# MACKEREL TROLLING - Please Help



## Sedge (Apr 30, 2012)

Looking to do some trolling for kings and Spanish tomorrow. I will be using a Gotcha for the Spanish and dusters with cigar minnows for the Kings. I need to know the following: about how far off the shoreline should I troll? At What depth should I troll? Do you set the hook like you normally would? Can the cigar minnows be previously frozen? Anything else I need to know, please tell me.


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## CCC (Sep 3, 2008)

Sedge I just started king fishing last year, and now it seems one of the easiest fish to catch. I usually troll with dusters and cigs about 800 yds off shore, but most recently had no success so I moved out about a mile or two and then I was in them. My luck has always been from 30 to 60' deep. As far as setting the hook I have never had to do so, except the last time we went out my wife hooked into a good one and fought it all the way back to the boat only to have all three hooks slip out as I was JUST ABOUT to gaff it. So now I plan on once I see there is a fish on, hit neutral and the minute he is not on a big run give it a couple good STOUT tugs to set the hooks. Good luck and post your reports !


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## Sedge (Apr 30, 2012)

CCC said:


> Sedge I just started king fishing last year, and now it seems one of the easiest fish to catch. I usually troll with dusters and cigs about 800 yds off shore, but most recently had no success so I moved out about a mile or two and then I was in them. My luck has always been from 30 to 60' deep. As far as setting the hook I have never had to do so, except the last time we went out my wife hooked into a good one and fought it all the way back to the boat only to have all three hooks slip out as I was JUST ABOUT to gaff it. So now I plan on once I see there is a fish on, hit neutral and the minute he is not on a big run give it a couple good STOUT tugs to set the hooks. Good luck and post your reports !


Thanks so much for the info. Look for my report tomorrow! But, can the cigs be previously frozen? No bait shops have live ones and catching bait isn't really an option tomorrow.


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## cody&ryand (Oct 3, 2007)

Frozen is fine try a stretch 25 or 30 and a big clark spoon on a planer or trolling weight


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## IrishBlessing (May 13, 2012)

Highly recommend the clark spoon. Frozen is fine. If you want spanish troll just off the sandbar or in between the 1st and second sandbar using a king rig with no weight, the spanish will hit the cigars too. Use a weighted duster on your king rig or like cody d says use a stretch. you should have something on in 30 minutes or less once you get out of the pass.


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## CCC (Sep 3, 2008)

As the guys said, frozen is all I use, irradescent weighted duster, 30 min or less, troll at just above idle speed, just past neutral and a little bump.


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## marcuswon (Apr 5, 2010)

if you don't have the down rigger things(don't know much about them any way)how do you get your bait or jig down to the deeper water?we have just but letting out line with two different size jigs on each pole and trolling from 4 to 10 mph.we start off slow and speed up till something bites and the run that speed till they stop biteing then start over.


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## cody&ryand (Oct 3, 2007)

marcuswon said:


> if you don't have the down rigger things(don't know much about them any way)how do you get your bait or jig down to the deeper water?we have just but letting out line with two different size jigs on each pole and trolling from 4 to 10 mph.we start off slow and speed up till something bites and the run that speed till they stop biteing then start over.


Planers or trolling weights


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## fivestar (Mar 6, 2012)

I have had alot of success just trolling a pink or red diver on wire leader at about 7-9 mph. Good luck


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## Island24 (May 12, 2008)

I like to troll a drone spoon behind a trolling weight. I also like the stretch 25. I do not use the wire leader on these as I find I get more bites and the kings usually strike the rear of the plug or spoon anyway.


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## Mullethead (Oct 4, 2007)

Another trick is it zig zag or weave a bit ... this varies the trolling speed - slowing down the line on the inside of the turns and speeding up the outside - soon you will find that the hits are more consistent on the fast or higher lures or inside slow deep lures. 

Also - as we get deeper into the summer - increase the size of the planers and trollingh weights - warm water fish are deep- later in the day


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## DAWGONIT (Jan 16, 2009)

all good techniques mentioned here.
they'll also hit a floating bait just about anywhere in the column....of course you'll limit out and get many citation remoras too.
catch 'em up!


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## 20simmons sea skiff (Aug 20, 2010)

Too much grass to troll, as much grass as water, was friday, kings were jumping 3 ft out water though.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

We always troll 6-8 mph with a frozen Northern Mackerels as bait with an irridescent skirt. Never had any luck on the cigar minnows. We use no weights and just let the bait start to barely skip in the water. We usually get hits within 2-5 mins. If more than 15 we have to change out the bait. It probably was spinning or riding on its side. Oh and we are trolling 5-9 miles out. They wont hit it if it's not riding right in the water.

I've tried the stretch 25+ and never had any luck with them. I also have a couple of copies made by Bomber I think. Never any luck with them either. All of my biggest kings were caught freelining croakers or grunts over reefs though.


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