A little assitance

[Conner]

All the time my friends and I go on this kid's boat and try to catch some kings. For how many times we have been out we hardly catch anything. I have tried everything from slow-trolling live baits to trolling giant rapala magnums. We have caught one or two of drifting in some bluerunners but besides that we never seem to have much luck. Any suggestions?

[Captain Juan]

What's your location?

Many of us who fish kings use different tactics in different places. However, you can never go wrong with a live runner under a kite or a balloon. If available, ribbon fish are awesome drifted or slow trolled. I also like a live horse ballyhoo drifted at mid-water with a release sinker. And the old reliable white bucktail still produces. Make sure you chum heavy.

Good luck!

Juani

[WhItEoUt 23]

Check your PM Conner.

[Boboe]

Kings will follow the baitfish. That's really key, so find the bait! You'll either see schools of bait rafted up on the surface, or mark it like big christmas trees on your sonar. As for techniques, I prefer to slow troll with live herring or cigar minnows. I use a typical kingfish stinger rig, made on #4 single strand wire. The leader is a total of about 2.5' long. Downriggers are your friends, and will GREATLY increase your catch. If you've got a pair, stagger them in the water column, and then fish 2 or 3 flat lines as well. You'll find that most of your bites come on the Downrigger, but don't be surprised if you can get the fish fired up and on the surface and can just wail on them on the flat lines. King fishing isn't terribly tough, if you can find them. There are times that they are finicky, and you'll have to fish FLUORO leaders. You've still got wire between your two hooks, but you've got 2-3' of fluorocarbon going to your snap swivel.

Just like I told that other guy about bottom fishing, location is critical!

[Capt. JJ]

Fish 'em like the charter boats. #3-#8 planer on a rod with Power Pro. 60-80 feet of 60# leader after the planer. 2 ft. of #7 wire. On the wire slide on a pink and blue 1/2 oz sea witch, with a mylar skirt under that. Put on 2 double strength 6/0 mustad hooks, and a bonita strip. SECRETS OUT!!!! OH NO!!!! Or you can have fun with 'em and flatline dead sardines while drifting. Use 80lb mono leader (about 6 feet), and a triple hook rig. Just keep letting line out. Hope this helps.
By the way, you will have to handline the fish in on the planer, as the planer will not pass through the guides.
Or you can just fish live bait.

[Boboe]

Originally Posted by Capt. JJ

Fish 'em like the charter boats. #3-#8 planer on a rod with Power Pro. 60-80 feet of 60# leader after the planer. 2 ft. of #7 wire. On the wire slide on a pink and blue 1/2 oz sea witch, with a mylar skirt under that. Put on 2 double strength 6/0 mustad hooks, and a bonita strip. SECRETS OUT!!!! OH NO!!!!

Maybe that's the down south charter boat way of doing it, but not in the Gulf. That's how commercial boys fish in the Gulf because they don't deal with live bait, which works 5x better than dead bait on planers.

That said, 60 FEET OF MONO AFTER THE PLANER?! Try 8' of mono after it, a snap swivel, then a #7 single strand wire leader to a double hook (one eye over the bend of the other) rig with a duster above it. 60' is ridiculous. Your fish CAN'T be THAT shy of the planer. Hell, the planer attracts fish with its flash. Dead cigar minnows work better than strips for bait in my experience.

[catching]

I usually will put 30-40 feet of 80 pound mono after the planner like JJ but no wire and doubled up 7/0's, with the See Witch Pink/Blue works nicely, with any kind of strip of bait. With out the wire you do get more action, and a few cut offs but it does help when they are being picky. Yes them seem that shy of the planner

[WhItEoUt 23]

Originally Posted by Boboe

Maybe that's the down south charter boat way of doing it, but not in the Gulf. That's how commercial boys fish in the Gulf because they don't deal with live bait, which works 5x better than dead bait on planers.

