For a successful Spanish mackerel fishing trip, start by locating where they are; you can easily spot them via diving birds. Next, string up around 28 feathers to act as a rig. Use live baits or lures such as minnow spoons, Gotcha, and plastics with jig heads. After placing your lure, slowly throw about three feathers into the water, lower your line, and let it go down. Stop it and repeat this process as you gently jiggle the feathers. Remember to widen your reel slowly to remove these finicky feeders when your rod tip jiggles. To clean a Spanish mackerel, cut it behind the head down the spine to remove the entrails. Next, flip the knife and cut along the backbone to the tail, and then slide the knife under the tips to remove all the bones surrounding the belly. Clean it using clean water to wipe the blood and dirt.
Spanish mackerel are loved by many because they are delicious when cooked fresh. Here is a complete guide for beginners who want to fish and prepare Spanish mackerel.
Overview
Spanish Mackerel is a broad term. There are over 18 species in the genus Scomberomorus. Some types stick only to the Atlantic Ocean, and a few stick to the Pacific.
Note: This article will have some generalizations on the different types, but I hope to break them out individually into their guides in the future.
Let’s get fishing for Spanish mackerel!
Spanish Mackerel Facts
| Common Name | Spanish Mackerel |
| Scientific Name (Genus and Species) | Scomberomorus maculatus (Atlantic Spanish mackerel) There are 18 subspecies of mackerel that we’ll be generalizing in this fishing and cooking guide. |
| Family | Scombridae |
| Identifying Characteristics | These are streamlined fish with a dark green or blue back. Their bellies have a silver color. You’ll notice a dark spot on their upper gill over, and they will have projecting scales on their lateral line. |
| Spanish Mackerel Habitat | The Spanish Mackerel is a coastal pelagic fish that lives in coastal open waters. You can find them in the Atlantic Ocean and a few in the Pacific. |
| Depth Range | They stick to water at around 68 degrees. |
| Fishing Information | Spanish mackerels are schooling fish popular with recreational anglers fishing around piers. They love to cluster around rock formations along with the sheephead. |
| Size | Spanish mackerel have been known to reach 32 inches. They grow fast while young, but after their first year, their growing process slows down. At one year old, they are around 8 inches, and at four years old, they are about 14 inches. |
| Lifespan | Atlantic Spanish Mackerel can live up to 12 years. |
For more information about Spanish mackerel, check out the Environmental Defense Fund.
Spanish Mackerel Fishing Techniques & Tips
Well, it’s easy. You go up and down with the line of feathers.
But there are a few little spanish mackerel fishing tips and tricks that make life easier for you, but they might even catch you a few other fish, like the California sheepshead that loves to stay around rocky formations and the Spanish Mackerel.
From fly fishing with a fly rod to boat fishing for Spanish mackerel, here are tips to help you catch more of this underrated game fish.
How to Catch More Spanish Mackerel
To catch Spanish mackerel, you need to find diving birds. Bird activity on the top of the water is an excellent indicator to get an idea of where they are. The birds eat the smaller bait fish shoals that the Spanish mackerel will target from below.
Generally, the birds will be feeding in the morning. You might come out with your boat and see them sitting on the surface. There’s still a chance that there are Spanish mackerel under them. One way of doing it is by drifting.
Spanish Mackerel Rig
Commercial mackerel anglers string up around 28 feathers on their line. You won’t need to go that extreme, but having a few feathers on your line will help you land a few simultaneously.
Word of caution, always knows who’s around you on the boat. More accidents are happening with mackerel feathers than with any other hook type. For gear, pretty much any light to heavy outfit will work, depending on how much you want to fight with the fish.
Spanish Mackerel Fishing Lures
Spanish mackerel aren’t picky and will go for whatever fishing lures or baits you’re using for other fish. But when it comes to live bait, the best ones to use are live shrimps and live bait fish, especially small bait fish.
As for artificial lures, Gotcha, minnow spoons, and plastics with jig heads make the best option.
Make sure you keep everything nice and tight.
You could cast out your feathers, but please know that it’s dangerous on a charter boat full of anger. Unless you’re by yourself, I wouldn’t recommend it.
You’ll have a weight on the bottom with your feathers above. Throw on three to five feathers, lower them into the water, and let the current take them.
You don’t want to drop them down fast; drop them down slowly and in segments. Let it go down a bit and stop it; you’ll land a bite with some time.
You don’t ever see bait fish zooming up and down in six-foot darts. Therefore, treat these feathers with the exact movements of small wounded bait fish because that’s what the mackerel will be feeding on.
I found that a good tip to catch Spanish mackerel. While everyone is busy sweeping down, you’ll want to work it slowly. You’ll end up catching Spanish mackerel more than the active anglers fishing.
Look Across the Water Column
Spanish mackerel are in different areas of the water column. Lower your line and let it go down. Stop it. Do this over and over again in six-foot intervals. Drop it down. Stop it.
