Instant bookingDeep Color FishingFree cancellation up to 5 days beforeFrom $325
Sport Fishing South FloridaFree cancellation up to 1 day beforeFrom $450
Instant bookingTuna Wahoo Fishing ChartersFree cancellation up to 1 day beforeFrom $750
King mackerel charters by country
Kings hunt in open water along the coast, often near reefs, wrecks and schools of bait, and they hit at speed, sometimes clearing the water as they take. The biggest fish, which Florida anglers call smokers, can strip a reel on the first run. Their teeth slice through monofilament, so crews rig with a short length of wire. The flesh is dark and rich: good fresh, better smoked, and smoked kingfish dip is a staple on Florida docks.
Both boats here fish the Palm Beach coast, where kings are a regular part of a mixed offshore day.
- Sport Fishing South Florida names king mackerel among its targets and trolls rigged ballyhoo, strip baits and split tail mullet for them, mostly in spring and summer, when the crew does most of its trolling. Private trips for up to 6 leave at 7:00 and run from 3 to 8 hours.
- Tuna Wahoo Fishing Charters runs from Riviera Beach Marina in West Palm Beach on a 31 foot Rampage with Captain Rich Adler, for up to 5 on private trips of 4, 6 or 8 hours from 7:30. The day mixes trolling, reef drifting and kite fishing, and kings are one of the fish that turn up in that spread.
Questions and answers
Short answers to what people ask before they book. Anything else, ask the captain in chat.
Which trip should I book for kingfish off Palm Beach?
A trolling or kite fishing trip with either Palm Beach boat. Sport Fishing South Florida trolls ballyhoo, strip baits and mullet for kings and does most of its trolling in spring and summer. A longer trip gives more time to cover water and find where the kings are feeding.
Is the kingfish in Mauritius the same fish as in Florida?
No. Florida's kingfish is the king mackerel, a western Atlantic fish. Around the Indian Ocean, kingfish usually means the narrow-barred Spanish mackerel, a close relative that looks and fights much the same. Our narrow-barred Spanish mackerel page has a Mauritius boat that lists it, and our Mauritius page gives June to September as the best months for kingfish there.