Features







 

Books

 

Fun & Games

Trivia Games

 

Contact Us


 

 

 

John's Journal... Entry 101, Day 4

Secrets of Catching King Mackerel

click to enlargeEDITOR'S NOTE: Mike Parker, the captain of the "Silver King," a charter boat based out of Destin, Florida, rarely fishes more than 10 miles off the beach, unlike many other charter-boat captains. And Parker daily produces really good numbers of bottom feeders and pelagic species. This week we'll look at how, where and when Parker fishes.

Question: Tell us how you rig for king mackerel.
Answer: When I'm live-bait fishing for king mackerel, I'll be using 25- to 30-pound-test main line tied to a barrel swivel. On the other end of the barrel swivel, I'll use either 2 to 3 feet of No. 5 or No. 7 single-strand wire leader. I'll attach the wire leader to a treble hook. I'll attach a second piece of wire leader to the shank of the treble hook. Then I'll attach a second treble hook called a stinger hook to about 5 to 6 inches of additional wire leader. Often when a king mackerel strikes, the fish will cut the live bait in half with its sharp teeth. So, the fish never touches the first set of treble hooks. However, when the fish slashes at that bait, the stinger hook usually will catch the king mackerel on the side of the face. Stinger hooks catch 80 to 90 percent of the king mackerel that we boat.

Question: How do you attach the bait to the wire leader?
Answer: I put one point of the treble hook through the nostrils of the live bait and let the second set of hooks from the treble bait swing free.

click to enlargeQuestion: What do you do when the king hits?
Answer: Never try and set the hook. The speed of the boat and how savage the strike is will set the hook without any effort from you. Just hold tight to the rod, and let the king mackerel make its first run. When the fish calms down from its first run, then you can start reeling it in to the boat.

Question: When the king mackerel starts to make its next run what do you do?
Answer: Keep your rod tip high, and allow the fish to peel off the drag. You don't want to try and stop the fish or pull the fish back. I keep the drag set fairly loose at 4 to 6 pounds.

click to enlargeQuestion: How do you land a king mackerel?
Answer: Bring the king mackerel alongside the boat. Never lift the fish's head up. Let the mate gaff the king mackerel up near the head. Start the gaff on the opposite side of the fish from the boat, and make one smooth motion with the gaff. In other words, you stick the fish, pull the fish and lift the fish over the side of the boat in one, smooth, easy stroke.

click top enlargeQuestion: What should you remember when a king mackerel hits the deck?
Answer: The mackerel has a lot of energy and will thrash about -- so get out of the way of the fish, those treble hooks and the sharp teeth in the king mackerel's mouth.

To learn more about fishing with Captain Mike Parker offshore, call (877) 827-7667, or visit the www.destincharterboats.com website.

TOMORROW: How to Catch Red Snapper

 

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about Captain Mike Parker On Offshore Fishing ...

Day 1 -Captain Mike Parker of Destin, Florida
Day 2 -How Captain Mike Parker Catches King Mackerel
Day 3 -Captain Parker's Grouper Fishing Tactics
Day 4 -Secrets of Catching King Mackerel
Day 5 -How to Catch Red Snapper

John's Journal