Spanish Mackerel Did
you know that Spanish mackerel can reach a length of three feet and weigh up to twenty pounds?
They are smooth bodied with a dark green back and silver on its sides that are speckled with yellow spots.
They have no scales on their pectoral fins. The sharply forked tail is the mark of a fast running fish
that is eager to eat when hungry. This fish is one of the most abundant food-fish caught in Florida.
Large schools of mackerel move into Florida waters from October through March, and constantly please or
frustrate the catchers of this fish.They seem to arrive and then
disappear in the blink of an eye.
Mackerel will strike on live shrimp and live fish. Any combination of silvery shining
spoons such as the Johnson silver minnow, the silver crocodile spoon, and others are effective around
piers when an influx of mackerel hit the spot. Light line and gear with a leader provide immeasurable
pleasure when free-lining your bait and bobber and bringing a fairly large mackerel to your boat. Trolling
off shore with feathers or strips and buck-tails will antagonize the mackerel to strike. There are many ways
to snare these sleek and fast hitters. Remember, the fun goes out the window when you fish for food only. They
spoil fast so keep them iced well after catching.Mackerel are so plentiful when a school arrives that most fishermen forget to keep the sport of catching them in mind and concentrate on how many can be caught. Their average size is up to two pounds at about twenty inches in length. They are an easy fish to fillet and cook. Broiling with your favorite seasoning provides a delectable tastebud pleaser. Incidentally, be a sport and catch what you intend to eat at your next meal. Catching several dozen and freezing them for the future only provides you with a tasteless mess of freezer burned fish, kept so long they have to be thrown away. Remember there is a size limit and legal daily limit. King mackerel is another fish that provides excellent food for the next fish banquet. Get a heavy rig and bait up with a chartreuse bomber (an artificial bait) and a suitable sized planer to catch those giant king mackerel. They will delight you with a fighting ability that can put a belly hickey on your stomach. The king averages twenty pounds and will surprise you when hooking a one-hundred pounder that may be in the neighborhood of six feet long. In 1976 a 90-pounder was caught in Key West, Florida. They have blackish, iridescent, bluish-green, and silvery coloration with no black pigment on the front of the dorsal fin. Their tapered head and streamlined body is without a doubt the shape designed for speed. Young king mackerel have yellowish spots like those of Spanish mackerel. King, Spanish, and Cero mackerel are schooling fish, so be prepared to have a delightful fishing day. They will provide fast and hard strikes to suit all |
