# Teach us how to tournament kingfish



## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

We mainly fish inshore tournaments but eventually we wanna fish the SKA. Having said that, we need practice and a lot of knowledge. We have been fishing recreationally for kings for a few years but want to absorb some knowledge from someone that knows a lot about the sport of kingfishing. We are thirsty to learn and what we really want to do is have someone teach us. We have a small offshore boat that we can use or if someone would be kind enough to take us on theirs. Honestly we will pay someone , buy beer , clean your boat every weeks, fill your boat one time , or all the abkve!! We do not want your spots at all we just want to kno tips tricks and tactics and how to locate the fish. If anyone knows of anyone that is interested, preferably someone that has tournament experience but not limited to the weekend warrior please message me or call me 8505728273

.... Any beer you want!!


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## JD7.62 (Feb 13, 2008)

What boat are you planning on fishing tournaments out of? Those king guys run some crazy nice go fast CC.


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## Ragon210 (Jul 11, 2013)

someone posted this video a while back about kingfishing. hope you enjoy! and hopefully someone will teach you what you are looking for


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## murfpcola (Aug 28, 2012)

Ragon210 said:


> someone posted this video a while back about kingfishing. hope you enjoy! and hopefully someone will teach you what you are looking for
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TJntzEPAn4


That is awesome, and I have fished SKA tournaments before.


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Honestly right now we arnt fishing ska tounrees , but we are going to start fishing more offshore tournaments, once we all get out of school we will get one of them nicer boats, but for now we just want to learn and practice and get good. The perks of the bigger boats obviously is speed, range , fish ability among other perks, but in a 20-22ft boat we should be able to learn a good bit... For now and get better.


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

+1 for video that's good stuff


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## capt'n slim (Feb 8, 2008)

If you aint gotta big, go fast CC, and plenty of $$ to burn your wasting your time. It used to be fun to tourny fish, but the older i get, the less need i have to prove to others i can fish.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

I've caught plenty of Kings in a 17ft Bay boat on a $60 rod and reel. I always laugh at the SKA guys with all of their "gear" haha

That video was F'ing EXCELLENT!!! I blew milk and chocolate chip cookies out of my nose!


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Well if yall know anyone that would like to help some college kids out let me know!! Like I said we arnt fishing ska now just want to learn before we dive in


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## _kyle_ (Jul 30, 2015)

It's better to be lucky than to be good...


But the best way is to befriend a few commercial kingfishermen so you get an idea where the fish are..

Without this you will be running blind. 


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## brnbser (Oct 1, 2007)

fished the SKA for a lot of yrs and was sponsored and fished the national finals in '07 and '08 prior to a bad accident that kept me off the water completely for several years, not necessarily looking to fish but would be glad to give you some pointers and get you started in my spare time. shoot me a pm and we can go from there if your interested


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

That sounds great I'll send you a PM


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## cody&ryand (Oct 3, 2007)

Run west way west fish the rigs slow trolling large hard tails and ribbon fish on down riggers in my opinion having good baits is one of the most important things


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## JD7.62 (Feb 13, 2008)

NoMoSurf said:


> I've caught plenty of Kings in a 17ft Bay boat on a $60 rod and reel. I always laugh at the SKA guys with all of their "gear" haha
> 
> That video was F'ing EXCELLENT!!! I blew milk and chocolate chip cookies out of my nose!


Catching kings is one thing. Consistently competing in king tournaments and doing well is another. You're not going to win a big $$ king tournament in a 17ft bay boat usually.


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## stauty trout (Jul 19, 2012)

cody&ryand said:


> Run west way west fish the rigs slow trolling large hard tails and ribbon fish on down riggers in my opinion having good baits is one of the most important things



This... Gotta have good baits... Also gotta find the smokers in that green water...


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

JD7.62 said:


> Catching kings is one thing. Consistently competing in king tournaments and doing well is another. You're not going to win a big $$ king tournament in a 17ft bay boat usually.


Your not likely to win big $$ king tournament fishing in any boat. The likelihood of winning is small. And the Kings dont care what boat you are in and you dont need to run 80mph and run 150 miles to get them. The winnings dont come anywhere near the price of the boat.