Jiggle the feathers on the line a bit. Don’t bother with big sweeps up and down because you know you’ll not get those finicky feeders. They’re not all stupid.
You’ve got a fish on when you see the rod tip jiggling. Some people will wind up right away. I prefer to wind it up slowly. Don’t leave it down there.
You will get the most horrendous tangle of three or four mackerel all swimming around, and your days of feathering will be over for that day. Wind them in with a nice, smooth motion.
If they fall off, do not worry, there are plenty more where they came from.
Fishing For Spanish Mackerel From a Boat
When the Spanish mackerel are on the boat or ocean fishing kayak, don’t immediately grab the fish by hand. They’re kicking and struggling, and below are one or two other feathers that will likely snag your hand.
The proper way when fishing for Spanish Mackerel from a boat to get the fish is by grabbing the lead so they’re hanging horizontally, like a clothesline. Then as you lower them over your fish box, keeping everything nice and tight, you can either take them off by hand or turn the hook upside-down depending on the size of the barb.
You should be able to flick them off. This way, you don’t get all the slime and scales all over your nice rod handle.
Using a Chum Bag
If you have a chum bag, use it to keep the mackerel close to the boat. Let the feathers down in six-foot increments. Drop, stop, wait, drop, stop, wait, and repeat until you cover the whole water column and catch Spanish mackerel.
When you hit bottom, come off at about five or six turns, and then you can work it back up as you did going down.
If you’re on a charter boat with a good skipper, they’ll tell you what depth to drop them. If another guy is catching all the mackerel on the boat, ask him what water level he’s at and check what feather he’s using. You might want to change the color feathers, what weight he’s using, the number of feathers, etc.
Fishing for Spanish Mackerel at Tide
When fishing for Spanish Mackerel at the tide, use a long lead because you want to put it out and leave the rod in the holder; a long lead will keep whipping around in the current. You want a lead that will move your line up and down. Don’t bother with a ball or bomb-shaped lead. Those weights go straight down and do nothing to attract your fish.
Shinning Up Your Lead
A tip to help attract fish is to use the inside edge of the knife to scrape the lead shiny. Make sure you’re aware of the lead bits flying around, and do your best not to let them go in the water.
After scraping, it might take another day to sharpen your knife, but use a dull edge if you have one instead of a good bait knife. That should last you the day.
Better yet, wrap the lead in a shiny adhesive plastic or aluminum tape so that you don’t pollute the water with the lead filings.
Drifting for Spanish Mackerel
Now, out on a boat, use a bigger lead if you’re drifting and in deep water. If the skipper or the other people start catching deep, you can fire that lead down fast. You’ll hook one of the Spanish mackerel on the way down. It will stop the lead going through, and all mackerels will see the hooked one and think it’s time to eat and attack your feathers.
They say if you’re going to use a Spanish mackerel for life, touch it with a wet towel or wet hands. It’s best not to handle it at all.
If eating them or as regular cut bates, then take them off by hand. Remember that your hand will have slime and tiny scales that will get everywhere.
How to Clean Spanish Mackerel
Some people don’t realize that this is an easy fish to clean.
Here’s how to do it:
- Cut behind the head down to the spine.
- Flip the knife and slide it along the backbone to the tail.
- Remember, the skin is delicate and will come right off after being cooked. You can take the skin off, but it’s not always worth the trouble.
- Flip the fish over and do the same on the other side.
- Now you have two Spanish mackerel fillets.
- Slide the knife under the rips to remove the bones surrounding the belly.
- Run your finger down the center of the fillet and feel where the bones are. Run your knife along both sides through the skin.
- Remove those bones.
- You have a fillet ready to cook.
Note: for bigger mackerels, run your knife down the backbone a few times like you would a kelp bass or other fish. While holding the meat away from the backbone, do the rest of the steps above.
You can just take the fillet off starting with step 1 above when you do the second side since the fish is flat on the cutting surface.
Spanish Mackerel Recipe
Did you bag a few fish for a meal? The simplest way to cook Spanish mackerel is to do it on the grill, sauteed in butter and garlic.
- Saute the fillets in butter and garlic. Add some salt to taste.
- Get the grill nice and hot.
- Put the fillet on the grill, skin side down.
- Place a piece of aluminum foil over the top to keep them nice and warm throughout the meat.
- After 4-5 minutes, remove the cooked piece of mackerel. The skin should stick to the grill, and the meat should be ready to eat.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Spanish mackerel has a black spot on its first dorsal fin, which is not present in king mackerel. But the king mackerel features a pronounced dip in the lateral line below its second dorsal fin.
The meat has a firm texture that flakes off into small chunks when cooked, but it has a very mild flavor with a slight tone of acidity and oil.
Insider Advice
Spanish mackerel have higher levels of mercury than their cousins, the Atka mackerel and Atlantic mackerel. If you choose to eat them, do so sparingly.
It’s great to see that their populations have been rebounding, and if it weren’t for their high concentration of mercury, these fish would be perfect table fare on the regular.
Founder & Angler 
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