Weekly Column - July 10, 2006

It is time for a king. Maybe more than one king if all goes well. Sound like a recipe for anarchy? Not if it’s king mackerel that we are talking about.

This is the time of year when pier fisherman and small boat fisherman anxiously anticipate that a "smoker" king will find the bait they have dangling from their lines. Kings are migratory, but unlike many other pelagic species that visit out coast, they move more in an east-west direction than a north-south. This is the time of year they spawn and the time the really big fish can be found up near the beach.

Fishermen refer to the really big kings, those more than about 20 pounds, as "smokers." Some say the slang term is used because once they get that big, the best way to eat them is to smoke them on a cooker. Others attribute the moniker to what a fish of that size does to the drag on your reel. Regardless of where the term originated, it represents the prize fish every king fisherman hopes to catch.

One columnist recently wrote that smoker-sized king mackerels "race like a greyhound and fight like a cornered hog." This is a very appropriate description in my opinion. In fact, I think it describes the basis for why king mackerel are such a popular fish to catch. The adrenaline rush produced by fighting a 30-pound fish on light tackle is enough to keep fisherman on the lookout for hours and days at a time.

Big kings move in this time of year following the bait schools that can be found right now off our beaches. Sometimes these schools are the size of a football field and can be spotted from the beach. These attract those spawning kings hungry for an easy meal.

Boat fisherman will head just off the beach, find some clear water and look for the schools. Then they troll their baits near them, waiting for the kings to show up. While patience is required, it is a technique that is often rewarded with multiple hook-ups of prize fish.

Pier fishing for kings is done from the very end of the pier. Most of the piers on our coast have special set-ups at the end reserved just for king fisherman. Local king fisherman often use a two rod configuration to extend their live baits out off the end of the pier and get the best coverage possible from a fixed location.

The thrill of catching a 30- to 40-pounder makes the wait worth while!

Catching report

Flounder fishing is producing some nice-sized fish around the creeks and inlets. Try using finger mullet on a Carolina rig for good results. Some specs and reds are being caught in the creeks and near the marsh beds. There have been some nice black drum caught near the ICW and Topsail Creek. Ladyfish are being caught at night -- target them near the lights on docks and bridges. Red drum are being caught in the surf with some fish more than 30 inches reported. A few pompano are also being caught on sand fleas in the surf.

Surf City Ocean Pier reports "a good variety of fish being caught, just not enough of them." That hopefully will change this week as the water clarity has improved greatly in the last few days. They also report some nice sheephead caught. Jolly Roger Pier reported an 80-pound tarpon was caught this week! The folks at Seaview Pier reported a 17-pound King was caught on Sunday, the first since Memorial Day. All the piers report catches of mullet, flounder, spots, trout and Spanish.

Some large Spanish are being caught near the wrecks and reefs in the 3 to 10 mile range. Kings and dolphin are being caught in the 10 to 30 mile range, with a few kings starting to be found closer in. Sailfish are starting to show up around the 10-mile rock, 30/30 and 23-mile rock areas. Grouper fishing has been very good in the 25 to 40 mile range. Catches of wahoo, large dolphin and sailfish are being reported in the Gulf Stream.

Tight lines to all!