How to Fish for King Mackerel in Florida
Fishing for King Mackerel in Florida is about as exciting as fishing gets. This powerful fish can burst into long runs that take hundreds of yards of line in mere seconds. They are explosive, powerful fish that travel in schools, so several hook-ups at once are also common. If you want to enjoy the excitement, there are a few places that are hot spots. These include just off the coast on the east side of Florida around Clearwater in the summer and fall, and especially off the coast of the pan handle area in mid-summer during the King Mackerel's migration. You can also contact any charter company in your area for a guided tour. A good one is Huntress Charters in Destin, Florida. If you are angling for a good time, these steps will show you how to catch King Mackerel.
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Things You'll Need
- Boat Chum Fish finder Charts Spinning rod 30 lb. test line Mackerel stinger rigs
Instructions
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1
Rig your rods with King Mackerel stinger rigs, which are made with wire leader, a bait hook and two treble hooks. You can buy them at a sports store or make them yourself.
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Load your boat with plenty of bait including lady fish, ribbon fish (a King Mackerel favorite), sardines and pogies. You can use either live or dead bait, and you will have to experiment with both to find out which works best when you are fishing.
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Take your boat out to a ledge along the Gulf Coast in the summer when the King Mackerel travel up to the pan handle from the south. Look for areas of hard bottom and clouds of bait fish using your sonar and depth finder, or follow a chart and use your GPS system.
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Cruise the areas around the ledge watching for signs of bait fish being chased by King Mackerel. You can see the bait fish breaking the surface; it looks like the water is being peppered with machine gun fire.
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Start chumming when you see this activity. Throw a consistent line of chum to create a chum slick and draw the King Mackerel to your boat.
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Watch your sonar to locate the school of King Mackerel and find the depth where they are traveling. Then rig your lines, and attach a live or dead bait fish to the top hook in your King Mackerel rig. Drop your rig over the side and let out line. Then wait for a strike.
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Tips & Warnings
Continue to chum as you cruise over the ledges and areas of hard bottom in hopes of stirring up activity. When the fish bites and takes your bait, don't start taking in line right away. The fish are too powerful and will break your line.
