Favorite King Bait

[bluerunner]

Since King season has officially arrived, what is your favorite bait for Kings?

[Smoothbore54]

Spot

[Drumdum]

as well as spainish,sandperch,mullet,and the "trusty" spot that Smoothbore posted.. Voted (Menhaden or Bunker),depending on the kings mood,he'll any of those. Folks tell me they have used ribonfish for bait,never tried that one,but I'm sure it works great with all the flash.. Always prefered the smaller baits,seemed as though you could get a hook in the king better that way..
PS Great idea for a poll. Seen polls for favorite drum bait,but kings can be even more interesting when it comes to being finiky about baits,especially in clear water with other rigs around.. ;)

[Digger]

I randomed the Bluefish just because. Actually for tight bait days. I will use any of the ones listed including Smoothbores Spot. But Ribbonfish has to be my highest % bait(I think I got 2 kings on them and I did not get them very often).

DD I think on the smaller bait they are more likley to eat on the 1st pass vs slash the bait.

[Bonito6t9]

I went with the bunker b/c ive had the most luck off that, the only bad thing about it is it doesnt last aslong as blue does... so a close second would be a bluefish, just b/c it stays alive so long....tightlines



Fred

[nmb surffisher]

pinfish are readily avialible and really hardy, tend to stay frisky and alive.

[Rodwatcher]

Way back yonder when I did kingfish, the best bait of all (but they were hard to comeby) was a cigar minnow, I know there is a correct name for it but I don't know what it is, thinks they are in the mackeral family. A king would fly on that bait in a minute, then we used threadfin herring too, caught them jigging with gold hooks, then the next bait was menhaden, and then a small bluefish, but have fished with two pounders too....Menhaden and bluefish were used the most...those pinfish if you could get a big one was a good tarpon bait also...

[kingfisherman23]

I've heard of all kinds of bait used for kings and some pretty amazing stories (David Lee caught a 36# king, I think, on a grass shad) but I read in Coastal Fishing in the Carolinas that according to analysis of a king's stomach contents, the breakup of a king's diet is 72% menhaden, 15% blue, 3% grass shad and 10% everything else. (Ithink these are the correct %'s, but I cannot find my book so I can't verify them but I do know that menhaden was way above everything else.) So I'm voting for menhaden.

Evan

[FirstShot]

The #1 king bait off the piers down here in the gulf (Fl. panhandle) is the cigar minnow, but baby bonito(false albacore in NC) up to 10" or so either freelined or snobbled will absolutely not be turned down by a king.