Pros Guide To Kingfish Tackle

With the kingfish run now stretching the entire gulf coast and half way up the Atlantic coast, I thought this would be a good time to share some information on the tackle and techniques that are needed to catch these razor toothed speedsters. Kingfish have lots of very sharp teeth and are one of the fastest, strongest fish that swim in the ocean. They can chew through heavy mono leader in the blink of an eye or peel off hundreds of yards of line in mere seconds. When that trophy size fish hits, things happen in a hurry and all of your gear had better be in top shape. My good friend Captain Rich Hartman has fished the local kingfish tournaments and guides his clients to great kingfish action on board his boat the Fish'n Mish'n out of Seminol. I asked him to share with us what he uses to consistently land those big smokers.
Tackle

• Hooks- #4, 4x treble
• Wire- At least 24" of #3 wire between the first hook and the swivel. Cut the wire for the stinger so that the second hook is about even with the tail of your bait.
• Swivel- #10 ball bearing swivel.
• Leader- 10' of 30lb mono. Switch to fluorocarbon if the water is clear.
• Line- 20lb mono.
• Reel- Shimano Speed Master.
• Rod- 7' Ugly Stick.

Bait

Rich will " Match the Hatch " when deciding what bait to use. What ever is swimming in the area is what will attract the kings. When fishing near the beach, ladyfish or mullet are usually best. Offshore, blue runners or hard tails work well because they live longer. Scaled sardines and spanish mackerel also work well. Again, use what is swimming in the area you are fishing.

Techniques

Trolling works best when targeting kingfish. Troll only as fast as your bait can swim naturally to prevent it from drowning. Spread your baits out behind your boat as much as is practical. Place at least one bait on the surface behind the boat, one on a down rigger, and put your biggest bait in the prop wash. The biggest kings will usually hit this bait. Check your fish finder to see how deep the schools of bait fish are swimming. Set your down rigger so that your bait will swim at that depth. Following these guidelines will help you increase your hookups and the number of fish you land so that you to can catch kingfish like a pro.

Thanks go out to Captain Rich Hartman for the great information. He is available to guide you to great fishing action offshore of St. Petersburg / Clearwater, and can be reached at;

fishinmission100@hotmail.com