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Missile attack: Kingfish running wild on Florida's Gulf Coast

Imagine a Tomahawk missile with teeth. And we're not talking about the painted stuff — picture a real set of really sharp dental daggers on a sleek silver frame capable of reaching blinding speeds and inflicting mucho damage.

Got the mental image? Great, that's a king mackerel.

Call 'em kingfish, kings, or even "smokers" when they grow to 30 pounds or better. Just know that these dudes are amped-up, streamlined killers that'll come in hot and put the chomp on just about anything they decide to eat.

Big kings certainly won't make the game easy. You can't just hit the water and hope for the best — bring your A game or don't bother. Story

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Sturgeon fever: An obsession for Loch Lomond's 'Baitman'

For sportsmen who live along the West Coast between Ensenada, Mexico, and Cook Inlet in Alaska, a soul-possessing epidemic has spread. The symptoms are pronounced.

Unspoiled wilderness embraces much of the Homosassa River system.In church, the afflicted can be seen with tide books tucked into hymnals. When the wife asks, "What time is it?" they reply according to next minus tide. As rains begin to fall, those possessed dip shrimp into cups of Starbuck's latte while chanting, "bite," bite."

No it's not, H1N1, these poor souls are suffering from "sturgeon fever." "There is no cure for this malady," counsels Keith Fraser, 72, of San Rafael — except to go sturgeon fishing. Story

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Goliath!: Tangling with goliath grouper on top of bucket list

Back when Keith "Catfish" Sutton was a teenager fishing Arkansas farm ponds and rivers, he started keeping a list of fish he dreamed of catching someday. Call it a "Bucket List."

He crossed of a lot of fish in the past 40 years, and one big target on the list eluded him: the goliath grouper.

Imagine a steer-sized largemouth bass with mottled brown colors and you'll know what this brute looks like. He often saw photos of these big groupers in fishing books and magazines, and most were similar — a goliath grouper hanging above a dock with a triumphant angler standing beside it. The angler always was puny by comparison, a fact that fueled his desire to catch these incredible giants.

He finally did it. Story

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Homer, Alaska: Halibut Capital of the World

HOMER, Alaska — Given the choice, Bob Larkins would love to fish more often. With four kids at home, however, most of his time and money are spoken for.

Every once in a while he interrupts boy scouts, sports and school work and takes his kids fishing, but spending an afternoon untangling lines and baiting hooks is a different kind of fun than fishing trips with buddies.

Like most dads, this 47-year-old North Carolina father secretly aches for the old days when out-of-state fishing trips were a normal part of his annual schedule.

To fit a grand fishing trip into his schedule these days requires a little luck and the blessings of both his wife and boss.

It was a matter of good fortune that allowed him to end a hunt early and visit Homer, Alaska, the Halibut Capital of the World. Story

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