Kingfish, tuna provide plentiful action

By Larry Hoffman
Published April 6, 2007

The Gulf of Mexico is as good as it gets on our coast this month. Blackfin tuna have arrived southwest of John's Pass in 120 feet of water, the kingfish are here in good numbers and the grouper fishing is just right.

Fishing with Charlie Schleyer and his two sons, Cory and Peter, from Philadelphia, Pa., on Monday the weather was perfect. We moved offshore to Egmont Channel markers 5 and 6. The first priority on any trip is to ensure your live well is full of fresh bait. Cory and Peter filled our live well using gold hook rigs for blue runners, cigar minnows and Spanish sardines.

During bait catching we noticed that some of our bait was being cut off, so we thought: why move? We started trolling live baits and hooked a tournament-sized kingfish. The kingfish hit a large cigar minnow, and Peter had his hands full. The king made a big run and then ran at our boat. Pete worked fast to retrieve line and was able to put some pressure on the fish again. After 25 minutes, we gaffed a king close to 40 pounds. For Pete, this was his biggest fish ever.

The rest of the day was also productive. We caught more than 25 kingfish, but most of them were small by comparison. Our success was at channel markers 5 and 6 and 2 and 3.

Fishing for kingfish is only going to get better. The water temperature at markers 5 and 6 was 69.8 degrees. The baitfish were near the channel markers: perfect conditions for kingfish. You can find kingfish at most of our reefs and shipwrecks. The Egmont Channel is holding bat. This is the time of year when you can leave late and come back early with fish.

Blackfin tuna still requires an early departure from port. The shrimpers drag nets all night, then drop the anchor at first sun light. The deck hands cull the shrimp and discard the remainder of the catch producing a huge chum slick. This chum slick is a magnet to blackfin tuna. Get your bait the day before you run offshore for tuna. If you cannot, stop by the numerous wrecks and collect the necessary live bait you will need. Spanish sardines are our favorite bait, however, squirrel fish, threadfins, small blue runners and pilchards will also catch tuna.

You can expect the tuna fishing to improve each day as we move throughout April and May and the shrimpers work their way north. The key to catching blackfins is not to oversize your tackle. Forty-pound class tackle with smooth drags should get the job done. Free-line your live bait off the transom of the shrimp boat with light drag settings. Start your fishing by throwing live pilchards or cut up frozen sardines to get the bite going.

And remember: The weather is warming, so you must have plenty of ice to ensure the quality of the tuna. As soon as you catch a tuna, bleed the fish, then submerge it in ice. Blackfin tuna on our coast is excellent table fare.

Amberjack fishing is still strong. You can catch all the amberjack you want in 80 to 130 feet of water. The key for us has been live bait. Stop by Egmont Channel markers 5 and 6 and load up on blue runners before fishing your favorite shipwreck or spring.

Grouper fishing is excellent in 60 feet out to as deep as you want to fish. The mitigation areas on the pipeline are producing good catches of gag grouper.

With the recent closure of grouper season, the pressure on grouper has been slight. It is a good time to dust off your grouper numbers and take advantage of the improvement in the grouper bite.

Larry "Huffy" Hoffman charters out of John's Pass, Treasure Island. Call 727 709-9396 or e-mail him at huffyl@tampa bay.rr.com.

[Last modified April 5, 2007, 10:07:47]