Tips and Precautions for Kingfishing in the Gulf

written by Evan Anderson

On this episode of Into the Blue, Captains Steve Rodger and Scott Walker head out into the Gulf of Mexico to chase some skyrocketing kingfish brought in by a cold front. It’s a hairy situation with a storm bearing down on them, but these two know what they’re doing and are able to catch some great fish and get out of there before the storm hits. When they return, Walker gives us his recipe for excellent smoked kingfish. Here’s that, with a couple of extra tips on kingfishing.

The Storm

Before we talk about the dip, we’ve got to address the situation. The kingfish are being pushed into the Gulf by a large cold front, a big thunderstorm, which is rapidly bearing down on our two captains. Rodger and Walker are both seasoned guides who have spent their lives fishing in the gulf and in the keys, and as such have the knowledge and experience to time it so that they can get out of there before the storm hits. It’s not advisable to cut it this close if your experience is anything less than theirs. Even Walker was a little apprehensive initially. “I woke up and I saw a mean old storm, cold front, coming to get us, and I didn’t want to be 50 miles from land for any reason,” says Walker.

With the knowledge of the storm coming in, Rodger and Walker are eager to get moving right away. They quickly load up the bait and get the boat prepped, fire up the Mercury Marine motors, and race out to sea. The key to their success here was Rodger’s prep work before they left. “You got us out of here early, we had the bait ready, and you knew exactly where we were gonna go,” says Walker, “There was no guesswork.” And, even with a wicked hot bite, they had the discipline to turn around and head in long before the storm hit them.

“You knew exactly where we were gonna go... there was no guesswork.”

— Steve Rodger from Into the Blue

The Catch

Once they got out there it wasn’t long before the kingfish started biting. In fact, on Rodger’s first cast a big one strikes at his lure. From there it only escalates and pretty soon both captains are rushing across Rodger’s SeaDek flooring pulling up fish. “Even if we didn’t know the fish were here,” says a grinning Walker, “the fish are here.” “I didn’t even realize it, I never put a piece of bait on,” says Rodger, “And I caught more fish than you could ever want to catch.”

Probably the coolest part about kingfishing is watching them leap from the water when they go after bait. “You gotta be careful,” says Rodger, “These things’ll jump right into the boat!” Rodger uses a Shimano Orca Topwater Lure (available at West Marine) while Walker opts for live pilchards for bait. The kingfish love the pilchards, but the topwater lure is what really gives them a show with the fish jumping 10 feet out of the water as they hit it. In addition to topwater lures, Rodger recommends having a dehooking device onboard when kingfishing. “Kingfish have razor-sharp teeth,” says Rodger, “They’re sharper than razor blades, man.”

The Dip

“Y’know what everybody does during the holidays, they throw parties,” says Walker as he filets a kingfish with his Bubba Blade filet knife (available at West Marine), “And what’s the best party appetizer? Smoked fish dip.” To start, Walker says to cut the fish filets into chunks about the size of your hand. “They cook evenly like that and you get some of the bone out of there,” he explains. He then says to marinate them however you like. “I like them spicy and peppery,” he says, “[so] the marinades I like best have teriyaki in them and brown sugar.” Rodger recommends orange juice, limes, salt, and pepper overnight. Then, after marinating it overnight, you cook it in the smoker for 3-4 hours, then you slice it into quarter-inch pieces and put it next to your fish dip. “That’s my favorite way to do it,” Walker says.