Catching King Mackerel Presented by Tom Putnam tom@halfhitch.com Hosted by Bob Fowler Bob.fowler@marinemax.com (850) 708-1317 marinemax.com treasureislandmarina.net halfhitch.com 1
King Mackerel Family Scombridae, MACKERELS and TUNAS Scomberomorous cavalla Description: color of back iridescent bluish green; sides silvery, streamlined body with tapered head; no black pigment on front of dorsal fin; lateral line starts high and drops sharply below the second dorsal fin; young fish often have yellow spots like those of the Spanish mackerel. Where found: NEARSHORE & OFFSHORE, occasionally taken from piers running into deep water. Size: common to 20 pounds. Florida Record: 90 lbs. World Record: 93 lbs., Puerto Rico Remarks: schooling fish that migrates from south Florida waters in winter to more northerly waters in spring; Gulf population thought to be separate from Atlantic population, with considerable mixing in winter from Cape Canaveral past Key West; spawns in midsummer OFFSHORE; feeds on small fish and squid. 2
Spanish Mackerel Family Scombridae, MACKERELS & TUNAS, Scomberomorous maculatus Description: color of back green, shading to silver on sides, golden yellow irregular spots above and below lateral line; front of dorsal fin black; lateral line curves gently to base of tail. Similar Fish: cero, S. regalis; king mackerel, S. cavalla. Where found: INSHORE, NEARSHORE and OFFSHORE, especially over grass beds and reefs; absent from north Florida waters in winter. Size: average catch less than 2 pounds (20 inches). Florida Record: 12 lbs. World Record: 13 lbs. 1995 Ft. Pierce, FL Remarks: schooling fish that migrates northward in spring, returning to southerly waters when water temperature drops below 70 degrees F; spawns OFFSHORE, spring through summer; feeds on small fish and squid. 3
Bonita Family: Euthynnus alletteratus, little tuna, false albacore Description: Wavy lines on back and spots around pectoral fin make this one easy to identify but it is well know anyway to nearly every angler who ventures very far from shore. Where found: A roamer. Ventures anywhere from close ashore to the deep sea. Size: Common anywhere from a 2lbs. to 15 lbs.; exceeds 30 lbs. Florida Record: 27 lbs. Key Largo World Record: 35 lbs. 2 oz, Algeria 4
Barracuda Family: Sphyraenidae, Sphyraena Barracuda Description: Elongated body with narrow head and pointed lower jaw bearing large teeth. Color is grayish above, with silvery sides marked by dark blotches. Tail widely forked and has pointed lobes. Where found: Anywhere in South Florida, Mexico and Cuba from shorelines and bays out to blue water. Offshore over wrecks and reefs. Size: Ranges from foot-long juveniles on shallow southern flats to individuals weighing 50 lbs. or more offshore. Usual maximum around 30 lbs., with average 5-15lbs. Florida Record: 67 lbs. Islamorada World Record: 67 lbs. Islamorada 5
Dolphin Family F Coryphaenidae, DOLPHINS Coryphaena hippurus Description: bright greenish blue above, yellow on sides, with capability of flashing purple, chartreuse, and a wide range of other colors; body tapers sharply from head to tail; irregular blue or golden blotches scattered over sides; anterior profile of head on adult males is nearly vertical; head of females more sloping; the single dark dorsal fin extends from just behind the head to the tail; anal fin margin concave and extending from anus to tail. Where found: OFFSHORE O in warm waters. Size: common to 30 pounds. *Florida Record: 77 lbs, 12 oz. *World Record: 87 lbs. Costa Rica Remarks: one of the fastest-growing fish, thought to live no more than 5 years; swimming speed is estimated at 50 knots; spawns in warm ocean currents throughout much of the year; young found in sargassum weed; feeds on flying fish and squid. Legal Limit = none in Gulf Waters Bag Limit = 10 Not to exceed 60 per vessel 6
King Mackerel vs. Spanish Mackerel ID Made Easy Lateral line definite drop. Definite King Mackerel Here is a close up of the dorsal fins. The two main things to look for are the lateral lines and the dorsal fins. A juvenile kingfish's lateral line dips significantly ifi compared to a Spanish mackerel. Also the dorsal fin of a juvi kingfish will be a much lighter color, more of a gray or white color than the Spanish, whose fin will be black or very dark in color. 7
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Spinning vs. Conventional Best for casting Poor leverage, limited drag Best leverage Best drag, poor casting 9
2 Speed vs. 1 Speed vs. High Efficiency i Gearing High efficiency gearing allows for best of both worlds easy cranking like low speed & fast 2 Speed reels give extra retrieval like high speed leverage in low gear high speed to pick up line fast when approaching fish 10
Rod Action Light tip rods are more sensitive but lack backbone for pulling fish off their wreck Long slow action rods are called picking poles Easy to feel bite but very poor leverage Stand up vs. picking Pole 11
Catching Bait with Sabiki s Generally will bite bare hooks on the fall Most people p don t use heavy enough weight Great bait catching places Buoys, C Buoy, Other Reefs Tide lines for bait schools watch depth recorder 12
