Outdoors: Mastering 'Kingfish 101'

King mackerel, or kings as most anglers call them, Scomberomorus cavalla, have moved into area waters, providing anglers with thrilling fights, heart-stopping aerial displays, and some pretty good groceries.

Anglers have been catching them for about a month now, and the action should continue through fall until the water chills.

Fishermen have been taking kings as bycatch while fishing for red snapper and grouper. Kings are a surface fish, usually found it the top 10-20 feet of the water column.

Knowing this, anglers looking to add variety to their fish boxes have been floating out surface or flat lines with live baitfish (Spanish sardines, pilchards, blue runner, goggleye, cigar minnows, etc.) while they probed the depths for bottom dwellers.

The bite of a king mackerel is not subtle. They don’t nibble, gnaw, or suck in their prey. Better words would be crash, destroy, or annihilate.

Sometimes if a kingfish is coming up from the depths to attack a hapless baitfish swimming peacefully on the surface it will actually break the surface and shoot many feet into the air with a terrified pilchard in its toothy jaws of death.

This is called skyrocketing, or skying.

There’s nothing an angler can do until the king is back in the water and running away, at which time the hook can be set. Sometimes you get a hookup.

Sometimes you get just half a baitfish back. I hate to get the front half back. It always looks so frightened.

Kingfish have sharp teeth designed to slice and cut. You must use a wire leader, or at least 80-pound-test fluorocarbon. No. 5 or 7 browntone wire works best for me.

A foot to 18 inches will do. Also, use a black swivel to attach your line to the leader. This will prevent the fish from twisting and kinking off the leader. Hooks vary from circle, to J-style, to treble.

Some anglers add a “stinger” or free-swinging hook on a short length of leader to the eye of the main hook. The idea is to snag the king when it strikes. They work, but at the expense of tiring out the live bait.

Speaking of bait, live isn’t the only way to go. A drifted Spanish sardine or ballyhoo with three J-hooks strung tip-to-eye makes for a rig that seldom gets a short-strike. This is the rig also used drift a strip bait. A large live shrimp will take kings too.

Large swimming plugs will draw strikes from king mackerel, but they are frequently destroyed by the fish.

To counter that, use a large metal spoon. One of my favorites is a Pet spoon in Size 18 . The trick is to get it down into the water column about 10 feet. Down-riggers and trolling weights will do it.

Now for a little science. When sunlight penetrates saltwater, colors change. Because of this you should pull a red spoon from daylight to about 10 a.m., then switch to blue.

At about 4 p.m. put on a gold spoon. It all has to do with underwater visibility at different times of day, and what the fish see. If you can only troll with one color, go with gold.

Don’t have a boat to chase kingfish? Don’t worry .

Plenty of kingfish are available from Gulf and Atlantic fishing piers. Some of the best and closest to us are in Panama City Beach, Navarre Beach, Jacksonville Beach and Ormond Beach.

Techniques are somewhat different from a pier. Longer rods are needed to cast out to where the fish might be.

Live baits should be hooked through the nose or underneath and either anchored to the bottom with a 4- to 6-ounce weight, or attached to some sort of float. If you use a small balloon, tie it securely to the swivel so it doesn’t drift off when a fish strikes. Sometimes if the wind is blowing from the land to the water you can drift a live bait pretty far out.

But beware of any boats in the area. They could easily cross your line and cut it when fighting a fish.

A method that works extremely well is called “snobbling” where a dead cigar minnow or goggleye is hooked through the nose, cast out, allowed to sink a bit, then twitched back to simulate an injured fish. It’s deadly.

Spoons for pier use are limited. A 2 1/2-ounce silver Krocodile spoon works best. Cast it as far out as possible, let it sink all the way to the bottom, reel it in steadily as fast as you can (no jerking) and hang on. The strike will be sudden.

Chill kingfish as soon as they are caught. Unfortunately they are a long fish and won’t fit in most coolers and fish boxes, and you can’t cut them to fit.

Kingfish must be kept whole until landed ashore.

The solution is a soft-sided kingfish bag. Gut the fish, slip it in the bag and add ice. Or you can make your own bag with bubble wrap and binder clips.

Kingfish are usually filleted or cut into steaks. Their raw flesh is grayish, due to its high fat content.

Best prepared by broiling, grilling, baking or, especially for large “smoker” king ... by smoking. They taste like all the mackerels.

There is some concern about eating kingfish. Tests indicate high levels of mercury in the bigger fish. Guidelines call for limited consumption for normal adults, and none for small children and pregnant women.

But other studies show that free-occurring selenium in sea water bonds with the mercury and renders it harmless. Someday scientists will get their act together and come to an agreement.

All I know is that I ate kingfish once or twice a week while I was growing up with no ill effects ... except for the third ear growing out of the top of my head.

The limit on kingfish (king mackerel) in Gulf state waters (up to nine miles out) and federal waters is three per day per person, and they must be at least 24 inches long from the tip of the nose to the fork of the tail.

