FishermansPost

FishermansPost.com &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; April 12, , 2007 &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; page 33

KMT Journals

by Mark Henderson

= sponsored b= y: &= nbsp;

GETTING PREPARED FOR TOURNAMENT TIME

April showers bring May flower= s… and with it, king mack= erel tournament preparation! As the seasons change, Spring Fever be= comes an epidemic. For most fisherm= en on our pristine coast, a little Saltwater Therapy is the most customary cure.<= o:p>

Daylight savings time has arrived, and as water temperat= ures rise, the enthusiasm that drives so many dedicated king mackerel tournament teams has returned.

Last month we discussed some of the reasons that king mackerel fishing teams subject themselves to the rigors and frustrations of tournament fishing. The unquenchable human desire to tame a wild creature in an uncontrollable natu= ral resource seems to be the basis for most of the time and money we spend on t= he water.

In order for tournament teams to gain an advantage while chasing these fantastic creatures, much of the past few months was spent disassembling, cleaning and servicing our tournament equipment, tying rigs, sharpening gaffs, fixing broken boat components, discussing strategy for the upcoming season, and chatting on fishing websites. Basically, we got pretty darned bo= red!

Actually, it was a valuable time for our team. After a year of fishing hard and t= aking a beating in some of the inclement weather that we have to fish, it is a go= od time for reflection, preparation, and recuperation.

Since most tournament king mackerel teams “slow troll” with live bait, having a properly prepared “rig” is imperative. These rigs are generally made out of some type of wire leader material (Terminator Titaniu= m, single strand, or stranded); Gamakatsu or VMC treble and / or live bait hoo= ks, and a small SPRO barrel swivel. The sizes of the materials that make up rigs are left to the preference of the individual team members. Most tournament teams manufacture their own rigs; however, there are some pre-fabricated rigs on the market that are available and can save you quite= a bit of time.

There are a couple of schools of thought about tying live bait rigs. Some teams wait un= til they catch their bait the morning of the tournament, while other teams tie = rigs in advance. On the coast of <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">North Carolina, = the most plentiful and easy to find bait is menhaden; aka pogy or bunker. These popular, oily, golden shad generally travel in schools of fish similar in size. They range from “peanut̶= 1; size, about three inches, up to the sought after “turbo,” which= is an eight to 12 inch bait. The= se flashy, smelly critters are like gold to king mackerel fishermen.

Back to tying rigs.&nbs= p; The advantage of manufacturing rigs after catching bait is that the stinger hook can be made to the exact length needed for the bait caught that day. After placing the “= ;nose hook” through the bait’s nostril area, one of the hooks on the stinger treble is either placed in the pogy’s skin just forward of the tail or left free to “swing.”&= nbsp; The other thought process is to have several different size rigs alr= eady tied. Therefore, once a team catches bait, it can immediately begin fishing after arriving at the target= ed location of our often times obscure friend.

In addition to rig tying, our time is spent servicing equipment. We most often use = some brand of high speed (5.0:1 and higher retrieve ratio) conventional reel wit= h an outgoing alarm (clicker) that allows line to be pulled off freely by a spee= dy king. The importance of the f= ast retrieve is in case the fish turns and comes back to the boat as quickly as= it left. These fish are fought w= ith only about three to five pounds of drag; therefore, torque is not as import= ant as speed when slow trolling.

During a tournament, the fish are allowed to run as much line off the reel as they want so that they become tired and more readily s= uicidal. In theory, this is supposed to lea= d to the ultimate goal of “putting a fish in the box” to take to the scale. However, sometimes the= ory just does not hold true in fishing. In this case, you hope that the maintenance you performed during the= winter months by replacing drag washers, cleaning out any salt deposits, and apply= ing new grease to the gears will be good enough to withstand a longer fight than anticipated.

Finally, a tournament team’s boat often times may = need some attention that it does not get during tournament season. In 2006, the Liquid Fire Fishing T= eam and I fished 19 tournaments in a six-month period. I am fortunate that we have a 10-m= ember team, and each person contributes to preparation during the week. However, many teams do not share t= his luxury, and it is difficult to pay attention to every loose screw or scratch that a boat may suffer. So the winter months can be used to take the boat to its favorite maintenance and repair facility for a facelift. Many tournament anglers are capable, and do their own maintenance and repairs. The assurance = that a team’s equipment is in top notch condition is critical to fishing with confidence.

So as tournament season begins, realize that many hours during the “off season” were spent in preparation for an exciti= ng opportunity to have the privilege of chasing the elusive “smoker̶= 1; king mackerel. Until next time…

Mark Henderson is the captain of the Cape Carteret, NC-ba= sed Liquid Fire Fishing Team sponsored by TICA Fishing Tackle, SPRO / Gamakatsu= , Terminator Titanium Leader, Stevenson Automot= ive, Berkley, Fairway Restaurant, Andy’s Cheesesteaks & Cheeseburgers = of Swansboro, and James M. Wells, DDS.