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© St. Petersburg Times, published May 8, 2002
For nontournament anglers, there still are plenty of kingfish. Sunday we had our limit in less than an hour while working the end of the ship's channel and adjacent hard bottom. All of our fish were schoolies 10 pounds or less, but on our scaled-down tackle, they provided the fun we were looking for.
Spinning rods and bait-casting gear in the 10- to 12-pound test range allow these smaller fish to put on a big fight. Any inshore outfit will work if the drag is smooth and the spool holds at least 200 yards of mono. The amount of light line a kingfish initially can peel off a small reel can be impressive.
Slow trolling covered more territory. Once we found a concentration of fish, multiple passes through that area gave us hook-ups. Threadfins have led to the most action. Larger baits, such as blue runners, have gone unnoticed.
Monday, we switched from one king to another by targeting the silver king. Fishing the south end of the bay, my party jumped three tarpon, landing one for a few photos. Again, threadfins provided the action. Expect the tarpon bite to increase as the water warms.
-- Capt. Brent Gaskill charters the Summer Vacation out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 343-1765 or by e-mail at gaskill@tampabay.rr.com.