Also, the fish must remain whole, heads and tails intact (you may gut them) until landed ashore. This is so wildlife officials can determine the species and length of your catch.

Catch them while you can. Come winter the fish will be gone.

FISHING REPORT

Saltwater

St. George Island

Captain Russ Knapp on St. George Island (knappsgi@hotmail.com) said: “Captain Randy Peart is finding lots of white trout on the edges of the flats. Capt. Randy says use a 1/8-ounce jig head with a Gulp! shrimp.

“The Bob Sykes Cut is holding some flounder and reds. Shrimp or greenbacks will work the best. Off the beach look for nice whiting just past the surf break. Small piece of shrimp or Fishbite should do the trick.”

“Offshore, Capt. Clint Taylor is fishing live bottom 20 plus miles out and catching good numbers of mangrove and red snapper, with some gag grouper mixed in. Live bait is working the best, and be sure to bring a lot of chum.

“Capt. Clint reports the pelagics are here in force, so bring trolling gear and head for the deep water for black fin tuna, wahoo, and mahi. If you’re looking for kings they are everywhere and can be caught as close as three miles.”

Captain David Avant III on St. George Island (davidavant@aol.com; 850-228-6234) said: “The trout bite is there but you better get out early, as in before 7 a.m. or the skinny-water sport is over, then try deeper bars behind the islands. Live bait or fresh shrimp fished on the bottom in 8 feet and deeper water should produce trout, but you’ll have to move around.

“I talked to a man fishing the old St. George fishing bridge. He had had good luck at night fishing for flounder and trout using live greenback minnows. If you have a boat fish the bayside docks at night. The lighted ones have more action, but all of them are good places to toss a Cajun Thunder Float over a live pinfish.

“I particularly like the last four docks before Bob Sykes Cut. Because they’re lighted and in a prime location close to the cut. Shark fishing has also been good at night outside of Bob Sykes Cut on the outgoing tide.

“Capt. Allan Richards, aka Wooduck, has been filling limits of trout and reds but it’s been tough, he said due to low salinity, dirty water, and lack of bait.

“Some anglers fishing the beach off the second sandbar in 10-12 feet of water on the incoming tide reported a few trout, but they had been legal sized at least.

“Scallops at St. Mark’s were spotty and in deeper water. I saw only two boats out in Lanark today. I expect they found a few.”

Apalachee Bay

Otto Hough at Myhometownfishing.com (otto@myhometownfishing.com) said: “Boy, oh boy, this last weekend and first of the week was sweltering hot and humid over the Big Bend waters, but anglers were finding fish early to avoid the sauna-like conditions. The trout have moved towards the coolest waters they can find, mainly in waters 6-9 feet in depth. Outside the ‘party’ sandbar east of the St. Marks Birdrack, the trout have been hanging on the southern side, in depths of 6 feet or so out to about 9 or so feet.

“They seem to be liking the shrimp imitation soft baits like the 1/2 ounce D.O.A. and Live Target versions, though a quarter-ounce jig head tipped with a Gulp!, Saltwater Assassin or Z-Man shrimp with a tad of sweetner like ProCure shrimp has been producing well too. Some really fine trout have made the journey outside to lurk in the fringes of the Ochlocknee Shoals over the spotty bottom holes.

“Going into this three-day stretch, it looks to be another of those typical summertime fishing patterns sandwiched between the moons. High tides out of St. Marks will be happening a couple of hours or so after sunrise. There’s always hope to find some trout and reds in close early on the rising tides, but once that sun gets up by midmorning it’s time to beat a track to deeper waters for the trout. The deeper creek holes have been holding the reds.

“Along the St. Marks Refuge buoy line, the Spanish mackerel continue to prowl. Over on the flat outside Long Bar at Shell Point, the tarpon have been roaming, gulping and providing a number of anglers targeting that species with some exhilarating excitement.

“Outside, the highly ‘endangered’ (by Fed standards) red snapper was definitely in danger this past weekend, as just about every angler targeting ’em found ’em chomping. Lots of awesome fish in the 20 to 25 pound class came home to become some fine dining fare for many an angler’s family.

“The gags were not to be left out of the mix either, as they too were chomping on live bait offerings in both State and Federal waters Saturday, but only Fed waters once the clock struck midnight June 30th.

“The four-county area in State waters has closed, but will reopen Sept. 1.

“So, for now it’s a good poke out the nine-mile Federal waters. More than worth it if some quality gags are desired, though the limit is two per angler. Slow trolling the MirrOlure MR113 and Stretch 25 over live bottom is producing too. Kings have begun to wreak havoc on the baitfish pods southeast of Ochlocknee Shoals and around Marker 24. Free lining or slow trolling a frisky pinfish near one of the baitfish pods will garner attention.

“When on the Big Pond this time of year, remember to stay hydrated. It doesn’t take much time in the sweltering heat and humidity this time of year to sweat out gallons leading to heat exhaustion complications. Have plenty of water, Powerade or Gatorade iced down on board. Especially important, make certain the young anglers on board keep drinking lots of liquids. Plus, boat safely and wisely as the summertime conditions bring out the crowds to enjoy the Gulf waters.”

