Words & Images by NZ Fishing News
After spending time fishing their home waters, most keen anglers get the itch to chase larger fish in more remote locations. And in New Zealand, the fish don’t get much bigger, nor the location more remote, than the Three Kings Islands.
Located 30NM to the northwest of Cape Reinga, the series of rocky islands and outcrops are so rugged that the two ‘anchorages’ are merely indentations along the steep, boulder-laden shoreline, and are still exposed to a myriad of oceanic swells and currents. Even with a good high-pressure system forecast, it’s not unusual to experience 20-knot winds, strong currents, and big swells from multiple directions.
While the Three Kings is within reach of well-equipped private vessels, the best option for many is to book a trip on one of the liveaboard charter boats that work the area between spring and autumn every year, such as Blue Water Adventures’ Demelza.
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These boats comfortably cater for six or more anglers, with the standard trip being five days long.
Once at the islands, there’s a veritable wealth of angling possibilities. Most boats head away from the islands each day to fish the famous and productive King and Middlesex Banks. Situated where the South Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea converge, these banks are surrounded by a range of deep trenches and seamounts.
The result is huge upwellings and strong currents that hold an abundance of baitfish and squid, in turn attracting striped marlin, blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, swordfish, kingfish, hāpuku, bass, and bluenose.
Trolling lures over the banks and livebaiting produce many marlin and big tuna each season, while dropping livebaits, jigs, or ‘puka rigs over the countless reefs and rises typically produces big kingfish, hāpuku, and bass. Kingfish around 30-40kg and bass over 50kg are not uncommon, so it pays to fish with heavy gear to avoid heartbreak!
Prospecting around the shoreline of the islands offers superb scenery and fishing to match. Huge hump-headed trevally are easily spotted and can be targeted with softbaits or fresh bait. Slow-trolling with livebaits or stickbaiting can see some great kingie action, with fish averaging around the 15-20kg mark and bigger fish hooked and often lost in the gnarly terrain.
Even catching bait is fun at the Three Kings. Berleying in daylight will quickly produce an aquarium of species, while big arrow squid are caught overnight at the anchorages. Given the clarity of water and abundance of fish life, diving is superb around the islands but is not for the faint-hearted, with raging currents and big sharks present. 
Find out more at: https://www.fishing.net.nz/