Learn to tie a good quick knot if you want some results. The weight of the lure should suit the line class used, as well as depth of water and current. Old bait which has lost it's colour and started to turn pink, will have very little appeal to a kingy. Another trick is to put two fresh pilchards on a large hook, rigged straight through the eyes. For some reason, smaller fish seem to hang back from this bait, giving the aggressive king a chance to take the bait.
Live bait is second to none.
Small yakka or yellowtail, especially slimy mackerel and nannygai are but a few of this species favourites. So the message is to catch the odd big kingy, you need a very big bait. Small kingies and especially whole live bonito are both effective baits. If you do choose to go big, make sure both you and your tackle can handle it. Nothing under 50lb or 24 kilo and strong arms, or you may loose mare than you tackle over the side.