KINGFISH produce, at times, incredible topwater scenes and the heart in your mouth surges of a locked-up drag only adds to the exhilaration of the initial strike. To me, kingfish are formidable opponents on spin tackle. It is often said for good reason that, pound-for-pound, there are few, if any, fish in the sea more powerful.
The reasons for using surface lures over other presentations are quite varied, but most anglers will use them when they can, because a strike on the surface from a fired up fish is very exciting. However, surface lures are undeniably effective in their own right. When you can actually see an interested fish that’s not yet prepared to strike, you can often influence or manipulate that fish’s behaviour and turn curiosity into voracity.
Kingfish are opportunistic feeders and eat various preys throughout the year. Inshore, it’s often top layer baitfish and squid, which can often be seen fleeing from kingfish on the surface of the water. With that in mind, surface lures make perfect sense. Surface lures also create a lot of commotion and will quite often pique the interest of naturally inquisitive kingfish.
There are several different types of surface lures that are effective for kings and having a sound knowledge of stickbaits, poppers and skipping "pencils" will pay dividends. Different lures allow
