Kings and Mahi - June 26, 2007

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go fishing with my good friend, Randy Durham owner of NC Angler.com. The Lord blessed us with one of the most beautiful days on the ocean I have ever seen. Not a cloud in the sky and hardly a wind or swell to be found on the sea - it was like a mirror.

We headed out about 24 nm and started trolling ballyhoo for Mahi. It wasn't too long before we had a hook up. Only trouble is that before Randy could get it to the boat, a toothy critter decided to make the back half into his breakfast. We did manage to catch a whole one a little later. We had several short strikes (most likely kings) and lost another one on the way in.



We only had one pack of ballyhoo (the bait store was wiped out). So after that was gone we decided to come in a little closer and king mackerel fish. Our first two stops resulted in NO fish, so we tried a third spot. We didn't even get the first bait all the way out when we got our first strike. Once again, Randy got half of a fish (King) to the boat. So I started calling Randy, Mr. Halfafish.



It wasn't long before we landed a whole king, then a few more. Most of them where in the 8-10 pound range. Randy did have one smoker that looked to be a 25 pounder at the boat side but it turned at the boat, slacked the line and threw the hook..... We finally had to leave the fish biting as it was getting late.



Great day on the water with a good friend and some good fishing!

King fishing - June 23, 2007

Went out this morning with two friends trolling for kings. We met at the dock at 6 am and didn't have to go far for bait. In fact we didn't even leave the dock as the menhaden swam right by the boat, I threw the net on them and we loaded up. We had to cull them as some were small but there were some nice 7 inch ones in there too. One more cast and we were ready to head out.

We had heard the beach bite was strong the day before so we headed out of the inlet and started to troll around the Topsail ledges. Apparently half of the folks in the Jolly Mon KMT heard the same thing and decided to come up here to fish. We saw over 35 boats. We hooked a few small fish and boated a ten pounder.

The bite being slow and the fish being small, we headed off shore about 14 miles. We found large schools of bait busting the surface (being chased) and trolled around them. We also jigged up some of the greenies they were chasing and used a mix of pogies and greenies in our spread. We hooked up several nice fish including a smoker that weighed in at 32 pounds! Then the bite died.

We came back to Topsail ledge and finished the day off with a 6.2 pound Spanish!



That smoker was the fattest King I have ever seen! I've caught longer and heavier but not a fatter one - he ate well for sure!



Nice day of fishing for sure!

Menhaden and a catching report

King mackerel anglers have enjoyed a great start to the season this year. The king bite has been very hot, especially near shore with plenty being caught from both pier and boats.

One of the big reasons is the abundance of menhaden schools near the beaches this year. Often referred to as pogies or bunker by local anglers, they are tops on the menu for king mackerel. I have seen school after school pogies this year. Some of the schools are as big as a football field. They often are so thick they form a big dark blotch in the water when seen from above.

While some of the largest schools are in the ocean, many smaller schools have moved into the waterway and the salty portions of the creeks. It is easy to spot a pogy, especially in the early mornings or late evenings they like to flip just at the surface. Not a fully exposed out of the water jump like a mullet. Rather a popping like action right at the surface. In the dark just before dawn, you can often find the schools by listening for them.

Most anglers use a 5/8inch mesh net in the 8 -12 foot diameter range to catch menhaden. It helps to have at least 1.5 pounds of lead per foot of net to get the net down fast. Menhaden spook easy and move fast.

Once caught it is important to keep menhaden well aerated in a live well as they are somewhat fragile. Once there noses start to turn red or they loose the slim coating on their scales, the kings will loose interest in them.

The pogy is then put on a hook and wither tethered to an anchor line from the pier or slow trolled behind a boat. Once the king finds the pogy swimming about, he usually tries to make a quick meal of it. Then the fight begins!

Catching report:

Kings are being caught off the piers and near shore. We are starting to see some of the bigger ones too with some reaching over 30 pounds. Some medium to small Spanish mackerel are also being caught near shore.

Off shore the Mahi bite has been strong with ballyhoo and squid chains being the most effective baits right now. Some very nice grouper are being landed in the 35 – 45 mile range. A few bill fish and wahoo are being reported in the stream.

Inshore some keeper flounder are being caught near the inlets with a few large specimens being landed near bridge and pier pilings. The red drum bite has been a little slow but they are starting to show up in the surf. Some nice catches of black drum and sheephead are being reported as well.

