Here on the "Gold Coast" of South Florida fishing for "Smoker" Kingfish has been on the upswing. In conversations with other Captains fishing out of inlets above and below us they have spoken to us about the presence of these larger fish in their fishing areas as well.
What is really nice about these fish is that the water doesn't need to be particularly clear. In fact slightly dirty water as long as there is some current works well. Live bait is the key for these fish.
Pictured is Brian with a nice "Smoker' King at the cleaning station here at our docks we caught on a half day trip. When these fish are in the area it is best to use some light strength and diameter wire @ the hook as they will snip a mono leader so very easily if it touches their teeth. We catch a good number of Kings on mono leaders but wire is the way to go.
This fish took a kite bait with the short wire trace. They are suckers for a kite bait struggling on the surface. Big bait often means biggest fish here but not necessarily. This time it did. We also do well on them with live Bonito as they love them too, often times out fishing the kites.
Big aggressive bites most times. They might sky rocket on the bite but they don't really jump. A big Kingfish typically makes several strong powerful runs and they can be a handful at boatside. These are a welcome addition to our fishing options and here's hoping they stay around.
