As a North Carolina native. Mike started his fishing experiences on small freshwater ponds when he was about 7 years old.  Around the age of 11 he started fishing the ‘Big Salt’, mainly from piers. His first efforts on the pier were mostly bottom and bobber fishing but then he began to notice others bringing in much bigger catches. After he watched anglers on the Cherry Grove pier bringing in 32 to 35-pound King Mackerel, he knew that he had to step up his game. He says that learning the craft of fishing is a never-ending process that takes more than a lifetime because there are always new techniques and equipment. He recalls asking others for bits and pieces of advice which they were usually happy to provide. In particular, he remembers Kenny Underwood that was always willing to share his wealth of fishing lore with him and many others. Mike credits Underwood for developing the technique of using floats.  Certainly, ‘Pier Fishing’ seems to be a communal-social experience that differs uniquely from other types of angling endeavors.

Mike says that fishing for Kings’ is not for the anxious, timid, or those without a great deal of patience but that the rewards are worth the wait! Like all of the ‘honest’ fisherfolk, you sometimes go home skunked. Mike confessed that on a bad run it might be an 8 to 10-day stretch without a sizable catch. But once you do get on a nice-sized King, you are in for a 15 to 30-minute battle. A hooked King, he says, will usually take go straight away from you. A big one can take out as much as 400 yards of line before turning and charging back – challenging you to take up slack and keep a tight line. The only thing to worry about after tiring the fish and bringing it to the net, is to hope that a hungry shark hasn’t followed it to the pier! So, King fishing requires both patience and luck. Mike’s largest King was a 38-pound brute that he landed off the Sunset Beach Fishing Pier in 2017!

When asked about his gear and terminal tackle, Mike said that he uses a 5’ 6”-ft Star rod with a Penn Fathom reel, spooled with about 450 yards of 50-lb braid. That’s a nice reel with a 4.3:1 gear ratio!  A 60-lb wire leader ends with double #4 treble hooks. Live bait is a must for Kings and he harvests his own array of small bluefish, spots or pin fish while he waits for the big one!

Mike has done well recently and has filets from three mackerel in his freezer. I asked him about his culinary preferences. He likes to filet the fish after cutting out the lateral line and removing the skin. Best cooked, he says, with a selection of marinades and grilled! Hmm, sounds delicious! Mike’s “Bucket List” includes catching a 30 to 40-lb cobia. Perhaps by sight casting with surface lures on a guided trip. Maybe a good goal for late April through June, or until the King Mackerel season heats up!

Mike fishes for Kings as many as 5 days a week June through October, with some time off in August when it is too hot and humid. But you might see him on the bridges at Vereen Park in Calabash or The River Walk in Shallotte. Wherever you find him, he is always most noticeable in his well-worn, floppy wide-brimmed hat. And he is always ready to take time out for a chat or to trade advice and fish stories.