We would have won The Mexico Beach tournament 2 of 3 years and placed on the other, if we had entered. But we do not want the stress and hububb of the tournament crowd. All in a 17ft boat that was run 20-25 mph and run 6-8 miles offshore. :whistling:

http://virginislandsdailynews.com/sports/bryan-wins-bastille-day-kingfish-tournament-1.1718842


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## Splittine (Nov 24, 2007)

No offense but those little mom and pop tournaments don't have anything on SKA. You are comparing apples and oranges. Saying that I find king tournaments pretty ridiculous in the first place but you will never compete at the top unless you have the big go fast boats. 25lb kings won't do you much good in those big style tournaments.


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## Dew2fish (Oct 23, 2007)

I remember several years ago when Outcast was putting on a king tournament that Dreamweaver in a 21 Cape I think won the tournament just fishing 20 or 30 miles offshore here. And I believe at that time it was an SKA tournament with lots of the big boys fishing it. Maybe Dreamweaver will read this and tell the story.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Sorry for the confusion, I had something to take care of and had to cut my message short. The artical that I liked to was not me. It was just an example of someone winning in a 17ft boat. The kings that I was referring to that we caught thAt would have won were all in the upper 40's and up to 58lbs.

i was not trying to be argumentative or boast of my knowledge or skills. Hell, everyone tells us that we do it wrong. haha. The point was that all of the big $$$ boats and gear will get you nowhere. I bought a 21ft boat, high dollar fishfinder/plotter and nice shiney new trolling set-ups this year. What did it get us? Nothing. We caught ZERO kings this year. NONE! This was all in reference to the OP saying that they were fishing out of basic equipment. Do not feel obligated to upgrade just for the sake of Bling as so many SKA members do.


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## stauty trout (Jul 19, 2012)

NoMoSurf said:


> Sorry for the confusion, I had something to take care of and had to cut my message short. The artical that I liked to was not me. It was just an example of someone winning in a 17ft boat. The kings that I was referring to that we caught thAt would have won were all in the upper 40's and up to 58lbs.
> 
> i was not trying to be argumentative or boast of my knowledge or skills. Hell, everyone tells us that we do it wrong. haha. The point was that all of the big $$$ boats and gear will get you nowhere. I bought a 21ft boat, high dollar fishfinder/plotter and nice shiney new trolling set-ups this year. What did it get us? Nothing. We caught ZERO kings this year. NONE! This was all in reference to the OP saying that they were fishing out of basic equipment. Do not feel obligated to upgrade just for the sake of Bling as so many SKA members do.


Also remember a lot of the big time SKA guys are sponsored or have an owner with $$$ and those are crews running them... I have several friends that fish the billfish tourney's for owners with big sportfishers... 

the wharf tourney was won this year by a 37 freeman that was the smallest boat in the tournament...

It's like they say.. you never know until you go.. :thumbsup:


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## Hook (Oct 2, 2007)

without a sponsor you will end up loosing compared to cubic bucks. Think about it. they can not necessary fish faster but cheaper and a larger area just like the bill fish tourney . Sorry but that is the facts. 
As before live baits deep in good area.


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## JD7.62 (Feb 13, 2008)

stauty trout said:


> Also remember a lot of the big time SKA guys are sponsored or have an owner with $$$ and those are crews running them... I have several friends that fish the billfish tourney's for owners with big sportfishers...
> 
> the wharf tourney was won this year by a 37 freeman that was the smallest boat in the tournament...
> 
> It's like they say.. you never know until you go.. :thumbsup:


Comparing a 37 freeman in a billfish tourney with sportfishers is not like comparing a 17ft bay boat fishing against 70mph Contenders and Yellowfins. Heck, one could argue that with the speed and fuel economy the freeman might have an advantage over a sportfisher in a rather short tournament.
The go fast boats will be able to fish every where that little bay boat can and then some. 

Yes a blind squirrel can find a nut but a paraplegic blind squirrel is going to have a harder time then the other blind squirrels.

I will agree with you that these guys are usually sponsored and/or have high $$$ backers, but again, youre not going to see Hewes field a SKA boat anytime soon either.


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## jhall (Oct 8, 2007)

In the upper gulf you'll need at least a 23' boat with twins to be able to have a shot at winning consistently.


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## stauty trout (Jul 19, 2012)

JD7.62 said:


> Comparing a 37 freeman in a billfish tourney with sportfishers is not like comparing a 17ft bay boat fishing against 70mph Contenders and Yellowfins. Heck, one could argue that with the speed and fuel economy the freeman might have an advantage over a sportfisher in a rather short tournament.
> 
> The go fast boats will be able to fish every where that little bay boat can and then some.
> 
> ...



