Spanish Mackerel

Get on out there and get some. The arrival of the Spanish Mackerel brings fun fishing to Jacksonville, Florida.

Now that they have arrived you will see many anglers both Fly Fisherman and Conventional Tackle Fisherman getting their limits of these tasty fish.

Here are some of the tricks for catching your share.

TROLLING:

To troll for these fish you will need the following:

1. Bait Casting style reels.

2. Bait casting rods, from six to seven feet in length, medium to medium heavy action.

3. Spool the reels with 50 pound test PowerPro line.

4. Sea Striker # 1 size planers, one for each rod.

5. A supply of 00 and 0 Clark Spoons, with the red bead.

6. 20 to 40 pound test monofilament leader.

7. 100 and 50 pound test snap swivels (BLACK)

The set-up:

Spool the reels with the PowerPro line, from the line on the reel tie on a 100 pound test snap swivel and clip it to the planer. From the other end of the planer clip on a 50 pound test snap swivel, tie to this 10 to 20 feet of monofilament leader line. To this tie on a Clark Spoon. Repeat this step for each rod you intend on using. I like to troll three rods and have a couple more ready to use if you snag one and lose your rig (this sometimes happens).

 

 

TRICK: paint your planers flat black.

Now that you have your rigs ready, make your way to the jetties on the last of the incoming tide. LOOK FOR THE DIVING BIRDS (terns). They are your friends and will tell you where the fish are. The fish are driving up glass minnows and the birds are feeding on them, so this is generally where the fish are.

Get your boat speed up to about 4 to 6 miles per hour and send out the planer rigs. I like to let out about 50 to 75 feet of line before locking the reel down. When the planers are engaged, the rod will bend pretty good and will be almost impossible to hold for any length of time. Place the rods in the rod holders and troll around the outer edges of the diving birds. When you have a fish on the bend will be gone from the rod and the rod will be jerking and bouncing around. DO NOT troll through the middle of the birds, as you will scatter the fish. If you troll around the edges you should be able to catch plenty of Spanish without sending the fish off in another direction.

Keep in mind, the further that you let the planer out behind the boat the further DOWN the planer goes.

 

FLY CASTING

To be successful with the fly rod you will need the following:

1. A fly rod that you can cast about 75 feet or longer.

2. Extra fast sinking line.

3. 30 pound test monofilament leader.

4. A fly that looks as much like a glass minnow as possible.

If you visit the Orvis web site at Orvis.com you can see pictures of a few of the patterns that work well and they are, Glass Minnow, Bead Eye Charlie, Bearded Charlie, Deep Water Gotcha, Spawning Gotcha, Kirk's Fly Spoon (in silver) and the Cowen's Albie Anchovie. These are just a few of the proven Spanish Mackerel flies. Orvis will sell you the fly or the material to make your own. When you find the fly that you want to tie, click on the picture and you will have a list of the materials needed to tie it yourself.

 

These fish are feeding on GLASS MINNOWS and that is what they want. They are not interested in mullet, shrimp or anything else, they want GLASS MINNOWS. The point that I am trying to get across is tie your flies to look as closely to glass minnows as possible. If you can work with epoxy, this is the way to go.

Again, find the diving birds, ease your boat up close to them and make your cast in the middle of them. Let the fly sink until it reaches about 20 feet deep. Strip the line back to the boat as fast as you can. The fish also gather up along the edges of the jetty rocks and you sometimes can cast along the edges to pick up a few fish.

CASTING CONVENTIONAL TACKLE

The tackle needed:

1. A light spinning outfit with a rod about 7 feet in length, I like the Shakespeare IM7 Intrepid.

2. 10 to 20 pound test PowerPro line on the reel.

3. 00 or 0 Clark Spoons, with the red bead.

4. Thirty to Forty pound test monofilament leader line.

5. Barrel swivels, very small, black.

6. 1/2 ounce trout weights, painted black.

7. Sea Striker Gotcha casting and trolling lures.  

 

Spool the reel with the power pro line, from there tie on a barrel swivel or the trout weight, then to that, tie on about 1 to 3 feet of leader line and to that the spoon. If you are using a Gotcha, you do not need any weight as they come in sizes from 1/4 to one ounce and this is plenty heavy enough to cast a long way.

:

The jetties and inlets are still on fire with an assortment of fish. The drum, sheepshead, spanish, whiting and red fish are biting well at the jetties.

There are a few flounder in the creeks along with trout and reds. There also have been a few Jack Crevalle caught this past week.

The river is holding drum, sheepshead, flounder and whiting. The offshore bottom boats are still catching good numbers of snapper, seabass, vermilion snapper, sharks and amberjacks.

The area around Pacetties and Six Mile Creeks are holding good numbers of specks and bream, with a few bass and reds tossed in.

For those of you looking for a good deal on a fish cooker. Southern Propane located at 2711 Dunn Ave has them on sale, regular $129 now only $99.

Moms and Dads:

Remember mom and dad, spend some time with your sons and daughters taking them fishing and you will not be looking for them come Friday and Saturday nights, as they will be home in bed waiting to go the next day. (I am not just saying this because it sounds good. I MEAN IT, YOU WON'T BE LOOKING FOR THEM.)

Television Fishing Show:

Catch some local fishing action Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm and Sundays at 8:30 am on cable channel 7 in Jacksonville, the Beaches and Clay County.

Good Fishing

Capt. Jim Hammond

jim@hammondfishing.com

www.hammondfishing.com

This report is brought to you by and