Be sure to pair your king mackerel trolling lures with wire leader to ensure it doesn’t fall prey to their sharp teeth. Try blue/silver colored lures in clear, green water and black/silver or red/white in darker water.
What is the best bait to catch king mackerel?
Silvery live baits such pilchards, threadfin herring, menhaden, mullet and blue runners are preferable to dead baits, according to virtually all top tournament anglers. However, live bait is not always easily obtained, so these same anglers also bring frozen baits such as cigar minnows, ribbonfish and Spanish mackerel.
What’s the best lure for kingfish?
The most effective for larger kingfish have been the Nomad Stick bait and popper range. The Nomad Riptide has amazing action and a reputable lure for a large range of pelagics. Sinking hard bodies are the go to when fish are not feeding or pushing bait to the surface.
What do king mackerel like to eat?
King mackerel are carnivores, feeding on fish, squid, and shrimp. They’re voracious feeders and have been observed leaping out of the water in pursuit of prey. Juvenile and larger pelagic fish feed on smaller king mackerel.
How do you win a king mackerel tournament?
Tournament Tips for King Mackerel
- A true “smoker.” Capt.
- Slow trolling live baits in spots where kings congregate often produces winning fish.
- A livewell full of frisky live bait is a key factor in tournament success.
- Live bluefish are popular king mackerel bait.
- Another tourney contender is deposited in the fish box.
How do you target a big king mackerel?
Most King Mackerel are caught by trolling. If using live bait, you should troll pretty slow. If using lures, you can troll faster. Like many members of the Mackerel family, they often bite the tail, so if you are using a bait make sure you have a hook in back as well as in front.
What size hooks for king mackerel?
Use a 2/0 nose hook, connect a No. 4 treble with a 4-inch piece of No. 4 or No. 5 wire and finish by attaching a second trailer segment with the same tackle.
How do you target kingfish?
Lures, live baits and well-presented dead baits are the most popular techniques employed to target kingfish. Fishers need to respect this powerful fish and use suitably heavy tackle as they have a well-known reputation for breaking gear, cutting lines on underwater obstacles and quickly escaping.
What size hooks for kingfish?
7/0 to 12/0
Hook sizes are typically 7/0 to 12/0, depending on bait size. Livebait patterns are perfect for livebaiting, but any strong short-shank hook, including circle hooks, is fine. Overhead or good quality spinning reels with the line capacity and drag performance to handle kingfish can be used.
Are king mackerel hard to catch?
King mackerel are powerful and fast, making them a fun challenge for any fisherman. They also make for a delicious addition to any dish. They aren’t easy to catch though. You can up your chances by learning more about where to locate them and what they like to eat.
Do king mackerels bite at night?
They feed day and night. They can be caught with live baits anytime, but trolling artificials at night is a losing proposition. Kings generally feed near the surface at dawn, dusk and night. In bright sunlight they feed somewhat down; on rainy days or overcast days the fish will feed near the surface all day long.
Do king mackerel fight hard?
King Mackerel are a highly prized game fish, and put up an aggressive fight once hooked. They are known to leap high out of the water and will test any reels drag just to get off the hook.
Where is the best place to catch king mackerel?
The king mackerel can be found in the western Atlantic Ocean in tropical and subtropical waters.
- Northeast, South.
- Medium.
- Ocean.
How far offshore do you have to go to catch king mackerel?
For the most part, anglers chasing king mackerel find them between a few miles from shore and 15 miles out. This is often the range where the forage such as threadfin herring, cigar minnows, menhaden, and blue runners tend to be found.
How fast do you troll for king mackerel?
seven to ten knots
How to Catch King Mackerel. There are several methods to lure and catch King mackerel, including straight trolling at seven to ten knots. You can deploy a variety of baits, but popular baits that bring plenty of fish are Spoons, Halco, and Clark.
What is the best time to fish for mackerel?
The best time to catch mackerel is dusk or dawn and at high tide. Spring high tides are often the best as they push bait fish closer into shore and the mackerel follow them in.
Are circle hooks good for mackerel?
Circles are particularly good when deep water reef fishing and bites are hard to feel. We have found them to be very successful on bottom dwelling species like Snapper and Trag, But they also work well with pelagic species like Mackerel and Tuna.
Who is the pound leader for kingfish?
You can downsize to 65lb braid and 80/100lb leader if you’re likely to encounter fish less than 115cm, anything over that and you’ll need some luck. Jigging: Spartan S55 pe4/6 and a Saltiga 10,000 spin reel loaded with 65lb J Braid and 80/100lb leader.
What water temperature do kingfish like?
between 72 and 78 degrees
Kingfish move when the water warms up, and the window of opportunity opens when water temps are between 72 and 78 degrees. Warmer water means bait schools are moving north and the kings are following the bait.
How much drag do you need for kingfish?
In most situations I like to run with approximately 8kg of drag at the strike setting. This is fine on a medium-sized fish and you can easily apply more drag by pushing the lever past the ‘strike’ setting.
Do kingfish eat at night?
Hi Novicefisho. In regard to fishing for Kingfish in the night time, Kingfish are usually day time feeders and are at their peak feeding periods when the schools follow the bait run in which are generally larger in numbers when they are assisted by a run in tide during winds with an easterly aspect.