I didn't mean to draw a complete parallel... I was just giving an example of a smaller boat getting it done... But yeah if you have a bay boat fishing offshore tourneys it's not gonna get it done more often than not... It's just not equipped for the style fishing that you are going to try to do 



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## Matt Mcleod (Oct 3, 2007)

You don't have to have to have a big boat, a fast boat, sponsors, or "lots of money" to fish and be competitive in SKA tournaments. However, those are often popular excuses from people who would like to believe their lack of productivity are a result of "unfairness".

We are fishing the SKA div 7 this year for the first time in several years. We've fished 2 out of the 3 tournaments so far with 1 more in September. We've finished 2nd in the Budlight (we won last year) and I think 7th in the Alabama Deep Sea Rodeo. We need a big fish in Orange Beach next month to have a shot at winning the division. 

We are fishing in a 26 Twin vee. It holds 120 gallons of fuel and tops out at about 38 mph with two 150 hp suzukis. I paid $26,000 for it 2 years ago. 

Most tournaments these days give people all the flexibility in time and location that a small slow boat needs to compete with anyone.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

stauty trout said:


> But yeah if you have a bay boat fishing offshore tourneys it's not gonna get it done more often than not... It's just not equipped for the style fishing that you are going to try to do


Ummm.. You dont have to go "offshore" to catch kings. THAT'S why we snicker at the big $$$ go-fast guys. I've seen plenty of monster kings caught off of Pensacola Pier... And from Kayaks. I dont think thay qualify as go-fast boats... haha

Would I rather kingfish out of a 42ft Yellowfin or a 1996 Cobia 17ft? That depends on who was paying... Someone else paying, the Yellowfin! Me paying, the Cobia.

We have gotten way off topic on the OP's original question. My original comment about using a bay boat was really more of analogy to express to him to not get caught up in the bling and gear and concentrate of being able to find the fish and techniques to get them to bite.


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Just looking to learn from guys that have experience, nothing more. This thread is intended to acquire advice from people regarding the sport of king fishing, not the argument of a 17ft boat compared to a 37ft boat, if that is your intention to argue on that topic please start another thread.


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## 153 Large fish (Nov 30, 2013)

I don't know how the go fast boats have time to go 80 miles away to test other waters...I know they go 70 mph give or take, but every time I go trolling out of the pass out past the 1st bouy zig zagging tending my lines etc., time goes by so fast that the day is over before you know it...I guess they are productive, but its a lot of running when you could just keep fishing...it seems that Kingfish have a window of time when they're really active anyway..just fish the right time of day where your at...


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## stevenattsu (Apr 24, 2009)

My Uncles caught the winning White Marlin in the Pensacola International Bill fishing tournament in the mid 80's on a 18 ft Hydrosport. I'll have to find the picture, they have it hanging off both sides of the rails and all you see in the back of the boat is about 20 jerry cans. So it can be done


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## Hook (Oct 2, 2007)

I think we are missing the boat. We are not talking about a professional guide or once in a while a blind hog finding an acorn . I am saying the odds are against you very heavily going up against boats / fisherman that do this all of the time not just a once or twice a year entry . Could this guy replace a blown engine or would that put him out for the rest of the year?  If after he wants to do this , have him write a review next year on his experience.


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## stauty trout (Jul 19, 2012)

Hook said:


> I think we are missing the boat. We are not talking about a professional guide or once in a while a blind hog finding an acorn . I am saying the odds are against you very heavily going up against boats / fisherman that do this all of the time not just a once or twice a year entry . Could this guy replace a blown engine or would that put him out for the rest of the year? If after he wants to do this , have him write a review next year on his experience.


Those SKA guys ride around with extra lower units and power heads in the back of the truck... seen em replace a few in the parking lot the night before fishing the next day


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## Hook (Oct 2, 2007)

Thank you Stauty Trout !!!!!! you are on point.


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## Chris Phillips (Oct 1, 2007)

It took a 50 pounder to win an SKA tournament in 1991 and it takes a 50 pounder to win one in 2015. That has not changed!


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## Renegade (Oct 2, 2007)

Good Grief!

This guy asked for tips on how to tournament fish. If you all want to continue to whine about SKA boats start your own thread.

I will say this again:
Nobody fishes SKA tournaments for a living.
Nobody carries extra motors with them.
Nobody flies in special baits.

