KING MACKEREL BREAKS DELAWARE RECORD
Sometimes, catching a trophy fish is the result of years of experience and meticulous preparation. Sometimes you just get lucky. Jeff Mccoy, who recently set the Delaware state record for king mackerel, is the first to admit his catch falls in the lucky category. “I’ve never caught a king mackerel before,” he laughs.
Kingfish are an unusual catch in Delaware. The state’s fisheries department website lists king mackerel as “uncommon.” The previous state record of 48 pounds, 9 ounces was set in 1992 by Gordon Harris.
When Mccoy set out shark fishing with his family, he never could have predicted how the day would end. “I’ve only been fishing in the ocean for a couple of years,” he says. His in-laws and wife wanted to catch a big fish, so Mccoy decided to try shark fishing.
King mackerel fishing usually involves slow-trolling live baits with light wire and small treble hooks. These sharp-eyed fish are wary of heavy tackle. Pro king mackerel anglers go to great lengths to fool these fish.
Mccoy had none of that. Targeting sharks, he anchored his 25-foot centerconsole Reel Mccoy along a series of shallow shoals within a couple miles of the beach. The crew set out three Penn 50-poundclass combos spooled with 80-pound-test monofilament, a 4-foot, 100-pound wire leader and large, offset circle hooks.
Mccoy was not able to catch live bait, so he was using frozen Boston mackerel. He added a bucket of chum to the spread and set out three baits under balloon floats. “The boat was sitting at a strange angle to the chum slick, so I ran one line through a ‘rigger clip and dropped the bait back.”
The crew settled in to wait for a bite. “The fish hit the bait and took off screaming,” Mccoy recalls. Unfortunately, the reel was in freespool, so the line exploded into a hopeless backlash. “I couldn’t clear the tangle, so I tightened the drag and started lopping the line on top of the bird’s nest.”
The battle raged for 15 minutes. “Even with the drag pinned, the fish was pulling line,” Mccoy says. When the fish made its first pass, he thought it was a wahoo. “I would have never imagined a king mackerel.”
When Mccoy worked the king close to the boat, the fish shot to the bow and tangled the fishing line around the anchor rope. Mccoy’s brother-in-law jumped to the rescue. Instead of cutting the fishing line, he cut the anchor rope, cleared the tangle, and reconnected the anchor rope.
Despite the smoker king’s best tricks, the crew landed the huge fish. Mccoy didn’t have ice on board, so they pulled the anchor and raced 18 miles back to Indian River Inlet.
When Reel Mccoy cruised into Indian River Marina, the docks were quiet. “I pulled it out of the cooler, and the fish cleaners were shocked.”
Out of curiosity, Mccoy decided to weigh the fish. “They told me I crushed the state record.” In short order, representatives of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control were on the scene weighing the fish and helping Mccoy fill out forms. A week later, they approved the record.
As for king mackerel fishing, Mccoy is confident. “We’re not going to change a thing.”