Hot Pursuit of Spanish
By Captain Bob Reed

Large schools of Spanish mackerel have invaded the Bay and are reported heading North at a fast pace. Large –up to 25 inch Spanish captured off the mouth of the Rappahannock during the second week in July. Spanish captured in the pound traps in the Potomac’s mouth in July.

Spanish mackerel, aka. Scomberomorus maculates or just plain Mac’s are a beautiful fish with their bluish backs, silvery bellies and irregular bronze elliptical side spots. They are exciting to catch and absolutely fantastic to eat. These fish grow to 36 inches and can weigh as much as 11 pounds although most of the fish captured in the mid bay area go about 20 inches. You will often see them gracefully proposing out of the water as they compete for bay anchovies with the fierce bluefish.

Now is the time to get your gear ready and plan to pursue these beautiful swimmers. Since these guys are constantly on the move the recommended fishing method is fast trolling. You’ll need long fast tipped rods to take the initial shock of the hook-up and high speed conventional trolling reels to get these critters in the boat. I use a 8-foot downrigger rod with a 320 Penn reel. I suggest that you start out with two rods – one for your short deep line and one for your long line. Got to four lines only if you have the manpower to handle the action and the ability to keep your lines separated when you have four fish on at the same time. By the way I strongly urge you to have three anglers in the boat and never less than two for this fast action fishing. You’ll need someone to drive the boat, a person on the rod and a leader man. Use outrodders (rod holders that fit into your on-board holders that will hold your rods 90 degrees from the side of the boat for your long line(s) and mid-ship rod holders at a 45 degree angle for your short deep lines.

Since Mac’s have wonderful vision use long fluorocarbon leaders and baits that closely resemble the anchovies. Tie your drone #0 S/RFS (figure F), gold Cather # 2 (figure J), silver krocodile #4 (figure H), tony acetta # 14 (figure K), or gold clark spoon (figure I) directly onto the business end of the 20# leader line.

Come up the line 10 feet and tie in a #5 or smaller black barrel swivel. Add another 15 to 20 feet of leader and tie a #1 black barrel swivel with a coast lock snap (figure D) to the end of the leader. Connect the snap to a #1 or # 2 planer (figures B & C). Connect the ringed end of the planer to a #1 coast lock on the end of your main line. Tip- Cut up 5” pieces of kids swimming pool noodles (figure A) for easy storage for your rigs. Have twice as many as you think you’ll need ready so you can take advantage of the bite when you need to re-rig.

You can find these fish in the mid bay area along bar breaks and channel edges from the middle grounds to below the Rap and up in the Potomac. Look for bait balls on your meter, diving birds and surface action and keep clear of the crab pots. Also find your own schools. Trolling in and around other boats is extremely hectic and not necessary to catch these fish.

The Macs will be mixed in with the blues and rockfish. Make sure to release the rockfish if you are in Virginia waters. They are legal in Maryland and the Potomac. When you are catching all blues you might switch to hoses (figure L) since they will hold the blues better and you will have less chance of the leader line being bitten off. In Virginia the Spanish mackerel must be at least 14” with a possession limit of 15 per person and the bluefish have no minimum and a possession limit of 10 per person.

The entire month of August is the prime time for these fast moving critters. Plan to get out often on your own boat or on a charter. If you are new to this action I strongly recommend that you check out this magazine for a charter or select a Virginia Charter Boat Association Captain.