That said, 60 FEET OF MONO AFTER THE PLANER?! Try 8' of mono after it, a snap swivel, then a #7 single strand wire leader to a double hook (one eye over the bend of the other) rig with a duster above it. 60' is ridiculous. Your fish CAN'T be THAT shy of the planer. Hell, the planer attracts fish with its flash. Dead cigar minnows work better than strips for bait in my experience.

He's not fishing the gulf.8 feet after the planner

[kyle]

Originally Posted by Boboe

Maybe that's the down south charter boat way of doing it, but not in the Gulf. That's how commercial boys fish in the Gulf because they don't deal with live bait, which works 5x better than dead bait on planers.

That said, 60 FEET OF MONO AFTER THE PLANER?! Try 8' of mono after it, a snap swivel, then a #7 single strand wire leader to a double hook (one eye over the bend of the other) rig with a duster above it. 60' is ridiculous. Your fish CAN'T be THAT shy of the planer. Hell, the planer attracts fish with its flash. Dead cigar minnows work better than strips for bait in my experience.

Most of the time they are that shy. I fish 100ft of 100# then 20ft of 50# with no wire strait to either witchs or spoons.
Its a big enough difference that you'll get bites 3-1 when you go from 50 to the lure rather then 100
to the lure.

BTW- if there are alot of small kings around fish a green cuda tube behind the planer they will eat that before anything.

[Capt. JJ]

I just fish a long leader because i'd rather be safe than sorry. Get the bite. Do whatever you want. I have no problem handlining to the fish. And I fish wire because wahoo like it too. I caught my biggest dolphin on one too. 63lbs. Handlined him in too. And sailfish. That rig will pretty much catch anything in the ocean. The commercial bug boats love it when the sails show up and tangle all their $hit up. And the jack crevalles. Sorry to ramble on.
But fish the longer leader. Better than fishing 8 feet and wondering why nothing is going on. Our water is very clear on the east coast.

[WhItEoUt 23]

Originally Posted by kyle

Most of the time they are that shy. I fish 100ft of 100# then 20ft of 50# with no wire strait to either witchs or spoons.
Its a big enough difference that you'll get bites 3-1 when you go from 50 to the lure rather then 100
to the lure.

BTW- if there are alot of small kings around fish a green cuda tube behind the planer they will eat that before anything.

Niiiiiice (JOHN B STYLE)

[Boboe]

The water in the panhandle is incredibly clear too, which is where most of my fishing has been done. I'll fish straight mono if the kings are picky, but no dadgum 60' of it. On top of that, paying customers don't want to reel in 60' of line, then watch a deck hand handline the fish for the other 60', which is the fun part of the fight anyway. Drone spoons or sea witches don't do dick compared to duster-headed cigar minnows or herring. All of that said, I'll refer to my original post that says that slow trolling live bait will outdo dead baits behind planers 5-1.

[WhItEoUt 23]

Originally Posted by Boboe

The water in the panhandle is incredibly clear too, which is where most of my fishing has been done. I'll fish straight mono if the kings are picky, but no dadgum 60' of it. On top of that, paying customers don't want to reel in 60' of line, then watch a deck hand handline the fish for the other 60', which is the fun part of the fight anyway. Drone spoons or sea witches don't do dick compared to duster-headed cigar minnows or herring. All of that said, I'll refer to my original post that says that slow trolling live bait will outdo dead baits behind planers 5-1.

He aint fishin the panhandle,60 feet on the small side i know guys who fish 100 shock cords on the wahoo tourneys who crush'em . You know who i'm talking about.............kingfish wahoo it's all a catch

[Capt. JJ]

That must be why all the commercial kingfish boats use planers and leads. Because they want to catch 5x less kingfish. The live baits (gogs and runners) will catch the BIGGER kings, but for numbers, the planer is the way to go. Go ask any commercial east coaster. But hey, what do I know?

