King mackerel are an incidental catch
along much of the Virginia and Maryland coast. This sleek
predator is generally caught from 10-30 miles out from the
shoreline. When targeting king mackerel, anglers often look for
hills and other abrupt changes in the bottom where baitfish
congregate.
One of the simplest
and most effective rig is a #3 1/2 drone
spoon rigged on a #2 or #3 planer. The leader between the spoon and planer
should consist of 50 pound test; 30 feet long with a
swivel at mid-point. Planer rigs are usually fished as a flat line at about 6 knots.
A red and white seawitch/ballyhoo rig
is also effective when fished way back on a rigger line. When
fast trolling in the early season, natural colored or red and
white cedar plugs fished on a flatline are also effective for
catching king mackerel.
Cleaning your Catch
Seafood Recipes
Fishing Reports
Fishing Techniques
GPS Coordinates