There’s no sweeter sound to an angler’s ears than the scream of a reel’s drag, especially the scorching punishment dealt by a summer favorite: the king mackerel.
A “smoker” king, one that weighs between 20 and 60 pounds, will strip a hundred yards of line off the reel in the blink of an eye.
These silver torpedoes are built for speed and are made of pure muscle, presenting challenges that are unique when it comes to tackle. Slow or “bump” trolling is one technique for mackerel fishing. Live bait, such as menhaden, are pulled behind the boat very slowly. Bumping the engine of the boat in and out of gear makes sure the drag isn’t too hard. This method works well for covering more territory.
One of my favorite techniques is to anchor near a structure and chum hard.
This method presents an added challenge when catching the big kings. You need enough line on the reel to withstand the initial run or two of the big kings. More than once, I have been “spooled” by big kings. This happens especially using light tackle. You lose all the line and the fish before getting the anchor up to chase the fish.
Recently, I ran across Canyon spinning reels and was intrigued by the amazing line capacity and drag. The Salt 4000 holds 450 yards of 30-pound braid and sports 39 pounds of drag!
Perfect for a king mackerel, I thought, and set off to the reef to test them out. Conditions were perfect. Calm seas and a lively ocean greeted us as we anchored near the structure. The chum hadn’t been out too long before the rod bucked wildly and the drag of the Canyon started singing and singing. At that point, we would have been frantically trying to bring the anchor in and we still had half a spool of line left! The drag was smooth as silk.
We ended the day with nine big kings and never once came close to being spooled. A subsequent trip with some of my favorite anglers — Cooper, Ryan and Chris — produced the nice “smoker” in the picture.
That fish made five or six searing runs, and the Canyon reel performed flawlessly. I highly recommend Canyon reels, which are made in New Jersey, if you enjoy big fish on light tackle.
This summer in Beaufort, get to fishing, because the king bite is on!
Article and photo by Miles Altman, Bayrunner Fishing Charters
