Kingfish, or king mackerel, are running strong up and down Florida’s Space Coast right now, offering fast-paced action for anglers from Cape Canaveral to Fort Pierce and beyond. With summer heating up, bait is plentiful and so are the strikes.
Look for kingfish in 40–90 feet of water near artificial reefs and live bottom. Hot spots include the Bethel Shoal area, Pelican Flats, and the 8A and On calmer days, kings can be found just a few miles off the beach chasing schools of bait—perfect for the anglers with smaller skiffs and bay boats.
The most effective method to catching kingfish is to Slow-troll with live menhaden, blue runners, or pilchards using a stinger rig with #4–#6 wire and treble hooks to prevent bite-offs. Ribbonfish and cigar minnows on a double-hook rig still produce solid results, especially early morning on the outer reef lines and wrecks. Troll at 3–6 knots for best results and sometimes a slight bumping your boat in and out of gear will get the job done.
Ice them quickly! Kingfish are notorious for spoiling fast. A good ice slurry keeps them fresh for the table or the smoker — they are some of my favorite when in fish dip! The next month or so will only get better and we will probably find bigger fish closer to shore so get out and enjoy some fun summer fishing!
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