Kite fishing

Kite fishing is a fishing technique involving a kite from which hangs a drop line attached to a lure or bait. The kite is flown out over the surface of a body of water, and the bait floats near the waterline until taken by a fish. The kite then drops immediately, signaling to the fisherman that the bait has been taken, and the fish is then hauled in. Kites can provide the boatless fishermen access to waters that would otherwise be available only to boats. Similarly, for boat owners, kites provide a way to fish in areas where it is not safe to navigate such as shallows or coral reefs where fish may be plentiful.

Suitable kites can be simple to construct. Those of Tobi Island consist of a large leaf stiffened by the ribs of the fronds of the coconut palm. The fishing line can be made from coconut fibre and the lure from spider webs. Modern kitefishing is popular in New Zealand, where large delta kites of synthetic materials are used to fish from beaches, taking a line and hooks far out past the breakers. Kite fishing is also emerging in Melbourne where sled kites are becoming popular, both off beaches and off boats and in freshwater areas. The disabled community increasingly use kites for fishing as they allow mobility impaired people to cast the bait further than they could do otherwise. Kite fishing has become popular in South Florida for the recreational fishing of many pelagic species such as sailfish, wahoo, kingfish and tuna. This fishing technique allows anglers to create a very natural bait presentation, while simultaneously covering a large span of ocean which would otherwise be inaccessible by conventional fishing techniques. Kite fishing also affords fisherman the opportunity to fish more than one line.

Offshore kite fishing is a sport fishing technique used to keep live bait on the surface of the water to attract and catch surface feeding predators. It is used in Florida along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean for sailfish. It is also used for blackfin and yellowfin tuna, dolphin or mahi-mahi, wahoo, black grouper, and yellowtail snapper.

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