Fishing for kingfish has reached its peak for the season and will taper off as the water warms. Now is the time to target that true smoker.
The end of the run brings an invasion of the large female fish, which feed voraciously wherever there is an accumulation of bait. The mid-water artificial reefs (South County, Indian Shores, Rube Allyn and Veteran's) are places to target.
South County and Veteran's are relatively small compared to the older reefs, and the structure can be found in a square quarter-mile area around the yellow buoys that mark them.
Around Indian Shores and Rube Allyn, reef construction originally was permitted in an area a mile long and 600 yards wide. Material was scattered in these large areas, so it pays to expand your search when looking for the structure that holds bait.
The old published GPS numbers were for the buoy that marked the center of the reef. The new buoys mark the center of new permitted areas, which are similar in size to the areas on the new reefs.
The structure can be located with a fish finder or by spotting bait on the surface. Once the structure is found, anchor over it to ensure a steady supply of bait. Spanish sardines, cigar minnows, blue runners and threadfins can be caught on a Sabiki rig and deployed on stinger rigs. Try a frozen sardine, which will sink halfway to the bottom and produce surprising results.
Use frozen chum or use scissors to cut some of the bait into small slivers to attract fish to the boat.
Make sure your reels are fully spooled and you need a large supply of Sabiki rigs on board, because there are no tackle stores on the reefs.
- Capt. Dave Zalewski charters the Lucky Too out of Madeira Beach and can be reached at (727) 397-8815 or by e-mail at Luckytoo2@aol.com
