Spanish mackerel

July 18, 2025
Our expert for August is Captain Larry Geipe of Chasing Light Charters. Since summer has set in, our conversation focuses on catching Spanish mackerel on light tackle. Captain Larry shares his…
October 22, 2024
For this Ask an Expert we speak with Captain Chuck Jones of Salty Siren Fishing. Our topic: Catching fish when they're breaking water. Captain Chuck is ready to put us on the fish! Q: What's your…
June 23, 2024
You want to catch more Spanish mackerel? They may not be in our Mid-Atlantic waters for more than a few months out of the year, but when the Spanish are in town, it’s always nice to enjoy the…
September 7, 2023
We at FishTalk love getting a bit scientificalish now and again (see articles like Fishing Line Stretch Test: Stretching the Truth, and Fishing Hook Test: Fowl Play), especially when it uncovers some…
August 15, 2023
We’ve covered standard-issue Spanish mackerel trolling tactics more than once in FishTalk, but it’s been a while and now that August is here most of the Chesapeake should be riddled with these…
October 29, 2022
It’s early in the morning and I’m heading out for a morning topwater bite. My kayak glides across the surface of the water, and there is a light fog rising off the creek parting as I pass through it…
July 27, 2022
We’ve all been there before: there are little bluefish or stripers busting on bait, and suddenly out of the corner of your eye you see a pelagic-looking creature shoot out of the water, arc…
July 21, 2022
Forgive me if you have heard this before, but a long time ago someone told me that the progression from beginner anglers to the uber-experienced goes from any fish to many fish, to big fish, and then…
August 7, 2021
Summer trollers know that pulling their lures behind planers is highly effective on a number of species, ranging from Spanish Mackerel to cobia. Planers, however, can be a real pain in the you-know-…
September 1, 2020
When the U.S. Navy Blue Angels come to the area we hear about “Mach Speed.” Mach 1 is equal to the speed of sound in air. In general sound travels faster in warmer air, and for normal and dry…
July 30, 2020
Truth: the most effective way to stack Spanish mackerel into a fishbox is trolling for them with planers and spoons. Another truth: this can get thoroughly boring, even when the bite is good, as…
August 17, 2019
Spanish mackerel and king mackerel are both present in the Mid-Atlantic region, but Spanish mackerel are far more prevalent and fishing for Spanish mackerel is popular among many anglers when…
May 25, 2019
I still remember years ago when a friend showed me how to try fishing for Spanish mackerel with planers and spoons in the lower Chesapeake Bay waters of Virginia. Before then, I knew little or…
August 4, 2018
Spanish mackerel are like mini-pelagics of Chesapeake Bay fishing. They’re lightning-fast speedsters with a lot of pullage-per-pound, and although they’re only in our neck of the woods for the summer…