Treble Hooks There is no standardization in hooks a 2/0 in Brand A can be a different size than a 2/0 in brand B. 1X 2X Next larger size wire 4X 3 sizes larger size wire 13
Leaders & Making Rigs Don t use light pre-made leaders too light Too much terminal 14
Mono Leaders low visibility has stretch, easy to bite off by teethy fish Single strand stainless steel wire Small diameter Stiff very visible Able to twist, no knots, no sleeves teethy fish resistant t Stainless Steel Cable Stiff more strands the more flexible very visible Requires sleeves teethy fish resistant 15
What Type of Leader? Single Strand Wire - small, twist to tie, kinks & breaks high knot strength Multi-Strand Wire - durable, must sleeve with low know strength Coated or Uncoated - easy to handle, large diameter, must sleeve with poor knot strength 16
Live Bait Rigs Small front hook to keep from killing bait with stringer or trailing treble(s) 17
A preferred bait by many tournament & professional fisherman Known for catching large Kings Generally caught at night by Shrimp Boats Ribbon Fish 18
Ribbon Fish Rigs Have 6-10 evenly spaced treble hooks 4X preferred 19
Why Use a Duster? 3 Hook Rig With & Without Dusters Dusters help to reduce bait spinning Flash similar to bait scale flash 20
With or without adding a ready minnow 3-7 MPH, trolling cigar minnows or ballyhoo recommended 7-15 MPH use lure without bait Other Artificial 21
Artificial Lures Easy to use No bait that will wear out Little or no expertise needed Wire leader recommended Large lip helps lure to dive 22
Weights & Planers Planers are difficult to use but they catch fish Egg & Cigar shaped leads are preferred when trolling. Use a swivel as a stop when using egg leads. 23
4 Line Trolling Set-up Circle with your port(left) To the outside Port is privilege + 200 Ft 0-1 oz. Little Longer #2 Planner 4-6 oz. 100-150 ft Shortest Deepest 6-16 oz. #3 Planner 50-100 ft 1-3 oz. 150-200 ft 24
Trolling Leader Use 6-20ft 40lb test clear mono leader between lead and short wire leader & lure. Longer the better on the mono leader but it is difficult to handle long leaders on small & mid sized boats Line Lead 6 to 20 40 # clear mono 12 to 18 wire leader Swivel Rod Swivel Lure 25
Fishing with a Downrigger Control Depth Fishing Ability to fish any depth with light tackle 26
Gaff Hook Size Gaff hook size should be small where the hook will not go around to the long slender body of a mackerel 27
Chumming Frozen fine ground chum works best Add menhaden oil Dry most tend to float & larger pieces Menhaden oil floats great for surface feeder Menhaden milk oil adapted to mix with water great for all water levels 28
Always stay away from Mackerels sharp teeth. Hook Removal 29
Finding Bait Keep Fish Finder to Look for Bait Bait will not always be on the surface Fish finder is an easy way to spot bait schools 30
Helps relieve pressure when fighting a fish Fighting Belt 31
Haywire Twist This is one of the best & most commonly-used methods for linking solid wire to any type of connecting ring. The number of wraps & the two different kinds of wraps in the Haywire Twist may seem elaborate to many anglers. But for numerous varieties of strong saltwater fish, this tie is absolutely necessary to keep the wire from pulling out. Fig 1 Thread the end of the wire through the hood eye, pulling about five inches of wire through it. Fig 3 Fig 2 Pinch hthe two pieces of wire together, th and dbegin twisting the wire strands simultaneously together, so they wrap around each other at about a 45-degree angle. Make four to six wraps. Now bend the tag end of the wire at a 90-degree angle to the standing part of wire, and begin making barrel wraps tight to each other, as shown in the illustration. Make four to six barrel wraps. Bend the tag end of the wire back and forth until it breaks, and the Haywire Twist is completed. 32
Fish ID & Rigging Books 33
Chart # 11390 34
Future Classes October 13 th Flounder & Fall Bay Fishing November 10 th Hands on Rigging 9/10/2012 35
MEETINGS Gulf Of Mexico Fishery Management Council Meeting Schedule 2203 N Lois Avenue, Suite 1100 Tampa, Florida 33607 USA Toll Free: 888-833-1844 Email: info@gulfcouncil.org gulfcouncil.org g Next Meeting Schedule October 29 - November 2, 2012 Marriott Courtyard 1600 E. Beach Blvd. Gulfport, MS 39501 36
MEETINGS Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Farris Bryant Building 620 S. Meridian St. Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600 (850) 488-4676 Next Meeting: December 5-6, 2012 Apalachicola Saltwater Regulations myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/ 37
HOW TO MEASURE Fish regulated by fork length are measured from the tip of the jaw or tip of the snout with closed mouth to the center of the fork in the tail. Fork Length Species Include: Amberjacks, Bluefish, Rudderfish, King Mackerel, Hog Fish, Spanish, Mackerel, Dolphin, Permit, Cobia, Pompano, Mullet, African Pompano 38
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