With June upon us, the seas will be smoothing out so smaller boats will be able to have more time offshore. The end of the major mahi run will be over soon but there will still be some that say in the area through the summer months. Trolling ballyhoo and lures from 80 foot on out will be the way to locate them. Look for floating debris, weeds and rips. Once any of these are found, make a pass or two by them to see if anyone is home. If nothing hits your spread, it is a good idea to toss some chunk bait or some live baits as close to the debris without getting tangled with the debris. If you want to go for the larger mahi or possibly a wahoo, another method is to drop a heavy grub on a big jighead or a butterfly jig deep under the debris and back to the surface to entice a strike.
The kingfish will be moving into our area this month. Look for kings in the depths of 15 foot off the beach to out to 80 foot. For kingfish you can troll a drone spoon or ballyhoo 40 to 50 foot behind your boat, but I would suggest having one below the surface in midwater depth with a downrigger or a planer. My preferred way of fishing for kingfish is looking for the bait schools and structure on the bottom and then slow troll a live threadfin, pilchard or a big blue runner with a live bait hook through the nose and a treble hook (also known as “stingers”) near the tail as kingfish like to strike short. When fishing for kingfish always use about 1.5 foot of #7 tooth proof wire leader from 4 foot of 40-pound mono leader. Then use wire to attach the nose hook to the treble hook.
Another way to catch kingfish is on a kite, which is popular down south. We fly a kite on the LottaBull and it is not only a great way to catch kingfish but also to catch mahi, sailfish and even cobia. These fish cannot resist the sound and vibration of struggling bait on the surface. It is also very exciting to see a big kingfish skyrocket feet out of the water after your bait.
Remember, this time of year keep an eye on the sky for afternoon storms and stay safe on the water.