Went trolling around the channel and only managed a couple sharks on live bait and a 19 foot bayliner that ran over my line and took off half of it… question is, what kind of Spoons are good out there. Actually thinking about trolling 3 lines and would like to add 1 artifical to the mix. Can you just surface troll them or should they be down 10 feet or so?
Slow Poke ; I suggest you go through all the pages on the King Mackerel forum, tons of info; especially on artificial vs. live bait. Simple answer to your question, no, you cannot troll live and artificial together, as far as I know, mainly due to speed, which I think is the most important part of King Mackerel fishing, live bait=1to2 mph,{slower than drifting}, maybe why you only caught sharks, maybe not also. Lures typically trolled at 6-8 mph, or less, depending on the lure. If you only found small bait like the other reports I have heard, you would be better off trolling Drone spoons {size 31/2}, better yet combination meat and lure would be fish market mullet with Sea Witch lures, preferably chartreuse in color. Troll about 3-5mph, also you should run 3 lines minimum for kings. That’s enough for now, others may add a lot, may not, but I don’t mind helping anyone where I can, I’m a fun fisherman, not out for meat or tournament money. Tight lines, man.
The Drones are a great lure for kings, in the size mentioned below. Don’t expect to kill the smokers with them, but teenagers love them. Don’t rig with wire, rig with 50 pound clear mono. The hook is to the rear of the lure, so the business end of the fish is well away from the line. If you really want to get fancy, substitute the 50 mono with 50 pound fluorocarbon leader. You only need about a 4 or 5 foot leader. Top off the rig with a spro swivel. They are tiney and super strong.
If you want to run a mixed bag, rig ballyhoo behind some iron. Those troll pretty quick and don’t wash out so bad. Additionally, since you can pull the ballyhoo quicker, put out a few swimming plugs. That’s a good 6 knot spread. Like mentioned, 3 rods is plenty.( two on the sides down, and one wash)
I like it raw