You do not have to fish for kings every week to be able to compete. We do it a couple times per year. We win some we lose some. But we have never lost because we were beat by a "pro" or because of the boat, or because of sponsors, etc, etc..... That is bullshit. We lose when we make a wrong decision on where to fish or if we lose a fish, or whatever WE did or did not do. This thread can be direclty related to our government / society. "I lost so it must be someone elses fault" Nope, its your fault.

I would be more than happy to meet with you for lunch one day and talk about how we do things. PM me your number and we can talk.


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## Renegade (Oct 2, 2007)

Chris is right. That has not changed.

Another thing that hasnt changed is that noone around here has tried to learn how to catch big mackerels. They just blame it on the non-existent professionals.

"I trolled a cigar minnow for 10 miles down the second sandbar and still lost" Must need some sponsors! Or maybe a faster boat could draw some bites.

These days, most tournaments allow for you to trailer to where you want to fish and leave at whatever time you want. This negates the fast boat theory.

Last two years we trailered to louisiana for bud light. Fished our asses off from before daylight till after dark for one day. Gave up day two cause we wanted to be in Louisiana. Won one then came in second. The boat runs about 38 mph max with the wind and current and is 26 feet long.

Oh, and in response to the suggestion that people have extra motors. .... do they keep them on the boat? Just how would you go about changing a powerhead 30 miles offshore?


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## stauty trout (Jul 19, 2012)

Not sure about the other guys but I usually keep a spare 300 leashed off on the side of the boat tournament weekends... Couple zip ties usually hold it purty good... You should see Jimbo holdin that thing when we mount it on the transom 


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Sent you a PM renegade I appreciate it


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

NOsaints said:


> Just looking to learn from guys that have experience, nothing more. This thread is intended to acquire advice from people regarding the sport of king fishing, not the argument of a 17ft boat compared to a 37ft boat, if that is your intention to argue on that topic please start another thread.


I'll take the heat on this one. I brought up the 17ft boat comment just to let you know not to worry about what boat you were in. You had said something about getting a better or bigger boat later. My only intent was to let you know that your fishing area selection and technique were more important than what mega boat and shiny reel that you had. I caught my biggest King (58lbs) on a 17ft boat with a $40 reel on a $20 rod. 

I did not intend to start a free for all on what was needed to get you competitive. Sorry, my bad.

As for tips: Dont be afraid to switch things up if you are not getting a bite.
Change depth, swap to different bait, change duster colors (or no duster at all), go lighter on leaders.


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Yes sir I agree with your idea of technique is more important, that's why we are asking for advice on that , basically for the next few years we wanna work on that and learn all the tricks, I appreciate your advice, have a favorite duster?


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## Renegade (Oct 2, 2007)

I said we could meet and talk but the more I thought about it why not just put info on here. Those that are interested may get something from it. Those that are scared of the "paid professionals with extra motors and all that bullshit" are not gonna try to learn anyway but they also are not being chained to the computer with this thread on lockdown either. Here goes. Others will have other methods that are better for you. Try until you find your spot. 

The use of hiltons offshore or a similar product is important. On hiltons anything on the chlorophyll map that is yellow or green is good for mackerels. Find rigs or wrecks in those areas and slow troll live hard tails, ribbon fish, dead or live Spanish, lady fish, etc. use down riggers. We got two baits down two on top. We mix in pink and green skirts. adjust depth and distance from boat. Our general rule is to fish a rig three laps or a wreck for 30 minutes or so. If no bites or bites from fish less than 30 lb we leave. 

There is a misconception that you have to run a long ways. Not necessary. However if the water doesn't look good east of the river on hiltons I go to the other side if we can trailer. Bud light, florabama, and Alabama rodeo allow you to trailer. By trailer info you can put yourself within 20 to 30 miles of good fishing. Ability to leave and get back each day whenever you want allows you to get there at whatever speed is comfortable. If it's 4 ft leave early and run 10 knots if you need to. 

We quit messing around with tackle. 40 lb line. #7 wire. 1/0 or 2/0 trebles. We do not lose fish often. 

Shamano TLD 20 and a Penn power stick med/heavy is perfectly fine. No need to spend lots of $ on rod n reel.


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

What depths are best spring early summer vs late summer? How fast is considered slow troll 2-3 knots? 

