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Naples Fishing Charters, July 22, 2018: Spanish Mackerel, Catch & Release
Naples Fishing: Please Click For Rates & To Book A Charter Or Call 239-472-8658.
Naples Fishing Report, Sunday, July 22, 2018, Florida Fishing Report – Naples: Spanish Mackerel! Latest Algal Bloom & Water Quality / Lake Okeechobee Update and Red Tide Report. We’re mostly focused on Naples fishing the channels, grass flats, passes, oyster bars, mangroves and near shore fishing in Naples, but we also give updates on Naples deep sea fishing.
We’re big advocates of catch and release, particularly for snook, but pretty much for most species. Only take what you are going to eat, and a lot of fish are better off as sport fish, even if they are in season. Our motto is let ‘em get bigger and catch ‘em again!
Please see our Sanibel, Captiva, Fort Myers, and Cuban Fishing sites for charter photos from our other captains, additional fishing and shelling reports, and musings on fishing in Cuba one of these days!
“The Atlantic Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus) is a migratory species of mackerels that swims to the Northern Gulf of Mexico in spring, returns to south Florida in the Eastern Gulf, and to Mexico in the Western Gulf in the fall.
The fish exhibits a green back; its sides are silvery marked with about three rows of round to elliptical yellow spots. Lateral line gradually curving down from the upper end of the gill cover toward caudal peduncle. The first (spiny) dorsal fin is black at the front. Posterior membranes are white with a black edge. Its single row of cutting edged teeth in each jaw (around sixty-four teeth in all) are large, uniform, closely spaced and flattened from side to side. As with the King mackerel and the Cero mackerel, these teeth look very similar to those of the Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix.
Spanish mackerel occur seasonally from the Yucatán peninsula, Mexico, as far north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. They are a shallow water species, preferring sand bottom in depths of 10 to 40 feet (3 to 12 m), occasionally found as deep as 80 feet (24 m).
It appears that one Atlantic and one or more Gulf groups of Spanish mackerel occur in Florida waters. With rising water temperatures, the Atlantic group migrates along the Atlantic coast of the United States from Miami Florida, beginning in late February through July reaching as far as southern Cape Cod, Massachusetts, then returning in fall. An Eastern Gulf group moves northward from the Florida Keys during late winter and spring, appearing off the central West Coast of Florida about April 1. Movement continues westward and terminates along the northern Texas coast. During fall, this group migrates back to its wintering grounds in the Keys.
The Gulf group of Spanish mackerel spawn in batches from May to September off shore of Texas, off the Gulf shore of Florida as early as April in some years. The Atlantic group spawns starting in April off the Carolinas and from late August to late September in the northernmost part of its range. Spanish mackerel mature by age-1 at a fork length (FL) of 14 inches (36 cm). Females live longer and grow to larger sizes than males. Females may live as long as 11 years, growing to 11 pounds (5.0 kg) and 33 inches (84 cm) FL. Males reach about age-6 and 19 inches (48 cm) FL.[3]
The Spanish mackerel is also a popular sushi fish. By analogy with the Japanese Spanish mackerel, which is a member of the same genus, it is often called sawara on sushi menus.” Please see more information here.
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Image Credit: © Diane Rome Peebles
Spanish Mackerel: Scomberomorous maculatus
Florida Regulations:
| Regulations | Gulf State Waters | Atlantic State Waters |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Size Limit | 12” fork length | |
| Daily Bag Limit | 15 per harvester per day | |
Gear Requirements:
- Legal Gear: beach or haul seine, cast net, hook and line, spear
Habitat and Fishing tips:
Spanish mackerel are a pelagic, fast swimming fish that are prevalent throughout Florida’s coastal waters when water temperatures exceed 70 degrees.
To remain in warm water, Spanish mackerel migrate out of the northern parts of the state in the fall of the year and return in April with the warming waters.
Mackerel are frequently found in shallow, clear water over grass beds and along sandy beaches where they feed on schools of baitfish. Spanish mackerel are aggressive feeders that will strike a wide variety of natural and artificial baits, so they can be very easy to catch.
Many anglers identify the location of Spanish mackerel by trolling or watching for birds diving on schools of baitfish, which often indicates that mackerel are forcing the bait to the surface. Angling techniques include trolling or casting with small shiny spoons, dusters or jigs. Light spinning or bait-casting tackle with 10 to 15-pound monofilament line is adequate; however, 30 to 60-pound monofilament leader is required due to the mackerel’s razor-sharp teeth.
State Record:
12 lb, caught near Ft. Pierce
Please see source & more information here.
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The Naples-Marco Island area has terrific beaches and beach fishing! The beaches stretch along the Gulf of Mexico for about 10 miles and include Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Clam Pass Beach Park, Naples Municipal Beach & Fishing Pier (Naples Pier), Vanderbilt Beach, North Gulfshore Boulevard Beach, and Lowdermilk Beach Park. Naples beaches are often ranked in the top 5-10 beaches in America!
There are also a number of both small and very large reserves in and nearby Naples-Marco Island. They include Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and Picayune Strand State Forest.
Like much of southwest Florida, Naples has barrier islands which mean great fishing! The breadth of the natural ecosystem near Naples is immense and can’t be fully described in this short post. Marco Island is the most well-known, but Marco Island spills south into the Ten Thousand Islands and unbelievably good fishing!
Other islands include Keywaydin Island, which is the longest unbridged island in southwest Florida and has a lot of natural habitats, and Kice Island and Cape Romano, which are very remote!