Are you new to sportfishing and you want to catch one of the most common fish to hunt? Then Spanish Mackerels are the fish for you! Spanish Mackerels are one of the most sought after game fish because of their fighting abilities, lightning-fast maneuvering skills, and their tasty meat and texture. Read on to find out how you can catch Spanish Mackerels and enjoy every bit of your catch!
Getting to Know Spanish Mackerels
Spanish Mackerels are a migratory species of mackerels just like their near-cousin king mackerels. Spanish Mackerels are commonly found in shallow waters as they enjoy sand bottom depths of 10-40 feet deep, but some can be found as deep as 80 feet. This fish has a greenish back and silvery sides and belly and is covered in a jacket of very tiny scales. It is known to have yellow or olive green oval spots in their bodies. The Spanish Mackerel can be distinguished from their near-cousins, king mackerels, by taking note of their size since Spanish Mackerels are smaller than king mackerels. This fish is known to grow up to 13 pounds and can live up to 12 years. Female Spanish Mackerels are capable of laying 500,000 to 1.5 million eggs in their spawning season, so rest assured that the waters have plenty of Spanish Mackerel populations.
Where and When to Catch Spanish Mackerels
The best time to catch Spanish mackerel offshore fishing Virginia Beach is between the months of June and October. It is during these months that waters are the best, so take advantage of this time period to catch Spanish mackerels. They are commonly seen in wrecks, just like the majority of game fishes so the perfect place to find this fish is through the lower Chesapeake Bay and other places such as York Spit Light, Cape Henry, and its surrounding waters with wrecks and reefs. Visit this link to book an inshore Spanish mackerel fishing trip!
Best Method to Catch Spanish Mackerels
Spanish mackerels can be caught with a variety of methods but the most common and often most effective way to catch these darlings is to troll them by casting spoons, jigs, and using live-baits. Spanish mackerels love live-baits such as pilchards, threadfin herring, blue runners, and menhaden. Just take note that this fish is a fighter and traverses the water at lightning-fast speeds so you might want to bring durable and efficient fishing equipment and catch this pretty fish and always take note of the spots they’re commonly found so you can easily catch this fish.
Enjoying your Catch
One of the most famous facts surrounding Spanish mackerels and basically any other mackerel is their tasty flesh. So if you’re about to catch a Spanish mackerel, make sure to enjoy your catch by prepping a good dish from a Spanish mackerel’s meat! First off, prepare your Spanish mackerel by cutting behind the head and down to its spine, then proceed to cut off bones and you can have a fresh Spanish mackerel fillet! Just take note that the Spanish mackerel contains higher mercury levels than their other mackerel cousins, so consume this fish moderately. Overall, you can grill, fry, and smoke your Spanish mackerel and experiment with different spices and condiments to further improve your dish’s taste and fully enjoy your catch!
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