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Traveling King Fisherman
Terry Lacoss
During that very first kingfish run, North Carolina’s Bob Johnson knew he was hooked on king mackerel fishing!
During a drift-fishing trip off of Jacksonville, Florida, Bob Johnson noticed striking fish were feeding off from the transom of Captain Jimmy Gavin’s King Neptune party fishing boat.
“That evening I stopped by Mayport’s B & M Bait and Tackle and purchased a live bait rod and reel,” Johnson said. “The following morning I boarded the King Neptune and could not wait to reach the offshore fishing grounds. The same moment that captain Jimmy Gavin announced to drop the baits down, I was free lining a dead cigar minnow off from the transom and over a deep water ledge.”
“Suddenly my drag was literally screaming as a big king mackerel began spending 20-pound mono fishing line from my live bait reel. From that first speedy run, I knew right then that I was hooked on king mackerel fishing!”
Bob Johnson lives in Leibester, North Carolina, which is a fairly small community located close to Ashville, with his wife, Lisa. However, most of his king mackerel adventures take place in Northeast Florida where he teams up with SKA captain, David Vining on the famed kingfish boat rightfully named Total Package. In early 2000, Vining had to put aside competitive king mackerel, devoting all of his time to his growing business.
This prompted Bob Johnson to purchase his own kingfish boat, a 22-foot Stratos and team up with Total Package kingfish team member, Keith Lane.
When it came time to name his kingfish boat, Johnson had no hesitation in naming his kingfish boat, Traveller.
“My wife, Lisa, is a distant relative to General Robert E. Lee, Johnson said. “General Lee was very partial to his horse, called Traveller, who took the general into battle on many occasions. Needless to say their journeys together in perilous times formed a close bond between man and horse. I figured if General Lee’s horse could find a safe way home through those trying times, I needed to name my kingfish boat “Traveller”!
Keith Lane and Bob Johnson competed in the Southern Kingfish Association’s Division 5 and didn’t take too long to qualify for the 2001 SKA National Championship. Although all of Division 5’s tournaments are held during the summer months, when king fishing is red hot along the beaches of Northeast Florida and a traditional west wind creates calm kingfish waters, team Traveller would soon experience a different style of king fishing at Fort Pierce, Florida.
“Keith and me found the seas extremely rough during the two day tournament with winds blowing from 20 to 25 knots both days,” Johnson remembers. “During the first day of the tournament, most of the kingfish fleet ran south. I believe we were the only boat that ran north to a popular kingfish destination called Bethel Shoals. The 15-mile run was extremely difficult in our small 22-foot boat. The only way I could navigate the heavy seas was to head into the seas at an angle. Unlike much larger kingfish boats that can take the seas head on, I had to do a lot of tacking. And at times, we would ride the tops of waves just like a surfer.”
Once the Traveller arrived at Bethel Shoals, they found the water was extremely dirty and decided to head farther offshore to find a tournament king mackerel.
“Keith and me hadn’t run too far before we found a good live bottom and once again put out a spread of kingfish baits,” Bob said. “We began marking schools of baitfish over the hard bottom and, with the clear water conditions, felt that we had a good chance in finding a tournament grade king mackerel.”
The Traveller went to war with a 25-pound kingfish and made the tournament scales on time. During the second and final day of the tournament, Traveller once again made the long, tedious rough water ride to the same area and returned with a second king mackerel in the 20-pound class.
“We placed fourth during the tournament while king mackerel fishing was extremely difficult,” Johnson said. “That’s when I knew I had picked the right name for my kingfish boat, Traveller.”
Johnson later purchased a 17-foot Boston Whaler when Stratos boat manufacturers went out of business and also named his kingfish boat the Traveller. Johnson and Lane continued to team up together and compete in Florida’s SKA Division 5.
“I really liked Florida’s Division 5 because the tournaments are held during the summer months when winds are light and variable,” Johnson said. “Another key factor is that the main kingfish migration here occurs right along the beaches and inlet mouths where small boats can compete right alongside the larger king mackerel boats.”
Many Southern Kingfish Association small boat competitors refer the small fleet of kingfish boats as the Mosquito Fleet!
“We have everything that a large kingfish boat has, except everything we have is smaller,” Johnson said. “We have a 22-gallon live baitwell which holds up to 22 pogies, or one pogy for every gallon of water. A 500 GPH Rule live baitwell pump is secured to the transom of our kingfish boat and easy to replace when the pump goes bad. Instead of a T-top, we have a small Bimini top that offers shade from the sun and can be stored when the king fishing heats up. However our most important piece of equipment on our Traveller kingfish boat, is our XM satellite weather feature. I always keep an eye on any dangerous weather conditions that may put us in harm's way during our day of king mackerel fishing.”
Johnson also takes a close look at the upcoming weather for any Division 5 kingfish tournament before making a decision to head south from his North Carolina home.
While fishing from a small kingfish boat, we have to take a serious look at the up coming weather in that particular area. A lot of time and money can be spent if the weather turns bad.
“I always put safety first, particularly when I am fishing by myself,” Bob Johnson said.
During the recently held, Division 5’s Nassau Sports Fishing Association’s Tournament of Champions, Bob Johnson once again teamed up with Keith Lane of Yulee, Florida. However during the first day of the tournament, Keith could not fish with his long time kingfish partner, so Bob Johnson fished in the event solo.
“I always wear a self inflatable life jacket when I am fishing by myself,” Johnson explained. “I also use the motor’s kill switch in case I’m thrown down in my boat, or thrown overboard, the outboard motor will cut off.”
During the first day of the SKA sanctioned tournament, Bob Johnson checked out of the St. John’s inlet and ran south to a popular kingfish destination, called the Red Tops.
“Once again I found dirty water and began fishing north at the Southeast Hole," Johnson said. “I boated a ten-pound kingfish and a small Spanish mackerel, then ran further north. I found a good tide line at Nassau Sound and boated two kings weighing to 20 pounds. Figuring the kings were too small to weigh in, I ran back to the St. John’s inlet and put the Traveller back on its trailer.”
During the final day of the tournament, winds shifted to the southeast, creating clear water at the Red tops.
“We learned that there had been a good bite going on just south of the Red Tops, so we figured the kingfish bite would make its way north and take place at the Red Tops as well,” Bob Johnson said.
At 9:30am, a massive king mackerel struck a live pogy fished in the Traveller’s wheel-wash. After a non-typical kingfish fight, a 48.64-pound king mackerel was gaffed and brought aboard the small 17-foot Boston Whaler, powered by Mercury outboard.
Their kingfish catch turned out to be a well traveled catch, inspired by some of America’s deep history in establishing a free country for every race. While a civil war horse called Traveller inspired its fishermen to catch a tournament winning king mackerel and once again make its way into the history books.
Traveller was so loved by General Robert E. Lee, a special grave was made for the warhorse close to his own.
While many kingfish boat names are very unique and have special meanings to their owners, I believe Bob Johnson’s boat name Traveller, is very special.
