NC Kings
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 2:02 pm
Been trying to take advantage of the nearshore fall king bite along the Cape Fear, NC coast these last couple of weeks. Doesnt seem like too many people catch them from kayaks around here, so it's nice to have you guys' reports from the Gulf as motivation. My goal has been to get one over 30lbs, but i've only managed fish from the upper teens to mid 20's thus far. Pulled the hooks on a smoker last week, but our season is probably a cold front or two away from being finished, so I'm not sure how many more shots i'll get this year.
Anyhow, here's a taste of some of the action. Slow-trolling live baits has been the method of choice, but i'll pull dead cigar minnows or diving plugs if bait is hard to catch.
First things first, net some menhaden..
Made a little livewell out of a cooler for this season. Works great and makes my time spent on the water much more efficient. The days of dragging around a flow-troll out there and stopping fishing to catch more bait are long gone.
Sorry, some of these photos are horrible quality, but when you're bumming photos from nearby boats you take what you can get.
A little by-catch..
This was on the first day of the US Open, one of the biggest King tournies in the country with almost 500 boats this year. I got a lot of looks and questions that day. Those center console rocketships were pretty courteous for the most part, even with all that money on the line. All the tiny barely visible dots on the horizon are boats too.
Hooked up, just after the initial run from a 24 pounder..
I'm really not a huge fan of eating those mercury missiles, so i've given the majority of the fish i've kept to friends who really seem to love it. Usually if i eat it, i put a little lemon juice and old bay on it and bake for 20 minutes or so until it flakes. Then i'll mash it up with a fork and substitute it for crab meat in various recipes. Crab cakes and dip turn out pretty darn good like this. Give it a try.
Anyhow, here's a taste of some of the action. Slow-trolling live baits has been the method of choice, but i'll pull dead cigar minnows or diving plugs if bait is hard to catch.
First things first, net some menhaden..
Made a little livewell out of a cooler for this season. Works great and makes my time spent on the water much more efficient. The days of dragging around a flow-troll out there and stopping fishing to catch more bait are long gone.
Sorry, some of these photos are horrible quality, but when you're bumming photos from nearby boats you take what you can get.
A little by-catch..
This was on the first day of the US Open, one of the biggest King tournies in the country with almost 500 boats this year. I got a lot of looks and questions that day. Those center console rocketships were pretty courteous for the most part, even with all that money on the line. All the tiny barely visible dots on the horizon are boats too.
Hooked up, just after the initial run from a 24 pounder..
I'm really not a huge fan of eating those mercury missiles, so i've given the majority of the fish i've kept to friends who really seem to love it. Usually if i eat it, i put a little lemon juice and old bay on it and bake for 20 minutes or so until it flakes. Then i'll mash it up with a fork and substitute it for crab meat in various recipes. Crab cakes and dip turn out pretty darn good like this. Give it a try.
