trolling for king mackerel

[GALAZIO]

Thanks for the tips on perparing Kingfish, Softcrab...we'll give it a try (and who knows, maybe I'll end up liking them in the long run).

'Box...sorry...I wasn't thinking that 11 year old kids post up on here... didn't think I was being "discouraging" asking what is the attraction to target kings when IMO, there is better fighting and tasting fish in the sea. (I guess some pictures are OK for the "kids" as well as "other topics of discussion???... )

[Ozimo2]

I still don't understand the attraction to Kingfish... Here's my description: they hit your lure/bait...,make one half assed run...then you reel in dead weight. For table fare, they're horrible, much better fish out there to eat.

What's the deal...what am I missing?...is there a secret recipe for making these mush-meat torpedos taste good??? Would you trade a Mahi for a King???

I use 18 Mag Rapalas with circle hooks and Giant Dardevle spoons with a couple of feet of #7 wire in front and black swivels.

We smoked a bunch of them last year. Some folks in our compound take the smoked fish make a dip out of them. Either way they are delicious. Mahi (restaurant lingo) is ok, but they don't smoke well - too hard to light!

[Ozimo2]

WOULD YOU ALSO POST THIS RECIPE SAVIOR UP IN THE GRILLIN & CHILLIN FOR ALL THE CULLINARIES TO ENJOY? WTG!

Put fillets, skin sides down, in a lightly oiled large shallow baking pan. Stir together ginger, garlic, lime juice, oil, salt, chili powder, and turmeric in a small bowl until combined well, then rub onto mackerel flesh and marinate 10 minutes.

Preheat broiler. Broil mackerel 5 to 6 inches from heat, without turning, until cooked through and lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes.

I use Grapeseed Oil for cooking because it takes the higher heat without turning rancid, something that other oils nearly always do.

[nick the quick]

Hello again being 11 years old I i have a lot to learn. Thanks to all that have shared tips with me! Box is my neighbor. He invited me to this web site.



Nick

[Bay Fishin]

I still don't understand the attraction to Kingfish... Here's my description: they hit your lure/bait...,make one half assed run...then you reel in dead weight. For table fare, they're horrible, much better fish out there to eat. So why the attraction??? Is it the $$$ in those "tournaments"?

As you can imagine, we catch more than our fair share here in Texas. For me, they are a trash fish that I will pull the hooks on if I bring it to boatside...for guests & newbies, we will boat them and do the picture thing...but if they go in the box, they will become bait, not dinner.

What's the deal...what am I missing?...is there a secret recipe for making these mush-meat torpedos taste good??? Would you trade a Mahi for a King???

I always have thought the mercury levels were higer in the kings over there in the gulf. I happen to like kingfish very tasty.The smaller ones have the least mercury. Thats why I smoke the larger ones. In Florida to my knowledge AJs are trash and over there are not.

Soak the king filet in some milk and wrap in tin foil and put on the grill.

[frankypettolina]

A smoker king on a 20 pound class outfit would be a hoot. Up here in OC we catch them on spoons and planers, when I was in S. Florida we caught them on live baits. I do believe our man Jesse James has some good King tips from fishing on the pier. Maybe he can help.

I always felt that the flavor was a little strong, but heres a way that works pretty good. Put some lemon and butter on a filet. Leave the skin on and put it on a piece of foil on the grill. When the meat starts to flake it is ready.

[hrdcor32]

Kings are not the best fish to eat or catch in the ocean. However they are a lot of fun on light tackle and are very tasty when smoked. I think the main attraction is being able to get to such large and fast fish in small boats when they come close to shore.

Live bait is going to catch the bigger fish by far. But artificials will catch more fish and sometimes big fish as well depending on the time of year. I have found dead cigars work best when you dont want to use live bait. Rig these on hank brown hookup jigs with #4 wire. I like to keep the wire as short as possible and use a 6' flourocarbon leader tied to my 20# mainline.

My favorite artificial to pull by far are pirate plugs as pictured below. These are great because they can be rigged in a variety of ways, used with many different baits, and catch a wide variety of fish. I have caught mahi, kings, and wahoo on these lures. I know of others that have caught tuna and sails on the, so you never know. They can be rigged with cigar minnows, ballyhoo, or even live bait. The biggest king I have heard of caught on one was 46#s on a dead cigar attached to the plug. The main advantage of these are that the hook locks into the head to keep the bait from spinning. I don't want to advertise for someone who is not a sponsor of this site so if you PM I can help you with where to get them. They are made here in NC.

I hope this helps you get started. Let me know if you have anymore questions, I'll be glad to help you out. I got started with king fishing and now I am moving into the offshore fishing, so I am glad I can finally contribute some info to the site.

Matt

[Capt. Jon Tennant]

Them Yo-zuri crystal minnows work pretty good on the smaller kings and big spanish. I pull one on the wwb when I'm spanish fishing with spoons. I caught quite a few of both like that, especially around the inlets/tide lines.

[gofshn]

this is the lure i use for trolling for kings, it is a well known producer of some real smokers.


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