Captain’s Corner for May 29 Dave Zalewski 397-8815

What’s Hot:
I never thought that I would be writing about sustained kingfish action at the end of May, but that is what is happening offshore in the Gulf of Mexico right now. June is here and we have been able to target them on a daily basis instead of waiting for an incidental catch on a deployed flat line while bottom fishing. Historically, most kingfish have left our area and continued their migration to the Panhandle where they spend the summer until their southern migration begins in September and reaches our area again in mid-October. Many of the smaller kingfish are on the near shore artificial reefs and the larger ones are further offshore on the mid-water reefs , large ledges, the natural gas pipeline mitigation piles and wrecks in 60 to 90 feet of water.
Tactics:
Many of the fish that we are catching have been below the surface, halfway to the bottom or deeper picking off stragglers from the huge bait piles of Spanish sardines, hardtails and blue runners. Catching the bait with sabiki rigs using a 3 or 4 ounce sinker to prevent these larger baits from tangling the rig has been relatively easy. Presenting the baits is a little more complex. Downriggers can be used with a clip near the weight to present a bait near the bottom. A 2 to 4 ounce trolling weight can be used to present a bait in the mid range and a nose hooked bait can be deployed on the surface. A stinger rig should be used no matter what depth one is fishing. Initial light drag settings should be employed to prevent break offs on the strike.
Tips
Always slow troll around the bait piles with the lines far enough out so that they will pass through the bait instead of the boat which will tend to separate the bait into smaller schools.. These bait piles may not be visible from the surface, so place close attention to your depth finder to locate sub surface schools.