John's Journal...
Entry
101, Day 4
Secrets of Catching King Mackerel
EDITOR'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.
Question:
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.
Question:
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.
Question:
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
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