freed from the kite to allow an angler to play a fish unimpeded.

Kites for fishing come in versions suitable for different wind conditions, and they are attached by tow line to a retrieval device; this may be an old 6/0 or 9/0 conventional reel and short rod, or a large-wheeled direct-drive manual retriever with a swiveling clip, similar to the devices used for retrieving sideplaners. The tow line is usually Dacron, at least 50-pound strength, which may be subject to fraying but which has the benefit of not stretching. When two kites are fished together, they are kept away from each other by attaching split shot to the kite edges (on opposite sides), and they may be labeled left or right fliers.

In operation the kite is set out a reasonable distance and then the fishing line is attached to it via a release clip on the tow line (running it through a ceramic guide attached to the clip keeps the line in the right position). Multiple baits may be fished via multiple release clips, though few people fish more than two baits from one kite. Baits are fished so that they frantically circle near the surface, which attracts the attention of fish. It’s important to keep monitoring the kite lines to make sure that the baits are properly positioned; colorful markers on the line help make the position of the baits visible. If changes in the wind raise or lower the kite, the bait will be affected, and the line has to be adjusted to keep the bait on the surface.

When a fish strikes, the angler grabs the appropriate rod, reels the line until it comes tight to the release clip, and then waits until the striking fish has swallowed the bait and moved enough to pull the line out of the release clip. The angler points the rod at the fish and reels in slack until the line gets tight, setting the hook several times.

Kites are used in drifting when there is ample wind, and in trolling when there is not enough wind, or even when there is wind in conjunction with trolling baits or lures on flatlines and off downriggers. In the latter scenario, kites help round out the offerings and the breadth of water covered.