[TTesterman]

I got like 5 yo-yo's with sea witch's, #3's, 3 1/2's and even some of the hot lips heads on my 60 lb stuff... trolling leads and all size planers also.. guess that stuff does not work.. I fish with two rods in the corners that tend to bend over with fish when I put them out though. 1 planer - 1 wire! wire line... first in ... last out~ and can give people a great workout!

[surfinsteve1]

Well said you guys the planers kill em, new to it and can't keep them of the rod. I just need more room in the back of my boat for handlinen' trying to figure out a way to keep the line away from the motors though.

[ameristrat]

Originally Posted by surfinsteve1

Well said you guys the planers kill em, new to it and can't keep them of the rod. I just need more room in the back of my boat for handlinen' trying to figure out a way to keep the line away from the motors though.

Keep a 5 gallon bucket handy and when you go to pull that line in, let it fall into the bucket. It usually falls in pretty nice if you just take it slow (don't jerk in the fish) and let gravity do the work...
Hope this helps!
Ameristrat

[RodRattler]

To all that helped this young man my hat is off to all you, It is great to see that there are still a few that will take the time and give this young man there opinions. I really thought there would of been alot more input considering the number of guys that have looked at this post? Makes me wonder why?

[DonK]

Old School:

Use a bead chain triple hook, a 2oz sinker, and drift dead spanish sardines or ballyhoo across the 3rd reef at night......

Do they even make bead chains anymore?

[Disco Lady]

QUOTE=DonK;100234]Old School:

Use a bead chain triple hook, a 2oz sinker, and drift dead spanish sardines or ballyhoo across the 3rd reef at night......

Do they even make bead chains anymore?[/QUOTE]

COÑO!!!!!!!!!!!!!Old school for sure.

I like triple hook,ballyhoo or spanish sardines like Donk, I make 12-inch wire leaders of # 7 wire slide a 1-2 oz lead in between and wrap the end loop. killer! king rig driftboat style.

DL,

[Hocus Pocus]

Live bait is the way to go. Got these 2 last week on live bait in 160 ft.

[DORADOsteve]

Planers, long leaders, & STRIPS is how I do it!
EVERYTHING eats bonita strips.

[WhItEoUt 23]

Originally Posted by Hocus Pocus

Live bait is the way to go. Got these 2 last week on live bait in 160 ft.

i think you got those close to the beach live bait all the way

[DonK]

Originally Posted by DORADOsteve

Planers, long leaders, & STRIPS is how I do it!
EVERYTHING eats bonita strips.

Do you soak the sides in the Diet Mt. Dew first? or salt them then soak them?

[bajakian]

Originally Posted by Disco Lady

QUOTE=DonK;100234]Old School:

Use a bead chain triple hook, a 2oz sinker, and drift dead spanish sardines or ballyhoo across the 3rd reef at night......

Do they even make bead chains anymore?

COÑO!!!!!!!!!!!!!Old school for sure.

I like triple hook,ballyhoo or spanish sardines like Donk, I make 12-inch wire leaders of # 7 wire slide a 1-2 oz lead in between and wrap the end loop. killer! king rig driftboat style.

DL,[/QUOTE]


CONO!!! I mean

Adjust the weight depending on the speed of the drift.

[mneptune]

Originally Posted by DonK

Old School:

Use a bead chain triple hook, a 2oz sinker, and drift dead spanish sardines or ballyhoo across the 3rd reef at night......

Do they even make bead chains anymore?

Yes they do make and sell the bead chains. There is a little plastic gadget with a joined weight you can buy from Custom Rod & Reel that you use in conjunction with the bead chain that makes a dead ballyhoo perform like a very live one. I always troll at least one behind my dredge, I swear by them. You would be amazed at how many fish I have taken on it

[weekley rehab]

While bottom fishing I run a flat line with a livie and leave it in free spool but keep and eye or ear on it for the screaming of line coming off. I us a wire leader single hook , no stinger rig. also if there are and dolphin even close they can not resist eating live pilchards , blue runners, pin fish.