# Ft. Pickens Trolling Macks



## GreeZdLightNin (May 4, 2018)

Went out today after the rain quit for a few hours and got into some Spanish. Were trying for King but nothing. Hookd something real big that almost spooled me and then broke the leader on my gotcha rod. and caught a few of these little creamy colored fish? is it a hardtail? What is it???


----------



## bfish (May 19, 2008)

Yes hardtail


----------



## kingfish501 (Oct 7, 2007)

You were trolling Gotchas for kings?

Catch a couple of those hardtails and slow troll them live if you want a king.


----------



## GreeZdLightNin (May 4, 2018)

The gotchyahs were for Spanish, I had Spanish sardines for kings but didn't get anything on those.


----------



## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Yeah that hardtail is some good bait!!! Any size to the spanish you caught or did ya only get that small un?


----------



## specktackler57 (May 15, 2011)

Next time rig up that hard tail and bump troll.


----------



## kingfish501 (Oct 7, 2007)

Spanish sardines, AKA, herring are usually too soft to troll with. Cigar minnow on a duster or a live hardtails hooked in the nose...or troll that Spanish mack. Smokers love those.


----------



## Boardfeet (Sep 27, 2007)

I’ve seen a big King eat a smaller school King that was hooked. He would swim up and take bites out of the school I’d like a dog eating.


----------



## Kenton (Nov 16, 2007)

Nice job getting out there!


----------



## GreeZdLightNin (May 4, 2018)

They were all really small ones. Il definately try slow trolling for kings next time. That was my first time fishing the gulf side on a moderately rough day. 15mph wind and 4ft swells in a 17ft. boat gets really fun really quick!


----------



## MackTime (Aug 21, 2018)

what you call hardtail is a blue runner... excellent kingfish bait and the really big ones make awesome shark bait...


----------



## kingfish501 (Oct 7, 2007)

MackTime said:


> what you call hardtail is a blue runner... excellent kingfish bait and the really big ones make awesome shark bait...


Welcome to the northern Gulf Coast where a blue runner is a hardtail, a scaled sardine is an LY, a Spanish sardine is a herring, a false albacore is a bonita, an Atlantic bonita is a northern mackerel, a northern/Boston/tinker mackerel is a Speedo, a cobia is a ling and remoras are always a pain in the ass.


----------



## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

remoras = sneakerheads
Pilchards = LY's


----------



## MackTime (Aug 21, 2018)

Thanks for the local lingo education.... needed a good laugh. Watched a few videos of pier fishing in your area and was wondering what an LY was. Am hoping to come and check out a couple of piers over a weekend this fall. Am in the Gainesville area of north central FL, formerly from South East FL. Long time pier fisherman, over the years have caught all the ones you mentioned and many more... but never a remora...


----------



## GreeZdLightNin (May 4, 2018)

Wow! I grew up here and didn't know a few of those. I'll be going out again Saturday dodging the rain again in my 1720...what's the best way to rig Blue Runners/hardtail for kings????


----------



## kingfish501 (Oct 7, 2007)

Mack, you'll find we catch fish off the local piers that they don't in SE Florida. Lots of kings, sailfish, mahi, blackfin tuna. I've heard from a semi- reliable source that a Wahoo was hooked up this year.first year the old Dan Russel was built in Panama City, a blue marlin and a yellowfin were hooked, but not caught.


----------



## kingfish501 (Oct 7, 2007)

GreeZdLightNin said:


> Wow! I grew up here and didn't know a few of those. I'll be going out again Saturday dodging the rain again in my 1720...what's the best way to rig Blue Runners/hardtail for kings????


Hook them through the nose, like the ring in a bulls nose. Slow troll them just outside the channel.


----------



## MackTime (Aug 21, 2018)

you may want to add a stinger hook a few inches back of the main hook...


----------



## Akhernandez (Aug 24, 2018)

I think what you caught there was bait...


----------



## Akhernandez (Aug 24, 2018)

Also there's been a TON of little hard tails 3-5" around structure, not ideal bait for kings, but have been dropping them to the bottom on a knocker rig and getting some large snappers.


----------



## Shark Sugar (May 26, 2015)

Akhernandez said:


> Also there's been a TON of little hard tails 3-5" around structure, not ideal bait for kings, but have been dropping them to the bottom on a knocker rig and getting some large snappers.


Those hardtails are awesome bait to slow troll live for big kings. Also, the bigger ones make some of the best AJ bait as well


----------



## GreeZdLightNin (May 4, 2018)

Any good spots to catch the hardtails?


----------



## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

I've caught tons at the top curl at Fort Pickens, the north side right on the corner where the tide flows really strong. It was on an outgoing tide.


----------



## Shark Sugar (May 26, 2015)

GreeZdLightNin said:


> Any good spots to catch the hardtails?


In between the sandbars or just past the 2nd bar in 10-20 feet of water...you will either see them on your bottom machine or see them on the surface...if there's buoys then get as close as you can and just start fan casting your sabiki rig... you will find them.

Make sure to use a heavier sabiki so you dont get stripped every cast...I often catch 4 or 5 good ones at a time


----------