Tight lines to all!

King fishing 6-19-07

I had the pleasure of fishing with Al on his boat yesterday and also with his friend, Gerald. We got some pogies back in the creek where we launch the boat and headed to the beach. We fished the southern half of Topsail Island with a few knockdowns but no landed fish. Then the long line went screaming. I thought for sure we had a smoker king on. Forty minutes later we saw that it was a Hammerhead shark. We brought him to the side of the boat for pictures then let him go. I'd say he was 6-7 feet long and weighed in around 100 pounds.



We were in 20 feet of water about 1/2 mile from the beach when we hooked up the hammerhead.



Later we moved out to an area known as the battle zone. Gerald landed his first ever King Mackerel. Way-To-G0 Gerald! We had several other hook-ups including a few more sharks.

King Fishing - June 16, 2007

Got a late start yesterday morning as the wife had been sick and I wanted to make sure she was fine before I left. Ended up going with a friend and his daughter on their boat.

We left the dock around 11:30 and started looking for some pogies. There was so much boat traffic we couldn't find any inshore so we headed out of the inlet and up the beach looking for some. We found them about 2 miles south of Surf City Pier in 17 feet of water.

We had the lines in by 12:30 and fished that area for an hour. We decided to move and we started pulling the lines. Had them all in but the medium-long line and ZINGGGGG... off went the clicker. 5 minutes and three runs later we had a 17 pound king in the box.

As you guessed, the lines all went back in the water and we went back to fishing. 20 minutes later I noticed our prop wash bait was rolling. So I pulled it in to put on fresh bait - then I saw why it rolled - it had it's lower third slashed. A sure sign of a King hit. So quickly I baited up and feed the line back out. Sure enough, there is Mr. King in the prop wash swimming next to the fresh bait. We dropped it back a bit - still watching but not biting. Then he disappeared. Thirty seconds later there he is again, looking at that bait again... Waiting.... waiting, then he drops back 10 feet, I'm thinking he's about to leave again. Then ZING - he charges the bait, hooks up and makes a run for the deep water! A few runs later, 12 pound King in the box.

We also caught a nice size Spanish and a nuisance shark. Not bad for a short, late starting fishing day!

King Fishing

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 once 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 20- to 30-pounder makes the wait worth while!

Catching Report

Inshore the Black drum bite has picked up with some nice catches of flounder and Red Drum also being reported. There is plenty of bait in the creeks and waterway too.

The King bite has been very strong this past week, especially near shore, in fact the pier fisherman have enjoyed a sensational week! Many of the fish caught off all three of our island’s piers have been in the 20 pound and up range. Also some catches of Spanish, blues, pompano and flounder are being reported on the piers.

Mahi are being caught in the 10-30 mile range using ballyhoo and squid chains. Some nice gag grouper are being caught in the 15 mile and out range however you may have to throw back 3 or 4 undersize ones for every keeper you cactch (min. size is 24 inches).

Tight Lines to all!

King Mackerel fishing - June 2, 2007

I feel like I just received a gift or something. After having great marine weather for over a week, the seas began to get a little rough at the end of this past week. My fishing club's monthly inner club king mackerel tourney was yesterday (first Sat. of each month) so I really wanted to get out. I fish in the smallest boat in the club (19'), so weather is a big factor for me.

We headed out at 5:30am unsure about the seas as the reports didn't look very promising - in fact they said the weather would get worse as the day wore on. We hit the inlet and was met by 4 foot seas on the other side with lots of chop and mixed direction rogue waves (sloppy).

While it was doable in my boat, we decided that going to the originally planned spot 23 plus miles out was not going to be a pleasant prospect so we decided to shorten the trip and head on more of a easterly (ENE in fact) heading because that was a "smoother" ride than the original direction we intended (SSE).

Our first stop 6 miles out was unproductive but after an hour we noticed the wind died sown some and the seas were calmer and all the waves from the same direction. So we took our cue and headed further out. We hit some reefs and ledges in the 14 - 17 nautical mile range.

We caught 4 small kings but no big ones. However I did manage to place 3rd in our club tourney. A few of the other boats in our club caught some nice mahi in that range also. The trip back in was smooth as silk, so we ran in at top speed cause we could see the storm clouds coming.

The weather gave us a window of opportunity - two hours later the wind was howling at 25-30 knots and the rain had begun.