Outdoors

Captain's Corner

Special catch: Seventy-five-year-old fishing veteran Burt Helgerson had a great catch to add to his many fond memories.

By DAVE MISTRETTA
Published April 3, 2007

Special catch: Seventy-five-year-old fishing veteran Burt Helgerson had a great catch to add to his many fond memories. Since the early '90s, Burt has been taking his grandchildren and son fishing, always letting them have first chance at catching their share of fish before he would grab a rod. This time was no different, as he watched his excited family reel in numerous kingfish. After everyone had landed their fair share of fish, Burt stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. A 30-pound smoker lunged out of the water after our slow-trolled spread of pilchards and grabbed one of the baits. Within seconds, the giant king ripped 300 yards of line from the reel. Burt grabbed the rod and gave it his all during this lengthy battle. After 20 long minutes, with his grandchildren by his side, he pulled the fish within reach of the gaff. Some pictures were taken of the entire family holding the fish, and then it headed for the dinner table.

Hot tip: The kingfish run remains strong along our coastline. Thirty to 40 feet of water seems to be the ticket for success. Both artificial lures and live bait are working for these prized mackerel. The anglers primarily using live bait have been accounting for some of the bigger fish that arrived early this week. Numerous reports of 25-pound plus smokers have been coming in from Anclote to Egmont Key. If there is ever a time to go fishing, it's now.

[Last modified April 2, 2007, 23:02:28]