It was a day of unexpected surprise for Capt. Billy Miller and crew, but the grand event can be traced back to a methodically calculated tactic. In a word: duster. More on that in a moment. Miller, his father Capt. Bill Miller, first mate Jason Beyer and guest angler Brad Whery had been slow trolling live baits for kingfish between markers 1 and 2 at the seaward end of the Egmont Ship Channel, which links Gulf of Mexico shipping lanes with Tampa Bay. Mid-October is the early edge for the central Gulf Coast’s fall king run, so the morning began slowly.

The …read more