Kingfish, King Mackerel, Mackerel
By far, the most popular deep sea fishing trips include catching kingfish. Kingfish or King Mackeral is one of the most exciting fish to catch on rod and reel. It is also an excellent eating fillet when kept and prepared correctly.
We typically use live bait to allure these fish; kings will skyrocket and launch themselves entirely out of the water while attempting to capture the bait. Once hooked, large king mackerel will take out line so fast it starts to smoke. Locals call large kings “smokers” because of their long fast runs and their popularity in the smoker cooker. Try our Grilled Teriyaki Fish along with a variety of other recipes.
Port Canaveral fishing charters and kingfish are synonymous. On any given day the weather permits, anglers from all over the space coast target these exciting game fish.
East Central Florida host some of the best King Mackerel fishing in the United States. Lagooner Fishing prides itself in our kingfish charter fishing tactics with live bait in the summer and fall months. One of the most enjoyable angling opportunities in Florida, the king mackerel has a prestigious and renowned tournament circuit targeting this species. The SKF or Southern Kingfish Association holds at least one tournament in the Canaveral area because of the consistency of the fishery.
King Mackerel, King Fish, Mackerel
Kings are found NEARSHORE and OFFSHORE and occasionally taken from piers running into the deeper water. During the summer months fishing near Orlando off Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach you can often find large (smoker) kingfish within a mile of the beach and just beyond the breakers. Most of the time kingfish can be caught along the ridges and wrecks offshore of Florida’s East Coast.
Scomberomorus cavalla
Kingfish have colored iridescent bluish green on their backs with silvery sides a streamlined body and tapered heads. There is no black color on the front of dorsal fins, and the lateral line starts high and drops sharply below the second dorsal fin. Young kingfish often have yellow spots like those of the Spanish mackerel.
Remarks
King Mackerel are schooling fish that migrate from south Florida waters in winter to more northerly waters in spring. Gulf population thought to be separate from the Atlantic population, with considerable mixing in winter from Cape Canaveral past Key West. Kingfish spawns in midsummer OFFSHORE and feeds on small fish and squid. [More Information about Kingfish]
Mackerel Regulations
24″ to fork in tail minimum size limit, limit of two per angler per day. King Mackeral Regulations
State Records
90 lbs.