Species › North America · Saltwater › Spanish Mackerel

Saltwater

Spanish Mackerel

Scomberomorus maculatus · Spanish, spotted mackerel, spotted cybium

Water temp
68–81°F
Peak season
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Best light
Daytime
IGFA record
13 lb 0 oz (5.89 kg)
Spanish Mackerel (Fish4436 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg)

Photo: SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC. · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Spanish mackerel are slim, streamlined mackerels with a green-blue back, silver sides scattered with bronze-gold spots and a sharp, toothy mouth. They look like small king mackerel but are separated by the spots, the black-edged front of the first dorsal fin and a lateral line that slopes gently rather than dropping sharply. Most fish run 1–3 lb and 14–20 in, with 5–7 lb fish considered large. They range along the western Atlantic from New England to the Yucatan, most abundantly from the Chesapeake Bay through Florida and across the Gulf of Mexico to Texas.

Spanish mackerel migrate north and inshore each spring as water passes 68°F (20°C), feeding in fast-moving schools on anchovies, glass minnows, menhaden and shrimp along beaches, inlets, piers and nearshore reefs. They attack from below at speed, slicing through small baitfish, and anglers find them under diving birds and surface showers of bait. Fast retrieves, flashy metal and light wire or heavy fluorocarbon leaders are the rule because the teeth shred line. They are the most accessible pelagic fish on the Southeast coast, available to pier, surf and small-boat anglers, and they taste best fresh, grilled or smoked.

Typical size1–3 lb (0.5–1.5 kg); 14–20 in
Trophy5 lb+; 8 lb+ is exceptional
Table fareGood — rich, oily dark meat; excellent fresh or smoked, poor frozen

Where & when

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South Florida holds fish all winter; the migration reaches the Gulf and Carolinas in April–May for a spring peak, fish stay through summer, and the fall run back south in September–October brings the biggest schools and largest fish.

Chesapeake Bay mouth, VASummer trolling off Cape Charles and the CBBTCape Lookout, NCSpring and fall runs along the shoals and beachesPensacola Bay / Gulf piers, FLPier anglers fill coolers in springTampa Bay (Skyway), FLWinter and spring schools around the bridge and shipping channel

How to catch

Casting spoons and jigs to breaking fishRun to diving birds and showering bait, cast a 1/2–1 oz silver spoon or metal jig past the school and retrieve as fast as you can crank. Spanish want speed; if they follow without striking, reel even faster.
Trolling small spoons behind planersPull size 0–1 silver spoons 15–30 ft behind a No. 1 or 2 planer, or behind a 1–2 oz trolling sinker, at 5–7 knots along beaches and channel edges in 15–40 ft. Add a diving plug on a flat line to cover the surface.
Pier fishing with Gotcha plugsFrom Gulf and Atlantic piers, cast a Gotcha-style plug or a straw rig and work it back in fast, sharp jerks. Spanish school around piers at dawn; a 1/0 treble and a short wire leader prevent cutoffs.
Free-lining live bait on the anchorAnchor near a nearshore reef or inlet, chum lightly with glass minnows or ground menhaden and drift live shrimp or small pilchards on a long-shank 1/0 hook with 30–40 lb fluorocarbon. Bigger Spanish often prefer bait to metal.

Gear

Rod7' medium-light to medium spinning, fast action
Reel2500–4000 spinning
Line10–15 lb braid with 30–40 lb fluorocarbon or No. 2–3 single-strand wire leader

Lures

Silver casting spoonsGotcha-style plugsMetal jigsSmall trolling spoons behind planersStraw rigs and tube lures

Baits

Live shrimpGlass minnowsLive pilchards or threadfinsCut menhaden strips

Regulations

Spanish mackerel have a minimum fork length and a generous daily bag limit in federal waters and most Atlantic and Gulf states, with state rules sometimes stricter; a saltwater license is required.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 13 lb 0 oz (5.89 kg) — Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina, November 4, 1987 (Robert Cranton). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

How do you tell a Spanish mackerel from a small king mackerel?

Look at the front dorsal fin and the lateral line. A Spanish mackerel's first dorsal has a black patch at the front and its lateral line curves gently down toward the tail; a king's first dorsal is uniformly gray and its lateral line takes a sharp dip under the second dorsal. Juvenile kings can have faint spots, so do not rely on spots alone.

Do you need a wire leader for Spanish mackerel?

Not always. Light single-strand wire stops cutoffs but reduces strikes in clear water; many anglers use 30–40 lb fluorocarbon and accept losing a lure now and then. A long-shank hook or a long-bodied lure also keeps the line away from the teeth.

Bite forecast — Spanish Mackerel

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Spanish Mackerel.

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