Atlantic Spanish Mackerel



Posted: Sunday, December 13, 2009

by James Swift
http://www.saltwaterfishing247.com

Scomberomorus maculates or the Atlantic Spanish Mackerel is usually called Spanish mackerel. These fish live in the Atlantic Ocean, typically more on the western seaboard where the water tends to be warmer. They have been found as far north as the ocean waters of Massachusetts and as far south as the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.  Basic survival governs this fish's migratory pattern. They go where the best chance is for survival. This means that they look for areas where the water is warm enough for them, where food is abundant and where they can easily breed.  In the fall and other cooler times of year, this fish will be found in the warmer waters of Florida while in the warmer weather they can be found primarily in the Gulf of Mexico.

Easily recognizable, the Spanish mackerel has yellow/gold spots on all sides of the body.   Unlike other breeds they lack stripes however.  The spots do appear to be rows when you look at this fish. They also have a distinctive silver body although their back is nearly always a shade of blue.  All of the fins that are found on the Spanish mackerel are triangular and the secondary dorsal fin is tipped in blue.  Because of the unusual shape of the fins, these fish tend to look devilish.

Typically classified as a bottom dweller, you can normally find Atlantic Spanish mackerel near sandy shores in fairly shallow water. There is an exception to this however – while they normally prefer depths of about 20-40 feet, they will move to waters as much as 80 feet deep to take shelter from the cold.  This is a result of the colder water surface temperatures forcing this species into deeper waters in colder weather as this is where the food they survive on lives in colder temperatures.

The Atlantic Spanish Mackerel is a carnivore, preferring squid, shrimp and smaller fish as their meal of choice.  The male of the species is smaller than their female counterpart. While the male will typically grow no more than 19 inches in length, the female can be upwards of 33 inches.  Both typically weigh-in about the same at eleven pounds. The breeding and spawning takes place typically May through September and the preferred spawning grounds are around the shores of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico due to the warmer waters.

The Atlantic Spanish Mackerel is a popular gaming fish. One reason for this is that they are great fighters making them fun to catch.  The typical techniques for catching this fish are through the user of live baits. While jigs are the most popular bait, you'll find other fishermen using feather lures and spoons which are just as effective.  Using live bait including minnows and shrimp can help stir up some action.  Novice fishermen are almost always surprised by the bite and fight of this fish.  Spanish mackerel is plentiful making this gaming fish very popular.  In spite of its popularity, the Spanish Mackerel unlike other species are not likely to be an endangered population any time soon.


James Swift is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys writing informative and educational articles on fishing. He has writen a wide variety of articles on the web including information on fishing reels such ad Penn 975, Penn 209 and Daiwa SLD30.
This Article has been viewed 164 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.