Great info right there!!! That's awesome


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Interesting to read Renegades tactics. Ours are very different. THat may give use something to try next year.
We pretty much troll surface only. 
Our baits are dead northern mackerels or live Ruby Reds.
We use 20-25lb line and 40lb wire with a #4 treble in the nose and a #2 stinger. 
We also use flourescent green (or your favorite bright color) line so that we can see our lines to better manage our spread.
We use VERY soft tip rods because we troll pretty fast. 6-8 knots! With a stiff rod, the bait will skip on the surface and beat the hell out of it. Of course we slow down a tad when using live Ruby Reds, We go as fast as we can before they turn on their sides and skip on surface. The bait HAS to run natural!!!

When we first started we used cigar minnows and trolled at 3-5 knots. We didn't catch much. We found the larger baits got bigger fish and the higher speeds brought about more strikes. At slower speeds we would see Kings following the baits but not hitting them. Speed up and they would hit.

I dont know if tournament rules allow, but we also catch really good one by freelining Ruby Reds (or hardtails) over a a reef and just drift across it.

You also asked about dusters. Our go to colors are mylar gold and rubber chartreuse/green. We've also had some success last year with weighted heads with opaque pink skirts. But we used them alot this year and caught nothing. But the area that we fish did not have good King action this year. We fish a good bit east of P'cola.


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## Renegade (Oct 2, 2007)

The depth question is a good one. We are in a unique area that has two groups of mackerels. Some year round and some migrate. In the spring there are lots of fish in 100 ft or less that I think are the migration fish. There are also fish in 200'. Are these the homers? I am not sure. But I can tell you that there is not necessarily a depth you need to concentrate on during certain times of year. 

For is slow troll means just enough that you can steer the boat. Up current may need more gas. Down current may be in neutral. I am not sure of the exact speed. It's a feel thing. The guys running the baits control this a lot of times.


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## cody&ryand (Oct 3, 2007)

I will add that we always kept a big hard tail right behind the boat and it seems like that bait Got hit the most but it may have just been because all of those strikes were usually very memorable. It is a awesome sight seeing a big king sky on a hard tail feet from the boat


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Great info.. I have a few more questions if you don't mind. When trolling as far as I know you wanna set the drag as loose as it will go so the bait will not take any other line out while it is being trolled? Is that correct? Also whenever you hook up keep the boat in gear? I know Mackeral have soft mouths, does trolling usually set the hook or once you grab the rod is there a manual hook set the angler does? When hooked up to the fish and the hook is set, can you max out on drag or do you keep it light due to the fish tender mouth? Do you clear the lines once hooked up or leave them in the water for a possible double up ? Sorry for all the questions!!


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## cody&ryand (Oct 3, 2007)

Keep your drag light clear all lines and we would never tighten the drag unless we needed to and I can't think of a time we have needed to. No need for a hook set either others may have different opinions


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Light drag, but not so light that it backlashes when he strikes or runs. They can run 50+ mph!!! 

We clear all lines and take boat out of gear. We've never had to chase one. Just have plenty of line capacity and let him run.


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## stauty trout (Jul 19, 2012)

Need some 30 wides saints? I'm selling 2 haha


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

What kind are they?


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## Hook (Oct 2, 2007)

Find the bait you will find the fish. All fish do two things and that's eat and reproduce . :thumbup:


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## stauty trout (Jul 19, 2012)

NOsaints said:


> What kind are they?



Penn International II's 30TW (two speed wides) on Penn International IGFA 30# rods 


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

I found your ad, I'll keep them in mind just out of my price range!


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## stauty trout (Jul 19, 2012)

NOsaints said:


> I found your ad, I'll keep them in mind just out of my price range!



Rodger that... Lemme know!


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## Renegade (Oct 2, 2007)

We use pretty hefty tackle and a hefty drag as well. We set the "strike" (before the button using lever drag) drag to about 5 lbs i guess just by feel. Troll with reel at strike drag and fight fish at strike drag. If you have a mackerel amped up on something and they peel out a lot of line you will want to back off the drag a touch till they stop or until you get turn around on them. Then go back to strike. That is pretty rare with the kind of drag and tackle we use. After the second run or so, sometimes I will palm the spool or put lever on the button but usually just leave on strike. No need for a hook set.

We leave all baits in the water until we determine that it could be a weigh fish. Then we will get the downriggers up. We always leave one bait out on top but someone has to pay attention to it.