Capt. Dave Lear of Tallahassee said: “Hot temperatures have forced fish into summer patterns to minimize the heat. Early, late and deep is the current mantra to find trout. Reds don’t mind the hot water nearly as much, but when fishing a mixed bag it pays to max out chances.

“Depths up to eight feet are the most consistent lately. Soft-plastic jigs and shrimp lures like the DOA 1/2-ounce or Sureketch touts on a heavier jig head are scoring trout, although it requires picking through undersize specks.

“A split shiner tail (pinfish) under a cork is another summer favorite. It might also entice a passing cobia, tarpon or shark too. Early in the shallows calls for topwater plugs like Rapala Skitter Walks, Heddon Spooks or Storm Chug Bugs.

“Floating grass continues to be a problem for treble hooks, however. As an alternate, the new DOA PT soft plugs with their weedless hooks and rattle will snake right through the stringy salad.”

“Surface and slow-sinking twitch baits will fool redfish, although it’s hard to beat a weedless gold or pink Aquadream or Capt. Mike’s 3/8-ounce spoon. Work them slowly so they flutter just off the bottom and cast over oysters bars, around rock grass patches or flooded shorelines. If the reds are there, you’ll know it quick.”

“There are plenty of big adversaries if you’re so inclined. Medium-heavy tackle is necessary for cobia, tarpon and sharks. Try lime green, candy apple red or olive/pearl Gag’s Whip-it Eels for ling. A 1/2- or 3/4-ounce jig head gives good casting distance and the right sink rate. Tarpon are tarpon. Sometimes they’ll eat a kitchen sink and the next day they turn their big noses up at anything you throw.

“Early morning is the best time to look for rollers. Cast DOA BaitBusters, MirrOlure 65M twitch baits or large poppers ahead of the travel path and hope you picked the right day. Remember, tarpon must remain in the water and a $50 tag is required to submit one for a world record. Otherwise, they are strictly catch-and-release.

“Unfortunately the pre-season scallop scouting reports for the East Flats have been discouraging for bi-valve hunters. The wet spring is probably the cause. There hasn’t been any mention of scallops near Lanark, either. If you really want to go snorkeling, Keaton Beach south seems like the only early option right now. That could change as the season goes on.”

“The post 4th holiday weekend outlook looks promising, albeit with the usual chance of heat-produced thunder-boomers. Decent water flow will come mid-morning with the high tide. An average solunar feeding window will sandwich that high as the moon is up.”

Keaton Beach

Captain Pat McGriff of One More Cast Guide Service (www.onemorecast.net; onemorecast@gtcom.net; 850-584-9145) reported: “The recent rains and wind Monday stirred the water up and I had to back down off my areas to find new fish for my charter with the Zorns.

“They managed to catch nine trout and two keeper reds. Marty Zorn had top honors with the largest red. His was 27 inches long (his first-ever red). William Zorn also had his first-ever red (23 inches) and trout (19 inches) on this trip. Marty also had the largest trout, a fine 23-inch sow. We found our fish in 4.5-5 feet of water and caught the trout and reds mixed in the same two drifts. The wind was doing about 15 knots.

“We caught all our fish on live pinfish hanging 34 inches under a Back Bay Thunder. If you made a good ‘pop’ you got a hit. Essential to make a loud noise with your Thunder due to the stained water and the wind.

“If the current trends hold, expect to need your Original and Back Back Bay Thunders to raise fish this weekend. Find the correct stain and you should find the bite. I saw Pete and Kay Giddens of Ocilla, Ga., and they had caught their limit of trout and reds both Saturday and Sunday. They were fishing live pinfish under Back Bay Thunders also.”

Steinhatchee

Kristin Skipper at Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee (352-498-3008) sent photos of scallops, scallops, and more scallops. Fish-wise, there were several big kingfish, red snapper, gag grouper, and a large cobia.

Freshwater

Lake Jackson

Otto Hough at Myhometownfishing.com (otto@myhometownfishing.com) said: “Mother Nature over the past weekend was somewhat kind to Lakes Jackson, Carr and Iamonia by dumping numerous afternoon thunderboomers over the lakes.

“Still, with all the showers the main pool at Jackson only hopped up seven inches. When looking back to this time last July at the lake level, it’s gonna take another 17 inches of new water to get the lake level up. Even then, the lake will still be sitting below normal full-pool depth.

“For those anglers fishing out of kayaks, canoes, jon boats and small Gheenoes, the bass have been cooperating early morning and late afternoon. The larger jon boats and Gheenoes have finally gotten enough water to launch out of Sunset Landing and the US-27 N landings.

“Most anglers with motors have been working the south end of the lake. The north end has pretty much begun to fully top out with coontail mats, leaving a goodly amount of lake for kayakers to traverse.”