Spanish Mackerel: An Underrated Fish

I’m not a patient man by nature.   Rarely will I sit in a deer stand longer than three hours.  I despise flipping and pitching for bass all day long hoping for five or so bites.  Lack of patienience has inhibited my ability to throw a fly rod as well as I could, or become a better bow hunter.  I have enormous respect for those who can do these things, and know that my inability to do so surely results on missed opportunities.  I’ve learned though that to be a good outdoorsman it must remain enjoyable.  Call me a simpleton, but I like action. 

Being the man of action I am I find spanish mackerel to be an underrated game fish.  Spanish lack the brutishness of their cousin king mackerel, the beauty of a speckled trout, and the prestige of the bone fish.  They run in huge schools and some may not find them to enough of a challenge.  I’ve even heard people complain about their meat too, which I find ridiculous. 

 

The key to the fun of catching spanish lies in how its done.  Spanish are often found running the beaches just offshore.  Mexico Beach, Florida is a great place to find them once the water warms up in the spring.  The fish will cruise just past a sand bar where the water depth changes chasing bait.  Now catching them while trolling with big rods designed for king fish is admittedly like squirrel hunting with a deer rifle. However, trolling remains a great way to locate them. 

 

Once the fish are found I like to cut the motor and break out my flats gear.  Usually, this is a medium-light spinning outfit with a silver spoon attached with a wire leader.  Spanish have razor blades for teeth that cut straight through mono or braid.   Gotcha plugs and silver rattletraps work as well.  Generally fishing for them this way results in dozens of catches, and on light gear this is an awful good time.  Spanish are long slender fish built for speed, and bigger ones will take line from the unprepared angler. 

Those who complain about the taste of the fish clearly have never had it smoked and turned into dip.  I could eat a gallon of the stuff.  Spanish are great fried too, but don’t freeze them too long.  Spanish are easy to clean, and really there is nothing not to like. 

I respect and sometimes envy those always forward reaching folks that go from one challenge to the next, always searching  to accomplish something rare.  Call me lazy, but I’m just not the sort that’s going to pass up a good time that’s sitting right in front of me.  Spanish are easy to find, easy to catch, fight hard, and taste great.  For those reasons I will always believe that they are truly a great game fish.