Nature Coast

Kingfish connection

By ED WALKER, Times Correspondent
Published November 10, 2007

For many Nature Coast anglers, that little nip in the morning air carries a certain feeling with it. It means it is stone crab season, the grouper will be coming in close to shore and the kingfish will come pouring through the area. If you have a neighbor who's an angler, you might have noticed the familiar woody smell of a smoker cooking up fresh kingfish steaks in his back yard. ¶ It is definitely time to twist up some wire leaders and head out to the reefs for a shot at a big king of your own. Normally the bigger fish show up off Hernando and Pasco counties in early to mid October. Although there were a few of them around at that time, unusually warm weather has delayed arrival of the big migration until now. During the past week, kingfish from 15 to 45 pounds have become a common occurrence from 3 to 20 miles offshore.

The right bait

On occasion, trolling spoons and plugs might produce a decent-sized fish or two, but the true "smokers" will usually pass on artificial baits. When it comes to catching the really big kings, there is no substitute for large live baits. Blue runners are one of the top choices for several reasons: Fish love them, and they are very hardy, with several dozen staying alive in a baitwell all day.

Tournament anglers prefer the biggest runners they can find because this will help weed out unwanted smaller fish and Spanish mackerel.

When fishing in places where schools of Spanish mackerel are present, small- to medium-sized live mackerel make great baits for kings if you can get them on your hook without killing them or hooking yourself. Because they cannot survive in a baitwell, you have to catch them and put them on immediately.

Ladyfish are another good choice and can usually be caught on the grass flats. If you leave before daylight, you can catch ladyfish in dock lights on small jigs. Ernie Rubio and I finished second in the single-engine category of the King of the Beach tournament last fall with a 32-pound king that ate a slow trolled 2-pound ladyfish we caught in the Anclote River early that morning.

Threadfin herring, Spanish sardines and cigar minnows work well. Because of their smaller size, these tasty baitfish get attacked by a wide variety of other gamefish. Although not necessarily a bad thing, repeated jumbo mackerel attacks can get annoying on tournament day, especially if bait is in short supply. We landed a 43-pound kingfish off Anclote Key a few years ago while trolling a 4-inch threadfin.

The right rig

Because the mouth of a big kingfish is similar to a pair of huge scissors, wire leader is a must. Generally speaking, 40-pound test straight wire, sometime called piano wire, is used. If the water is very clear and the fish are spooky, a lighter wire might be called for but will increase the likelihood of a breakoff.

A standard stinger rig consists of a 2- to 3-foot section of wire with a tiny swivel at the top and a series of hooks on the opposite end. The first hook is the tow hook. This single "J" hook's purpose is to hold the bait. About 4 to 6 inches below the tow hook is a No. 4 treble hook known as a stinger. For small baits, one stinger hook is sufficient. It should be tied so that it lies near the bait's tail when trolled.

As the baits get bigger, so too should the number of stinger hooks on the rig. When you get into 15- to 24-inch baits, a two- or even three-stinger rig will help foil short striking fish.

Slow trolling

Slowly trolling a spread of lively baits behind the boat is the most common method of presentation among tournament anglers. Typically, four lines are trolled as slowly as possible while maintaining forward motion. If the speed gets too high, the baits become fatigued and will drag on their sides rather than swimming. Some of the pros pull a pair of baits deep with the use of downriggers.

This works well most of the time, but there is one factor that can present a big problem for trollers in the Nature Coast: floating grass. It does not take grass on the surface long to foul your baits, and after an hour or two of clearing them, you begin to think there must be a better way. Because seagrasses can grow 8 or more miles from shore and cover vast expanses of the bottom in this area, the natural shedding of dead plant matter can make it messy on the surface.

On the hook

If you really want a shot at a big king but the weeds are too thick, it's time to put the anchor down and bring the fish to you. Pick a lively spot with natural hard bottom or try one of the artificial reefs. Hang a couple of chum bags and chop some fresh fish to add to the scent trail. Once the chum is flowing, float each live bait out by trying a balloon 8 to 20 feet above the hooks. Biodegradable balloons are available at many tackle shops for this application. When a kingfish hits a bait, you will hear the balloon pop just before your reel starts singing. If it is a big fish, you might need to release the anchor and chase after it.

When it comes to kingfishing, big baits really do lead to big fish.

[Last modified November 9, 2007, 22:48:18]