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| Kingfish State Record Broken Again |
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| By Nick Carter |
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Posted Wednesday May 30 2012, 3:35 PM |
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This enormous king mackerel is the new state record. (Front row from left) The record holder Matt Borden is joined by deckhand Jimmy Phillips and Fish Trap owner Capt. Al Keahl. (Back row from left) Capt. Nicky Leiterman piloted the boat for the anglers who were Matt’s father Dennis Borden, his brother-in-law Dustin Sierk, and his brother Phillip Borden (not pictured).
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For the second time this season, the Alabama state record for king mackerel has been caught. This time it was a 69-lb., 10-oz. giant.
The fish was caught by Matt Borden, of Trussville, on May 6. He was fishing with his father, brother and brother-in-law on one of three boats owned by Fish Trap Charters out of Orange Beach. This is the same outfit that boated this year’s other state record king less than six weeks prior.
Father Dennis Borden wanted to take a family fishing trip and spend time with Matt before Matt left for a naval assignment the next week.
They were bottom fishing at the Trysler Grounds, an area of 115- to 125-foot hard bottom about 25 miles out of Orange Beach. Capt. Nicky Leiterman of the boat Fish On! took them to a spot less than a mile from where an 8-year-old boy from Michigan tied the state record for kingfish on March 28.
Matt’s king, which had a fork length of 60 inches and a girth of 26 1/2 inches, was caught with the same method as the March 28 fish.
Prior to the two state records this year, the old record of 67-lbs., 15-ozs. had stood alone since 2002. The likelihood of the record falling twice in a season is small, and Alabama’s Chief Marine Biologist Kevin Anson said low fishing pressure may be allowing kings to grow older and larger.
“Mackerel have been managed, at least on the commercial side, very strictly regarding their harvest. I don’t think recreationally, however, they’ve met their quota here,” said Kevin.
The last major change in quotas for kings was an increase from 7.6 million pounds to 10.6 million pounds in the mid-1990s. Kevin said the commercial sector has caught its portion of the quota almost every year. However, recreational fishermen have left about 2 million pounds of their quota in the water each year. He said over time this would allow greater numbers of older fish to accumulate.
Another factor in the Gulf right now is the strict regulation and short season for red snapper. Kevin said charter bottom-fishing boats are being forced to branch out from their regular species to keep customers happy. Kings have become more of a target.
Capt. Al Keahl, owner of Fish Trap Charters, said his technique is what put two record kings in his boats. While many boats fish live baits on freelines while bottom fishing, Capt. Al said his method of freelining catches kings heavier than 40 pounds almost regularly. That’s a claim even tournament kingfishermen would be proud to make.
“It’s bait and the method of fishing. Remember, everybody else out there is fishing deep drops or they’re fast trolling where they can pick up a wahoo or a big king,” he said. “We’re not doing this by accident. We’re targeting these fish, and it’s working.”
The first step is bait. You can catch a tank full of pinfish at the dock before you head out, but that’s not what the big kingfish are looking for, according to Al. Matt’s fish was caught on an 8-inch white snapper (red porgy) which is what the anglers were catching that day. Repeatedly hauling panicking fish up from the bottom draws predators.
“They set off all the impulses that this king reads as food,” said Al. “He wants to come in and grab these fish. We’ve actually called him in. Not chummed him in, called him in. Now the thing is to take the same kind of fish we are bringing up into the boat and put that fish back out there in his territory in an injured state so that he thinks he’s just won the lotto.”
But the kingfish will not come to the boat. Al said they circle 50 to 100 feet out looking for an easy meal. An 8- to 10-inch whitey struggling near the top of the water column is exactly what a big king is looking for. Al hooks the baitfish through the upper lip and fishes it on a modified Carolina rig with a mainline of 40-lb. test mono, a 3/4-oz. egg sinker, a barrel swivel, 3 feet of wire leader and a 7/0 circle hook.
“That sinker will just make him struggle a little and put a little bit of panic in the water,” said Al.
The rig covers water progressively deeper as the baitfish fights against the pull of the line and gradually loses strength. Al is sure the technique and his locations are the ticket. It’s no surprise he declined to get so specific with his locations.
Matt’s state record must pass an approval process before becoming official.
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