When targeting kingfish, we always troll a little bit slower than usual. For many species, 6-8 knots is fine. For kings, 3-5 knots seems to be the sweet spot.
What should I troll for kingfish?
English/blue/slimy mackerel, jack mackerel, trevally, koheru (kohe) and kahawai are all great baits, and everyone has their own favourite. We start every day by catching live-bait. Jack mackerel is our staple bait and seem to get bites consistently.
What is the ideal trolling speed?
So, what is the best trolling speed? The best trolling speed depends on several factors including the type of fish, water conditions and lure choice. In general, trolling speeds between 1.5 and 2.5 mph, as measured by GPS, are a good starting place for most species like walleye, trout and salmon.
Can you troll for king fish?
The most effective for larger kingfish have been the Nomad Stick bait and popper range.Sometimes it can be hard to locate schools of kingfish. When covering ground to find fish is key, trolling a deep diver can definitely improve chances of finding those schools.
What’s the best trolling speed for king mackerel?
King mackerel have a bad tendency to “short strike” a bait, which is why the trailing (stinger) hook is important. The ideal trolling speed for kings with live baits is between 1-3 knots. This is usually attained by “bumping” the boat in and out of gear.
What is the best time to catch kingfish?
Summer
Summer is the best time to target kingfish however they can be caught year round with winter fish tending to be less common but generally larger. Smaller kingfish will often be found around channel markers and wharfs in the warmer summer months.
How much line should I let out for a troll?
Downriggers. Downriggers allow for extra long length between the downrigger ball and the lure. Let out 50 feet of line and clip into the release. If that’s not enough distance to prevent your lake’s wary walleyes from seeing the ball…then let out 150 feet of line!
How fast do you troll for mahi mahi?
between 2 and 9 knots
Mahi Mahi are aggressive fish and will eat fast as well. Professionals tell you to troll for Mahi Mahi between 2 and 9 knots. Try varying speeds until you get a bite, but more importantly be consistent and make sure you keep the boat moving at a steady pace.
How fast should you troll for crappie?
Low & Slow: Trolling at 0.7 mph with an electric motor is the ideal speed for prespawn crappies. “A 1⁄16-ounce jig gets down about 7 feet and a ⅛-ounce jig about 12 feet,” says Puccio.
How fast are kingfish?
All off them rank among the fastest fish in the sea, attaining speeds of 80 km and more. Scombroids are a migrating pelagic family, but can be found and caught from inshore waters to the continental shelf including coastal reefs, bays, estuaries and lagoons almost throughout the year.
How do you slow troll for king mackerel?
Try slow trolling around the bait for 15 or 20 minutes. If this doesn’t work, go to the next plan. The Canaveral buoy line provides structure for both baitfish and predators. Slow trolling up one side and down the other of this line, or try zig-zagging across it (stay out of the way of large vessels).
What depth do you troll for mackerel?
I find that Spanish mackerel prefer depths of around 30 metres, although I have caught them in depths as shallow as 9 metres and as deep as 60. If you can find drop offs, or structure in 20-30 metres to 30-40 metres, it will pay to target these areas if there are no bait schools around.
How deep do you troll for king mackerel?
Lures and Baits
For years the way to catch kings was a duster rigged with a frozen cigar minnow. Most people trolled four rods; two on the surface and two down deep on planers used to take the bait 15ft to 40ft deep.
How fast can a kingfish Swim?
Kingfish swim deep under the bait, then with a burst of speed, rush toward the surface to ambush the bait from below. Swimming as fast as 40 mph, the kingfish’s momentum carries its skyward.
Are kingfish hard to catch?
Although debatable, kingfish can be one of the hardest fish to land, as it is commonly known to make a run to the rocks or anything sharp to bust you off as soon as you hookup. Due to this, strong gear is essential when chasing after this pelagic species.
What size hooks for kingfish?
A single chem-sharp offset hook in the 6/0 to 8/0 size range is idea for these fish. Although we have just detailed the effectiveness of fishing with dead baits in certain situations, there is still a place for fishing live baits around these offshore islands and reefs, and that’s for targeting the bigger fish.
How do you know how deep a lure is?
There are two ways you can determine the exact depth/lure/speed relationship of a specific rig. The first is to deploy it to a specific distance, then troll up a gradual shelf or edge until it starts dragging bottom. Note the depth, and try to crank it in before it snags.
How far offshore do you have to be to catch Mahi Mahi?
The best times to catch Mahi Mahi in Florida are during the spring and summer months. From April to October you can find this migratory fish hanging out in the Atlantic Ocean just less than 10 miles offshore. Mahi mahi can range anywhere up to 63 inches, and they usually weigh around 30 pounds.
What depth do you catch Mahi Mahi?
Mahi-mahi are a blue-water, open ocean, highly migratory schooling fish found around the world in tropical and subtropical waters at depths up to 85 metres (279 ft), but more typically near 37 metres (121 ft).
How far offshore do you have to go to catch mahi?
“A lot of dolphin are in close now because of the cool water. It’s very conceivable that the best fishing is 3-4 miles offshore rather than 12-15 miles offshore.” Dolphin — the fish, not the mammals — are highly prized by anglers. In the water, their colors are a glowing electric blue, yellow and green.
Can you troll for crappie at night?
Fishing vertically is the best technique for catching summer crappie after dark, either slow-trolling vertically or setting over fish and dropping baits directly down to them.
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