Get Hooked On Fly Fishing

Archive for the ‘Saltwater’ Category

Kingfish

scomberomorous cavalla

Skyrocketing

Term given to the kingfish technique of attacking bait or lures on the surface. Starting well below the prey the kingfish accelerates upward, grabs the bait and shoots fifteen to twenty feet into the air.

Kingfish facts:
Kingfish are coastal pelagic ranging from N. Carolina to Brazil including the Florida Keys and Gulf of Mexico.
Kingfish migrate north in Summer following baitfish schools
Kingfish migrate south in late fall congregating around the Florida Keys
Kingfish prefer water temperatures of 70-88 degrees.
Kingfish avoid water below 68 degrees
Kingfish prefer clear open water
Kingfish avoid murky clouded water of inshore
Kingfish spawning occurs along both coasts of Florida in Summer months.
Kingfish live up to 25 years
Kingfish females grow larger than males, up to 6 feet long weighing 90 pounds
Kingfish are best for eating at about 10 pounds. Larger are better smoked.

Florida fishing regulations:

• Size Limit: 20″ to fork of tail
• Closed Season: None
• Bag Limit: 2 per person per day

Kingfish Food
Kingfish migrate following the schooling menhaden, sardines and herring. As residents of Florida Keys, kingfish are opportunistic feeders taking advantage of the available rich food supply including; squid, shrimp, small reef fish, bluefish, trout and small jacks. Yellowtail fishers can tell you that they also eat this species.

Kingfish Flies
Kingfish flies should imitate bait fish. Deceiver style flies with large eyes are good producers. They should be tied on very sharp hooks sized 3/0 to 7/0. Natural bait fish colors with lots of flash are the best choices of fly tying materials eg. dark green, light blue, white, yellow. Pink is also a good color to try in off colored water.

Kingfish Tackle

Flyrod

The one rod size to have for saltwater flyfishing is generally considered to be a 9 foot, 9 weight fast action graphite. This rod can be rigged for a wide range of gamefish including all but the largest kingfish. It has enough back bone to fight large fish and is able to cast fly patterns well in windy conditions.
The fly rod must have plenty of backbone to pull in a kingfish. Smaller kings can be taken on fly rods as light as 6 weight but a 60 + lb fish (as well as other large gamefish) will require the recommended 9 foot 9 weight rod.

Reels

Reels must be of quality construction, corrosion proof for the saltwater environment, a strong smooth drag system, sufficient capacity to hold the fly line plus 200-300 yards of backing and be sized to match the fly rod. Single action reels are the standard for saltwater fly fishing.

Backing:

250 yards of 30 pound micron or mono.

Line:

Sinking level line for casting to chummed fish or for trolling deep. Floating weight forward for trolling the surface.

Leader:

8-9 feet of 17 – 25 lb mono.

Shock Tippet:

Wire tippet is essential for kingfish because of their sharp teeth. Use the smallest possible wire to lessen the chance of detection by the leader shy kingfish. While fishing for school size kingfish during the day, use 27 lb single strand wire. During low light conditions when large fish are active use 86 lb single strand wire. Attach the hook to the wire with a haywire twist and use the albright knot to attach to the leader.

Kingfish Methods

Cero Mackrell
scomberomorous regalis