When I began my career as Captain Tim Whitfield, I envisioned stalking redfish and snook most of the spring, summer and fall, while targeting trout and sheephead as winter foes. While the dew was still wet, early in my career, the bite was slow and while moving from one spot to the next, we en- countered a school of Spanish mackerel. The drags started making music and the laughter was only drowned out by the sound of the drag on the big rod going off. I learned a lot that day; maybe it was the moment when it clicked for me that, that’s what it’s all about, fun and bend- ing rods. Most clients are just looking to catch some fish, they don’t really care what. While running most of my charters out of Ricks on the River, just north of downtown, I depend on the pelagic fish to push up into that part of the bay. They are always good for my customer satisfaction rating.
Sometimes clients can only fish for the afternoon, which is fine but can kinda suck when the bait has to be secured as the sun rises. This was one of those times. I had an afternoon group and several hours to kill before the afternoon session. I had Johnny Touchton come and mate for me, he knew a couple of the guys and it was a good opportunity to scout a little and grab an early lunch at Rivers Edge, on the Alafia River. FYI: The “Edge Burger” is awesome!
After securing bait, we had planned to drift the ship channel bait schools and see if any kings were around. We got into a good school of mackerel and landed a couple small kings, but nothing too noteworthy. On the GPS we saw a marked reef and went to investigate. As we approached the spot, we saw a king skyrocket. Our scouting time paid off and on the first drift, we quickly realized that we were underpowered with 4000 series reels and medium power rods. When Johnny hooked up he had a long battle and after what felt like an eternity we finally wrangled the toothy fish into the boat. We estimated the fish at around 50 lbs. Upon inspection of the leader, after taking some photos, we realized that in the excitement of getting a bait out, Johnny had grabbed the rod rigged for Spanish, with 40 lb leader and a 1/0 long shank. We were fortunate to have one fish in the box.
We drifted the reef again, 2 more times and got nothing. As we maneuvered into position again for one last drift, I went with 40# leader. It was the only thing we had done differently on the first drift. WHAM, and instantly gone, a hit and split bite. I re-tied and rinsed
and repeated with another cut off while Johnny, with the heavier leader, had not a bite. I retied again and got a big sardine as we set up one final drift, kinda like one more cast. The strike was nothing spectacular, just a deadening thud. The line came tight and the drag sang the tune of the pelagics. After many long harrowing moments, this fish too came boat side, with less fanfare than the first, after all we had done this before, no need to embarrass the King.
Kingfish are one of my all time favorite species to target. They are fast. They have endurance, and man, those teeth! Surprisingly, with a little luck on your side, you can nab kings in the bay using rather underpowered tackle. Captain Tim and I were originally targeting Spanish mackerel (also good for the smoker) and as I hooked up, I realized that my forty pound leader would probably not last the test of time when battling this king.
I managed to land the brute by virtue of one aspect of our tackle… Tim had decided to use super long shank hooks, I mean, almost four inches long. Due to this one piece of tackle, we bested numerous king- fish in the forty to fifty pound mark, all on inshore rods and reels meant for redfish or trout.
Look for wrecks in the bay that hold large schools of bait. If you find Spanish macks on the wreck, then you are in the right spot. Kingfish won’t be far behind. If you hate sitting still like I do, try trolling the shipping channels with large plugs. I don’t know a kingfish out there that will turn one down yet.
TOUCHTON’S KINGFISH RECIPE
I had never brined a fish before smoking it and wanted to give the method a try. I was surprised at how easy it really is and very happy at how the fish came out on the other side. It’s something that I recommend doing to any fish with a robust flavor, that may otherwise put off uneasy diners.
I use my large five- gallon stainless steel fryer pot; filling it with cold, clean water. Add enough salt to make the fillet pieces float. And, USE SEA SALT. This is very important as Iodized salt will make the fish taste strange.
Add some fresh ginger, soy sauce and several whole cloves of garlic for flavor and let it sit. If you have a smaller fish and are using a smaller brining container, you can let it sit up to 24 hours in the fridge. Since I had so much kingfish and five gallons of stainless steel, I set up my YETI Tank, and put the fryer pot in the center, and iced the sides down as you might a keg and let it sit for twelve hours.
After removing the fish from the brine we smoked it. A good electric smoker from Bass Pro, Lowes, or even Wal-Mart will do. I chose Jack Daniel’s oak chips for the extra flavor. To this day, that smoked kingfish is one of my favorite meals.
The best taste is achieved when the fish is washed down with sudsy beer and shared with good friends for company.
It also should be noted that smoking fish rarely achieves temperatures high enough to kill parasites. It is best to freeze the fish in a cold freezer for up to 24 hours then brine and then smoke.
Captain Tim Whitfield can be reached at 813-714- 0889 or through his website at www.swiftfishcharters.com. Captain Johnny Touchtoncan be emailed at lonepineoutdoors@gmail.com.
