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Outdoors

Spanish invasion

Mighty mackerel offer fierce coastal angling action

By DAVID A. BROWN
Published March 18, 2006

The Spanish invaders are coming. But no need to bar the doors, round up the livestock and hide the valuables. We're not talking about a return of the Conquistadors. Rather, it's mackerel - Spanish mackerel.

Scomberomorus maculatus to those who study fish, this fierce predator patrols area waters in varying supply throughout all but the coldest months. Spring and fall see seasonal aggregations that present the closest thing to legitimate non-stop action the Gulf of Mexico has to offer.

On calm mornings, you'll often find patches of white-water carnage the size of football fields where mackerel ravage pods of baitfish. Birds will often identify your quarry as they hover above the surface, keeping watch over a pack of hunting mackerel. Once the predators drive a school of baitfish topside, the ensuing feast yields abundant scraps for opportunistic seabirds to grab.

The lingering specter of Red Tide recollection remains in the minds of local anglers. Some may question if Spanish and the king mackerel may skirt around the Pinellas/Pasco areas where the scourge hurt inshore environs.

That may very well occur, but nearshore reefs, wrecks and rock piles are likely to turn out good numbers of macks once the bait schools emerge. Further north, into Hernando and Citrus County, Red Tide is of less concern.

When the macks arrive, top fishing options include:

Slow Trolling: Deploy three or four rods with live bait staggered from right behind the prop wash to 100 feet back. Hook baits through the soft cartilage on the nose and pull them as slowly as your boat can idle. If the baits drag too straight or start to spin, hang a couple of sea anchors or ventilated 5-gallon buckets off your midship cleats to slow your pace.

Anchor and Chum: Position uptide from a hard bottom structure and set up a scent trail with concentrated menhaden oil, frozen chum blocks and occasional chunks of cut baitfish. Free-lined live baits will drift along with the chum toward the hot spot. Swarming mackerel typically greet the newly arriving food with instant aggression.

Artificials: The rule of mackerel lures is simple - throw something shiny. Spoons, Gotcha plugs, bright jigs, and crank baits will attract toothy attention. Fly-rodders will find their 8-weight outfits with intermediate line and silver, white or chartreuse streamer flies effective as well. Chum the fish into a frenzy and lay the fly right in the chow line. (Rig a 4-inch piece of light wire to your tippet or you'll donate every fly you throw.)

On the strike, let the mackerel run for a few seconds. Line tension and water drag will ensure that the hooks take a solid bite. Prematurely jerking to "set" the hook usually results in a lost mackerel, so stay calm and start reeling once the fish puts a sustained bend in your rod.

Medium-action 6 to 7-foot spinning outfits with 10 to 12-pound line will handle even the biggest of Spanish mackerel. One to 2-pounders are about average, but zingers of five pounds or more commonly cruise area waters. These fish are mean, fast and smart, so don't get your feelings hurt if a big one takes you to school. You won't be the first or the last.

At any size, macks delight in slashing through thin monofilament, so leaders are imperative. One school of thought says to use 30 or 40-pound fluorocarbon leader as the nearly invisible material yields more hook-ups. At the right angle, even a small mackerel can slice through fluoro, but those who use it prefer to play the averages by attracting more strikes.

Wire leaders will put the brakes on most mackerel by repelling their teeth. In clear water, mackerel often spot wire and shy away. Going light with No. 2 or 3 wire may not produce as many strikes as fluorocarbon, but you usually catch what you hook.

At boatside, handle Spanish mackerel with high caution. Those little choppers can open a nasty gash in a split second, so remove your hardware with a hook plucker or needle nose pliers. Keep your fingers at a safe distance or you'll feel the same thing your bait felt.

However you capture your mackerel, its table quality depends greatly on how you handle and prepare the fish. First step is to cool your catch immediately - preferably in an icy slush. The chilly bath will numb the fish and put it to sleep. This limits the level of enzymes released into the flesh and preserves its food quality.

With larger king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla), steaking the fish by removing the entrails and cutting 2 to 3-inch chunks along the backbone is a fine option. But even a huge Spanish lacks the mass to justify this route.

Clean the mackerel's insides, and then fillet the fish. If you plan to grill your catch, leave the skin intact. Remove it for baking, frying or sauting. Either way, slice out the thin strip of dark red "blood meat" along the fillet's midline. This unpalatable flesh will mar the rest of the meat.

To further lessen a mackerel's inherently strong flavor, marinate the flesh in Italian salad dressing with a few tablespoons of red wine or balsamic vinegar and season to taste. Chill the fish in its marinade for about two hours and proceed with your preferred cooking style.

[Last modified March 18, 2006, 02:45:04]