Kingfish are more about speed than strength, but the small hooks common to live baiting can easily pull from their soft, lipless mouths. Also, stinger rigs frequently grab the fish outside the mouth—in the head, the face or gill covers and such feeble connections present a precarious predicament: Do you hasten the capture to avoid a pulled hook, or do you finesse the fish and hope the barb holds?
Tough call, but the latter is your better choice. A high rodtip, light drag and steady pressure is the forumla to putting the brakes on kingfish. Thumb the spool to gradually slow a long-running fish, but minimize rod motion as “buggy whipping” only increases your breakoff risk.
“You never know until you see [how the fish is hooked] if he ate the bait or just slapped at it, so you don’t want to stand there trying to horse the fish,” Dawson advised. “There shouldn’t be any lifting—the more the rod stays stationary and you use the boat to pick up the line, the better off you’ll be.”
Gaff Not Gaffe
In the entire kingfishing process, nothing shatters nerves and friendships like the gaffing stage. At the moment of truth, trembling hands, nervous anxiety or just an overzealous ego moment can nullify every ounce of effort that went into bringing the fish boatside.
Because kings rarely follow a script, there’s no one-size-fits-all plan. However, a few universal truths will help you avoid embarrassment and frustration.
When a kingfish rises to the surface, the gaffer should always strike from behind the line. Reaching in front could result in sudden disaster if the king bolts forward and snaps the line across the gaff. Some say aim for the head to ensure quick submission, while others reach closer to the tail to get the fish’s motor out of the water. A good compromise is the thick meaty section near the secondary dorsal fin (the rigid one).
When a king still has a little gas left, he’ll often rise for a few thrashing circles at the surface. Be patient and wait for the unmistakably sluggish float of an exhausted fish. Succumbing to impatience and reaching out too soon could result in a “tickle” (prematurely scraping the fish with the gaff). Kings don’t take kindly to such things and the resulting burst of energy can cause pulled hooks, broken leaders and other maladies just inches from the boat.
Keep your cool when gaffing and resist the temptation to reach below the water, as distortion can foil your effort. Just wait for the fish to roll on its side, lay the big hook across its back and pull it home with controlled force. —D.B.
Best form is to let the fish make its first long runs, avoid reeling during a dash, and gather line when you can. Once a king tires, it will invariably go into ascending death circles at boatside. Simply guide the fish upstairs with measured tension, but stand ready to keep the line off the boat hull or engines if your fish makes a desperation sprint.
Kings are no easy target, but the excitement of vicious strikes and blistering runs more than justifies the effort. On the dinner table, fresh kingfish steaks or fillets from smaller fish make a fine reward for a day’s effort. Grilled, smoked or pan fried, the king of the Gulf makes for a memorable meal. Kings over 39 inches carry a health advisory for mercury contamination, so there isn’t much reason to keep a bigger king except in a tournament situation—unless you’re stranded on a small island with few groceries. Most anglers clip the leader close to the fish’s head while alongside the boat. Experienced crews tail even 40-pounders on board, for a quick hook-out. This technique works, as a number of kingfish (even big ones) released this way with a spaghetti tag were recaptured years later.
When it comes to action and excitement, those snowbirds just don’t know what they’re missing.
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