King For A Day

 An adventure is never far from home, even one fit for a king. A king mackerel, that is. Like the most interesting man in the world would say, "I don't fish offshore that often, but when I do, I prefer to go with my friends." The creatures of the saltwater never disappoint me when I get one on the end of my line. They are always full of fight and usually tasty.

We had a late start and by the time we passed the Sand Island Lighthouse the seas were rough and choppy. We made it out to the first natural gas platform, baited our hooks and dropped them to the bottom. We stayed for about 20 mins and managed zero fish. We saw a king mackerel jump on our way out so we decided to troll for some mackerel. The seas were rough and not letting up. So we headed back towards Dauphin Island to find a spot that was protected from the wind and waves. We had the perfect spot in mind and made way, but not before I managed to catch a healthy king mackerel while trolling. Fighting a king mackerel on light tackle is fun. Fun suited for a king, but a king I am not. I love the challenge of a good fight.

While on course to the Western most end of Dauphin Island, we stopped and grabbed some live shrimp. A must have bait for our next fishing stop. We found a spot with moving water and lots of bait around; and at times the bait was being chased by predators. We preceded to drift live shrimp under popping corks hopping to get some action. We drifted over a drop off with lots of movement in the water where the fish seemed to be. We managed to pick up quite a few fish here. It was a perfect spot to be on this rough and windy day. A great day with friends. No pressure to do anything but have fun.

A little video from the action.