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Big macks are whoppers

Photo by FRANK SARGEANT

Spanish mackerel are readily caught on jigs, particularly if you add a bit of fresh-cut shrimp to the hook.

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By FRANK SARGEANT

Tribune correspondent

Published: October 11, 2009

There's no sure thing in fishing, of course, but right now one of the nearest things to a certain bite is the teeming schools of Spanish mackerel - mixed with bluefish, jacks and ladyfish - that are mauling baitfish from Dunedin to Boca Grande.

The annual migration of bait from the northern Gulf to the Keys passes our area from about the second week of October through Nov. 15, and the predatory fish are camp followers; they come by the thousands, often turning the water white as they feed at the surface, attracting "bird tornadoes" as dozens of gulls attack from above while the toothy macks attack from below.

All this potential action makes this a good time to introduce children and beginning anglers to what saltwater fishing is all about. You can just about bet on lightning-bolt strikes, screaming drags and plenty of cutoffs, as well as dozens of fish in the boat.

The macks are not only numerous but sizeable. Fish from 16 to 20 inches are the norm, and jumbos in the 2-foot range are not uncommon.

While the best action is available to those in boats, it is possible to catch plenty of mackerel from one of the many coastal piers in our area or even the beach around the larger passes. The fish show up anywhere from about 4-foot depths to several miles offshore, but the most intense action is often right inside the passes, frequently just after sunrise and just before sunset - but it can be at any time of day.

The easy way to find the fish is to get on the water at dawn and look for diving birds; casting under them is instant fish. But it's also possible to stir up action by anchoring on the outside edge of the grass flats or in hard-bottom areas, typically in 8 to 15 feet of water, and putting out a bag of ground baitfish chum. This is also a great tactic around main pass structures like the Sunshine Skyway, and near channel markers, offshore bars like the spoil banks around Tampa Bay shipping channels, artificial reefs and nearshore wrecks.

When it comes to mackerel for dummies, you can't make it any easier than putting out a live sardine nose-hooked on a 1/0 hook in a chum slick. You can also do well by casting 2-inch chrome spoons, small white jigs and glass minnow flies in the chum - work them hard and fast to draw strikes, and if the bite slows, add small bits of fresh shrimp to the hook.; mackerel are scent feeders as well as sight feeders.

Whatever the bait or lure, you'll need some "bite-leader" to prevent cutoffs on the sharp teeth of the macks and the blues that often run with them. Most experts these days are using 40-pound-test fluorocarbon - it's harder than monofilament, but has low visibility. Dark wire leader, size 2, also works, but it does cut down strikes considerably in clear water or with artificial lures.

Running line for the potpourri of fall is typically 10- to 15-pound-test microfiber on a 7-foot spinning rod and 2500-size reel. If you fish where kings are likely, you may want to move up to 20- to 25-pound test tackle - kings and Spanish often mix at this time of year, particularly late in the month.

When floating weeds are scarce, trolling a small spoon on a No. 1 planer is a deadly way to connect with larger Spanish. Captains Sam and Joe Maisano of St. Petersburg catch a lot of big ones around offshore hard bottom by pulling a simple ballyhoo rig, a skirt with a nose-hooked ballyhoo and stinger, right on top like they're trolling for sailfish.

You can also catch plenty of fish by "cowboying" the breaking schools; just run right up to them and have your crew fire several lures at once into the white water - this usually results in instant hookups. The school will run away from the boat, but usually pops back up within 100 yards and you can do it again.

Macks are not the favorite table fish of most experienced fishermen, but grilled the day they are caught they are great. (Remove the skin and red line after cooking.) They also turn out nicely when baked under a coating of chopped tomatoes and shredded cheese. The limit is 15 daily, and there's no closed season.

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