When I first started fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, I researched the necessary tackle and what I might catch and tried to memorize the different species. But really, I just hoped to catch anything big.
I knew I would be fishing exclusively from the beach and had my sights set on a bull red or nice gator trout, and if a shark happened along so much the better. With unrealistically high expectations and hopes to match, when I felt the first strike I knew it had to be something good. To my surprise, my surf rod didn’t strain under the massive weight. The drag refused to peel. Images of Spencer Tracy in “The Old Man and the Sea” did not flash before my eyes, as whatever hit my bait most assuredly had gotten off. The only sign that a fish was still on was the slightest wiggle, an almost imperceptible headshake.
The fish I hauled in was pale and reminded me of the redhorse suckers we used to spear just before trapping season in Wisconsin. It was not glamorous in any way and certainly not magazine cover worthy. Worse, I didn’t even know what it was! After all the time spent looking at pictures of cobia, speckled seatrout and big redfish, I had no idea what this fish was.
Checking my cheat sheet, it looked like a whiting, or more accurately Gulf kingfish, but I wasn’t sure. An older gentleman fishing a short walk down the beach confirmed my suspicions and added that they’re pretty good to eat. Soon, every tick of the rod tip resulted in yet another whiting. I downsized my gear to a budget 7-foot Okuma combo spooled with 15-lb. Berkley Big Game and a flouro leader. A Carolina rig with a 1-oz. barrel sinker and 1/0 circle hook topped off with bits of shrimp turned me into a whiting catching machine. Shrimp and clams, or similarly scented Fishbites, are excellent baits for these coastal croakers.
Whiting are relatively small, opportunistic bottom feeders, and using light tackle helps detect the slightest bite. In the spring, whiting migrate north along the Florida Gulf Coast only to make the return trip migrating south in the fall. The fall fishing can be fast and furious as large schools migrate south.
Casting into the first trough, usually within 30 yards (or less) from shore, makes this a great fish for kids to target too. Of course the whiting, in all its plainness, is one of the best eating fish in the Gulf. To add credence to my humble opinion, a past fish fry ended with my daughter asking for more chicken! To this day we often refer to whiting as the chicken of the sea… Sorry Charlie!
After 17 years of surf fishing, I have a lot of equipment and have caught a fair number of whiting. Occasionally, when the wind is right and the stars align, I get to return the favor as the older gentleman down the beach – and if it’s a whiting, I let them know that they’re pretty good to eat too!