Oh yeah, it’s that time of year again–springtime. Are you ready for the kingfish bite? We sure are. That’s right, during the spring, we love fishing for kingfish, mackerel and mangrove snapper.
I have a funny feeling that this is going to be the year for big fish in the Tampa Bay. With that said, let’s get into the tackle side of things. Let’s talk about the kingfish rods, reels and tackle. I usually use a 7’6” medium heavy spinning rod with 6000 or 8000 size reels with 30-pound braid and a 25-pound shock leader about six feet long. In Tampa Bay, use a #2 or #3 wire leader with double treble hooks.
The bait of choice would definitely be live threadfin hearing or blue runners. Some people like using small ladyfish and pinfish. You want to “match the hatch,” if you know what I mean.
The magic speed for trolling is about two miles per hour. Usually, we have three to four rods out. One of those rods should be in the white wash of the motor. Sometimes, you get the bigger fish right there close to the motor. I look for hard bottom in the channel. I’ll make one or two passes looking for mid-water fish. Usually, I can pick them out when I see them on my Lowrance fish finder. It usually doesn’t take long to find them.
After you get your limit of kingfish, find a nice hard bottom spot in the middle of the channel for some mangrove snapper action. That’s how you finish off the day. Remember, if you’re looking for the sharpest knife, check out those bad Relentless fillet knives!