Occurs in the western Atlantic north to the
Chesapeake Bay and occasionally to Cape Cod,
Massachusetts, and south to Yucatan, Mexico.
The Spanish mackerel can be distinguished
from both the cero mackerel, Scomberomorus
regalis, and the king mackerel, S. cavalla,
by the presence of bronze or yellow spots
but no stripes, on the sides and by the lack
of scales on the pectoral fins. The cero,
the Spanish mackerel's closest look alike in
the Atlantic, has both spots and stripes of
bronze or yellow on the sides, and the king
mackerel has neither spots nor stripes. Both
the cero and the king mackerel have scales
on the pectoral fins.
The anterior portion of the first dorsal fin
in the Spanish mackerel is black (not true
of the king mackerel), and the second dorsal
fin and pectoral fins may be black tipped.
The body is essentially silvery and
typically mackerel like. The back is bluish.
This is an excellent game fish that can be
taken on a wide variety of lures and baits.
Nylon jigs are considered one of the best
lures, especially when retrieved rapidly
with an occasional jerk of the rod tip to
impact a darting motion to the jig. Feather
lures and spoons are also successful, while
minnows and live shrimp are the best natural
baits. Occasionally almost any lure or bait
will work, while at other times, nothing
will.
Spanish mackerel are a good food fish and
although they are considered large at 10 lb
(4.53 kg) some record specimens will grow to
more than twice that size.