30 wides would definitely work but not necessary for king mackerel in my opinion. A Shimano TLD 20 will hold plenty of line.


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Thanks to all yall who have gave us some tips, renegade I really appreciate your knowledge you were willing to share.. Time to go to work! 

this is what makes this forum great ; learning from one another ... Not arguing about irrelevant matter so again I appreciate yall chimming in, I'll repost on here if I develop any other questions!! Thanks!


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Oh and if any of yall ever wanna fish.. I got all the beer


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## cody&ryand (Oct 3, 2007)

My 2¢ 30 wides are way over kill


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## jgraham154 (Jul 15, 2008)

We have used tld 20 2 speeds for years and have never had an issue...


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## fishnhuntguy (Feb 8, 2012)

We had some good luck with them in the last few years. My advice: Get a down rigger maybe two so you can run different depths. Use large live baits and troll by the sea bouys. That's been a good formula for us. As far a winning tournaments, wow I would not know what to tell you. Big kings for us are like 27 to 35 lbs. But to win consistantly you need to hitting 50-70 lbs. That being said fish them for fun when you have time.!!!! Gaff and eat the small ones let the big ones go due to the mercury. Good Luck....GO Saints !!!!


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Had some luck today thx for tip


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## fishnhuntguy (Feb 8, 2012)

*Good Job*

Nice job with the king. :thumbup:


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## Hook (Oct 2, 2007)

It is not uncommon to pull hooks on a king as with dolphin with too heavy tackle unless gut hooked. They usually give one strong run then dwindle . Let them run then reel them in.:thumbup:


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## DreamWeaver21 (Oct 3, 2007)

Dew2fish said:


> I remember several years ago when Outcast was putting on a king tournament that Dreamweaver in a 21 Cape I think won the tournament just fishing 20 or 30 miles offshore here. And I believe at that time it was an SKA tournament with lots of the big boys fishing it. Maybe Dreamweaver will read this and tell the story.


I'm late to the thread but we used to have some success fishing a 21 cape horn back when there was a significant amount of participation in king tournaments. We won one tournament overall, 1st small boat a number of times and I don't know how many second through fifth place finishes.

The one that we won, we were 50+ miles from the pass and honestly most of my place fish came from over 50 miles from Pensacola. I have caught big kings closer but not during a tournament. We took some ridiculous beatings along the way and didn't catch anything worthwhile a decent number of times. Part of the fun.

I agree with Renegade as far as tackle. I messed around with lighter stuff for a few years trying to entice a bite that wouldn't hit heavy wire but I also broke a lot of fish off, or had to play the fish too long, or had to change to many leaders. Now days, if the fish we want is going to eat, it will be on #7 wire, 7/0 or 8/0 nose hook, and a 1/0 treble stinger. If they won't hit that, I will go look for fish that are hungrier somewhere else.

I have caught plenty of kings over 40lbs on spinning gear (Penn 8500) and 25lb line and if only kings hit, that is what I would use all the time. The problem is when a jack, shark, or AJ hits you either have to break it off without seeing it (which I hate doing) or spend 40+ minutes fighting with a trash fish on light line. With a TLD (or equivalent) and 40+lb line, you can put some pressure on probably junk fish. If you use braid, for God's sake put a mono topshot. If you run straight braid for kings, I can all but guarantee you will get one long run, some head shakes, and the fish will be gone. You need some stretch in the line.

Live bait is usually good but I don't have the hard tail fascination that some people do. They are a good ways down my list of preferred baits. They do stay alive in the livewell though. I have caught numerous place fish on frozen northern and frozen sardines. It is a numbers game though because you have to pick through a lot of teenagers while waiting for the good one to swim by. Live bait tends to weed out some of the smaller fish, sometimes.


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Well we have been doing pretty well lately with practicing with kingfish. Probably have had close to 50-60 hookups using one tactic and are about 75% on getting them in the boat, we have learned a ton in the last week and are continuing to get better, thanks to all who chimmed in on this thread , we greatly appreciate the tips. 
Tight lines


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## JD7.62 (Feb 13, 2008)

Any size to them yet?


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Not yet, we have been presenting smaller live baits so not sure if that's what it has to do with it, but really we have been practicing with the smaller ones for more practice and fine tuning our skills. We had one sky right by the boat, seemed like a 30# class fish.


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Hate to bring up old thread but any other king mac tips will be appreciated! Tournament season is around corner, thanks for all who helped!


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