-Spencer Goodwin
With the coming of spring and fall, kayak anglers all along the Gulf Coast anxiously await the beginning of the biannual kingfish run. After the first cold fronts of the season, water temps will begin to dip into the 70’s and bait will stack up just off our beaches. In the spring, pelagic species like bonita, Spanish mackerel and kingfish will begin their migration north along our coast following the schools of baitfish. Likewise, in the fall these same pelagic species will migrate south as they make their exodus into the warmer waters of the tropics where they will remain through winter until the following spring.

A good fishing buddy and long time friend, Cameron Schurlknight of Hobie Kayak Fishing, called me one morning with the sound of drag flying off his reel greeting my hello. Enthralled he went on to tell me that he was off the beach in his kayak, hooked up to his second kingfish of the day, all the while the sound of drag hummed in the background. It didn’t take much convincing and the next morning I was on the road to make the drive south. I could have just as easily spent the day fishing waters closer to home, but nothing beats a day of good camaraderie with an old friend, especially when you’re chasing smoker kingfish off the beach in a kayak!

We launched into the surf (or lack thereof) north of Venice inlet shortly after sunrise. Cameron instructed me that he had been targeting the kings around the schools of bait being hit by Spanish mackerel and bonita. The first order of business was catching bait – using bucktail jigs and sabiki rigs we were able to catch a couple ladyfish and several large threadfin herring. We were both rigged with 30lb mono main line to 60lb fluorocarbon leader connected by an Albright knot to a #3 wire stinger rig, with a 3/0 J hook and #4 treble hook for a trailer. We pitched our ladyfish behind our kayaks and stuck our rods in our rear flush mounted rod holders. We put our baits back about 20-30 yards to ensure that our lines would not become ensnared in one of the myriad of crab pots.

We then continued to follow the schools of bait around, looking for diving birds to cue us in on feeding mackerel and bonita. While casting into the schools of bait with jigs and spoons we caught our share of Spanish and bonita, always wary of the lines out behind our boats. There was a minor feeding period at 9:30, and like a light switch kingfish started skyrocketing all around us. It wasn’t long before line started racing off my reel and it was fish on! Zigzagging between crab pots I was finally able to get the fish far enough away to really start to put pressure on it. After a good fight and plenty of blistering runs I had the first smoker of the day yak-side! I put on another bait and started the process over again – waiting for diving birds to reveal a bait schools’ presence and paddling my heart out to get there before the frenzy was over. Cameron was next, but what we thought was going to be a hefty kingfish turned out to be an approximately 5 foot black tip shark. Sharks are a common by catch while kingfishing off our beaches, but it is important to remember that these are very large fish that can cause serious harm to you if not handled properly. It’s best to cut the line as close to the leader as you can to avoid any possible harm. After freeing the shark I was up again with another drag burning smoker. After another lengthy battle and a close call with a crab pot, I had my second king of the day yak-side and ready for his photo-op.

Out of bait now, Cameron opted to tie on a Mirro-Lure plug and began trolling it parallel to the beach. Being in the peddle-driven Hobie Revolution gave Cameron quite the advantage while trolling, leaving his hands free to grab the rod the second his line started coming off his reel. With the minor feeding period coming to an end, and action starting to die, we thought our day might be over when to our surprise Cameron’s line started screaming off his reel again. This time it was no shark, and we boated our third kingfish of the day! Quite satisfied with our day we paddled in, ready to fire up the smoker!

For kayak anglers wishing to target kingfish and other species from the beach it is important to always be wary of weather conditions before the trip and to keep a close eye on the weather while on the water. Being in a kayak a mile or more away from shore when a storm is approaching is the last place you want to be. Be sure to bring all necessary safety equipment; a PFD and whistle, and it can’t hurt to bring a VHF radio as well. I would not recommend paddling off the beach by yourself, especially if you are an inexperienced kayak angler, bring a buddy! If you’ve never done it before, hire a guide or find a friend who has experience beach fishing from kayaks, it will surely help to shorten the learning curve. Remember, we aren’t fishing in two feet of water anymore.