Page 143 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2020

King mackerel provide exciting action for anglers o the Mississippi coast.
“King mackerel are pretty common o the Mississippi coast,” reports Kyle Johnson with Coastal Waters Out tters who runs out of Point Cadet Marina in Biloxi. “I feel the population is on an upswing. Primetime for catching kings o Mississippi is July through November with the peak in September.”
Like wolf packs of the briny deep, the large and vicious predators hunt any hapless bait sh, squid or other prey they can nd, slashing through them with their saber- lled mouths. Kings sometimes gather in large schools to herd bait sh to the surface where they devour them. In the right spot, anglers can cast lures to schooling sh.
“I usually catch kings on the Gulf of Mexico side of the barrier islands,” Johnson says. “They like really clean, salty water. I’ve caught some as close as 400 to 500 yards o Horn Island. I start looking for king mackerel in water 30 to 40 feet deep, but I’ve caught them in water 15 to 20 feet deep. About 30 feet deep is the magic depth for
Je Strane lands a king mackerel.
Incredibly strong
me.”
People occasionally
and fast ghters, kings can provide exciting sport o the Mississi i coast.
catch mackerel while shing for red sh
or speckled trout in Mississippi Sound, but most people either troll or sh a drift line in deeper waters. When trolling, run several spoons, diving plugs, feather jigs or natural baits behind the boat.
Anything that mimics a bait sh might work. “When trolling, I normally use Rapala lipped baits or Mann’s Stretch 30 lures and run about
seven to nine miles per hour,” Johnson explains. “When trolling, we sometimes also catch sharks, jack crevalle and bull red sh.”
Kings commonly hunt around rigs, reefs or wrecks. Near such a structure, anglers can anchor or drift with the tides across a good spot. Kings frequently feed near the surface, so use unweighted lines baited with live or fresh bait. In currents, even a dead bait sh might op around
The deckhand ga s a king mackerel caught during a shing trip to the Gulf of Mexico.
Coastal Waters Out tters | 228.669.3553 | www. shcoastalwaters.com
and look alive. Toss several baits behind the boat and wait for something to hit. Some people sweeten the area by tossing a few sh pieces into the water to attract hungry predators.
“I troll for king mackerel, but I seem to have better success when either drifting or on anchor than trolling,” Johnson advises. “My preferred method is to nd a wreck, a reef or something and get a couple hundred yards outside of that. I like to either drift or anchor and free-line live pogies, dead pogies or cigar minnows. Kings really like cigar minnows. Even frozen, dead cigar minnows work great. I catch the majority of my king mackerel on dead bait.”
When shing for toothy sea wolves, use stout tackle. Tip the line with about seven to 12 inches of steel wire leader. Their scissors-like teeth can slice through about anything.
“September is a great month to sh for king mackerel,” Johnson says. “We probably catch four or ve kings on a good day. We catch some 35- to 40-pounders. They’re going to pull some drag. We might ght one sh for 15 minutes or more.”
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net September 2020 | 143