Outdoors

Daily fishing report

By DAVE MISTRETTA
Published September 26, 2006

Fishing at depths of 100 feet last week, we experienced an early run of kingfish. Numerous giant smokers were available at many spots in this depth. Blue runners and Spanish sardines were the baits of choice. They could be caught at these same locations.

Our largest mackerel weighed 33 pounds, accompanied by a variety of fish 20 pounds and up. In the morning, we caught most of the fish by slow trolling over large ledges and wrecks. Once the sun got high, we anchored and chummed the hungry fish directly to the boat.

We kept heaving additional lines out after the initial king was hooked, resulting in multiple hookups. At one time we had four giant kings hooked, screaming line out in different directions. A flow of chunked sardines tossed behind the boat kept the pack of smokers from leaving.

A 40-plus pounder narrowly escaped our hooks while attacking a live sardine. It hit while we were busy with three other kings. The 5-foot fish leaped 15 feet trying to inhale our live sardine. When the king came back to the surface, our bait fell from its mouth. Two seconds later the reel was screaming drag off, so we thought the big fish had come back. But when our anticipated giant smoker was boatside, a smaller fish was hooked on the line. We figured the smaller fish stole the bait as it fell from the bigger one's mouth.

There is nothing like the sound of four giant kings ripping line out at over 30 mph. Expect more action like this in the near future.

Dave Mistretta captains the Jaws Too out of Indian Rocks Beach. Call 727 595-3276, e-mail jawstoo@msn.com or see jawstoo.com.

[Last modified September 26, 2006, 01:16:39]