Of course, one of the primary questions I get is 'Where do I find them?".   Well, the best answer is to find the kitchen.  Kings gotta eat.  Find the bait, and find the kings.   Oil rigs or other obvious structure will hold bait, and the bait attracts the kings.   Also, look for kings in 'green' water, as opposed to blue, offshore water.   Troll tidal rips and the edges of water or temperature breaks.   Water breaks are easy to see, and sometimes they occur right at the mouths of the inlets.  Keep an eye on your water temperature.  Just a couple degrees can make a difference.   One of my best kingfishing days occurred fishing an offshore, freshwater spring.   There was an abundance of bait living there and the migrating kings had found a feast there as well.  We did Figure-8 trolling loops around this spring and hooked up every pass.   And finally, probably the best way to find them is to stop by the local tackle store and get some first-hand, contemporary knowledge about the area. 

 

Regarding tactics...trolling is extremely productive, but with live baits you have to troll them real slow -- like 2 mph or slower.  If you are in an area where you know there's kings, then this is a very deadly technique.  If you are scouting an area, or simply trolling to your next bottom fishing spot, then put a couple different lures in your spread to increase your chances of a hook-up.  Use a deep-diving lure like a Sebile Koolie Minnow on a reel spooled with 30 or 50 lb braided line.  On the other side of the boat, put out a Russelure in silver or blue using the middle line connection and let it run right in the prop wash.  You'll be surprised how many big fish will slam a plug running that close to the boat.  If you are comfortable with trolling a couple more lures, then go on top with a blue/white Ilander either bare or with a cigar minnow rigged with it.  And on the other side, put out a big Drone spoon.   You can rig a 4 oz trolling weight about 5 or 6 feet in front of it to keep it just beneath the surface while trolling.   Now you're covering the water column both vertically and horizontally.  If you're dragging deadbaits or artificials, you can speed up a little -- as much as 7 to 10 knots.   You cannot outrun a kingfish, and I think the faster you pull a lure, the more enticing it becomes.  Plus you may pick up an errant bonita, dolphin or even a wahoo in the process.  Oh, and you need to have about 2 feet of wire (minimum) leader in front of all your rigs.  If you don't know how to twist wire yet, then learn.  We've got step-by-step video instruction clips on the Nuts & Bolts website for working with wire as well as how to tie the basic fishing knots.

 

And don't think kings are the only critters that will attack this spread.  Dolphin, tuna, wahoo, cobia, amberjacks -- and even snapper and grouper will see the smorgasbord you're presenting and come to take a look.  

 

When you hook up and get the fish close to the boat, you have a decision to make.  Are you going to invite the fish home for dinner...or will it be released to fight again another day?   If you plan to keep the fish, then preparation once again, becomes a huge factor.  Have a clear path to the fish box, and someone standing by to open and close it.  Don't try to bring a green fish on board.   Those teeth are like razors.  Let the fish tire itself out a bit, and then place a clean gaff shot right behind the head.  With one smooth motion, gaff the fish and lift it up and into the fish box.  Shut the lid and wait for the fish to calm down before attempting to remove the hook.  Yes, you'll probably have to re-tie your rig, but that's OK.  If you plan to release the fish, then you have a couple options.   Cutting the leader as close as you feel comfortable to the fish or using a hook removal tool to get the hook out. The question is whether or not to bring the fish in the boat while you do this.  I like doing the hook removal step with the fish in the boat and I've found that a towel placed over the fish's head will often produce a calming effect and will keep the fish from thrashing around on the deck.  Plus it gives you some leverage in holding the fish down.   Always use a hook remover when working with a live fish.   You want to keep your fingers.   Get the hook out as quickly as possible and the fish right back in the water.