Kingfish Fishing Charters

Take the challenge on a deep sea Kingfish fishing charter in the St. Petersburg, Tampa and Clearwater, FL area.

The King Mackerel fish, commonly referred to as the “Kingfish”, has razor sharp teeth, an aggressive strike and quick runs, they are the most sought after game fish in the Gulf of Mexico. When fishing for Kingfish, we use a steel leader with a 20lb. main line that these fish can sometimes cut through with their razor sharp teeth. When out on a Kingfish charter, you can expect to lose as many fish as you actually catch. Kingfish are not only aggressive strikers, with sharp teeth and quick runs, they also have a tailfin that can quickly “tail whip” the main line, creating a challenge for any angler. Kingfish tournaments are extremely popular in Florida and generate millions of dollars for the state. Taking an offshore Kingfish charter will definitely be an adventure with Jawbreaker Charters.

The methods we use to catch Kingfish.

• The most popular method for catching kings is slow trolling with live bait, using light to medium fishing gear. We commonly use this method in Kingfish tournaments and have great success. At Jawbreaker Fishing Charters we know that live bait will produce bigger Kingfish, and the more bait the better...nothing wrong with a little live chumming.
• Fast trolling is another method we can use on the charter, where we use “hardware”, like planers and spoons, plugs or lures. Then we drag the spoons at 5-7 knots, this allows for a larger area to be covered in a shorter amount of time. When we find the “hot spot”, we get Kingfish strikes rather quickly, it is normal to reach the legal bag limit of Kingfish in less than an hour.
• Kite-fishing is one of our favorite methods to catch Kingfish. We use special kites with release clips that are attached to the kite-line. The main fishing line will go up to the kite line and then down to the water below, the bait is then suspended near the water’s surface. Using the kite method when fishing for Kingfish, you can create quite the show! They will burst through the surface of the water and even go aerial, before the quick run that Kingfish are known for. There are limitations to kite-fishing, and is usually used in fishing tournaments.

Our deep sea Kingfish fishing charters in the St. Petersburg, Tampa and Clearwater areas use all the different fishing methods we talked about above. Typically, we like to troll because it covers more ground and produces more fish. Our Kingfish charters can’t go out year round because Kingfish are sensitive to water temperatures. They usually require temperatures in the 70-80 degree range to “school up”. The positive thing here in Central Florida is we get two seasons each year to take our guest on Kingfish charters. The best times of the year to fish for Kingfish is between March and June, and then again in October through December. Every year can be slightly different based around the weather patterns. Sometimes Kingfish will show up early and we see them all summer long, it is just all based around the weather.

We will see and catch other fish on your Kingfish charter.

There are many different fish we may catch other than Kingfish on your charter. The Spanish Mackerel is one we see very often. Anywhere you are catching Kingfish, you can bet there are Spanish Mackerel. However, Kingfish aren’t always around when you are catching Spanish Mackerel. Both Kingfish and Spanish Mackerel are great table fare, as long as they are properly processed. They are known to be an oily fish. If you bleed and immediately ice it down, Kingfish can be some of the best tasting fish on the market.

The Cobia is another fish that will sometimes make an appearance during a Kingfish charter. They will usually show up when you least expect it. We have caught some of the biggest Cobia while we were Kingfishing. During a Kingfish tournament, we landed a 59lb Cobia. We also won that same Kingfish tournament with a 25lb king. Here is a list of other fish we commonly see during a Kingfish charter:

• Amberjack
• Sharks
• Barracuda
• Bonito
• Grouper
• And many many others…

If you are looking for the right team for your Kingfish experience, Jawbreaker Fishing Charters know where, when and how to put you on the King of your dreams. Call us at (727) 432-0422 or complete our online form to book your next fishing charter.