Kingfish

[~~Snakeman~~]

Guys: I caught a 26 pound kingfish this morning. We were met at the dock by the outdoor writer for the local paper, camera in hand. Fishing report to follow when I have the pix.

~~Greg~~

[DanS/FL]

Talent and skill always comes to the fore. I went for a long boat ride today. No Cobia, no trout, no redfish and one 14" baby, undersized snook. I do not like these long 14 hour incoming tides. Not enough water movment. Maybe someday.
Dan

[Howard/Jax]

Greg, you da' Man. :)

[SpeckTackler]

Way to go my friend! What a great catch.

[~~Snakeman~~]

If one of you guys who is more computer literate than I would be so kind as to post that kingfish picture I e-mailed, I'd appreciate it.

~~Greg~~

[SpeckTackler]

Here you go Greg.That is one fine fish.That picture belongs on the wall at your house.Rusty



http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p238/SpeckTackler/drift_112.jpg

[Mont]

that smile says it all! Congrats on a nice fish amigo.

[Zane]

Nice looking catch snake, we are still waiting for that fish report:D

[JD]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Get that mesquite smoker goin' :)

Nice fish Greg. And probably a nice fight.

[~~Snakeman~~]

The prediction from NOAA was for winds near twenty & seas three to five feet & increasing. The Atlantic looked much like a pond as we left the inlet at seven. Predictions like that can cost a lot of captains a lot of money.

I was joined on this foray by my friend from Kentucky, Steve, and a threesome from upstate New York, Charlie, Don & Erika. On the way out, Charlie commented that a boat like the Mad Son, carrying a maximum of 6 fishermen sure seemed better than the big party boats. I told him he was right, as I had fished the bigger head boats for years before settling in on the Mad Son.

The clouds offshore precluded a good view of the sunrise. Later in the morning, we could see the frontal system norrth of us, heading our way, but we had plenty of fishing before it arrived.

Jason ran north quite a ways before setting up for the first drift, which was a good one, & lasted quite a while before we moved. Everyone put a few fish in the box on the first drift. There were a few mutton snappers, a yellowtail or two, & a couple of not quite big enough to keep red groupers. In fact, Steve hooked up first, & called Erika over to fight the fish. She had a ball bringing up a 16" red grouper. After a photo, it was released, but you couldn't wipe the smile off her face for the rest of the morning.

Jason & I both had surface rigs out most of the trip. I was called upon once to fight a fish on the boat top rig, and brought in a nice schoolie kingfish, about seven pounds or so. There was another caught later, by Don, but it was a little shy of the required 24" fork length. I had a couple of hook-ups on my surface rig, the spinner, but both times the hooks pulled.

During one of the later drifts, an adult gannet, which is a pretty fair sized white bird, almost pelican size, but more streamlined, dove into the water not fifteen feet off the port side, right in front of the fishermen. It did this twice, going down about thirty feet or so, & coming up with a small fish in its bill.

Later in the trip, I caught my second mutton snapper, and just as the front was upon us, bringing a cool breeze & a light rain, my spinner got hit. This kingfish gave that spinning outfit all it wanted. The reel is a Penn 6500S, rated for 15 to 20# line, & I had it filled with brand new Ande 30#. I had to crank the drag down to keep the fish from running away with all the line, & that seemed to work. Adjusting the drag to add more pressure during a fight is not something I normally do, but I knew that the line would be able to handle it. The first screaming run stopped, but for a minute I thought he had pulled the hooks. I cranked for all I was worth, but there seemed to be nothing there. He swam toward the boat for about 30 or 40 yards faster than I could regain line. Once the line came tight, the fight was on again. I finally brought him to boatside for a perfect gaffing by Captain Jason. At the dock, it weighed 26 pounds.

Steve caught a couple of nice triggerfish as well as some snappers, & the New Yorkers did well also. Erika caught the last fish of the morning, a nice scrawl file fish. Their flesh is much like that of a trigger, firm & tasty. The trip was enjoyed by all, & a big thank you goes out to Jason & Doug for a job well done.

We were met at the dock by Jimmy Lee, who couldn't fish with us due to family responsibilities, and by Willie Howard, the outdoor writer for the Palm Beach Post. Willie was kind enough to e-mail me a picture of me holding the big king . Thanks, Willie..and please come fish with us one Friday morning.

~~Greg~~