Spanish mackerel are an underrated species to target on the fly rod. Fly fishing for Spanish mackerel offers hard fights, blistering runs, and non-stop action.

While species like bonefish and redfish get a lot of the attention in the salt, Spanish mackerel often go unnoticed. When there are days when the conditions don’t allow for flats fishing- maybe too much cloud cover, rain, wind, or simply other fish simply aren’t cooperating, Spanish mackerel can save the day with borderline non-stop action.

Spanish mackerel are beautiful fish, hard fighting, and when found, can fill an afternoon with line screaming runs. I enjoy targeting them on the fly rod- these fish are certainly an unappreciated species!

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive into the intricacies of Spanish mackerel, uncovering their habits, behavior, and tactics required to hook these fish on the fly rod.

What are Spanish Mackerel?

Spanish mackerel (scomberomorini), or “macks” are a subset of the mackerel family and closely related to tuna and bonito fish. They are a pelagic fish- meaning they roam the areas of the water column not on the bottom or on the shore and very often they travel in schools. While all Spanish mackerel don’t live inshore, they’re very commonly found “nearshore.” They’re also known to find their way inshore from time to time.

While Spanish mackerel don’t live inshore like other species targeted on the fly rod, they can found nearshore, just off land and other structure. They tend to swim in large schools and cover significant amounts of distance as they roam for their next meal. For our purposes, we’re generally fishing a little bit off the shoreline trying to find schools of feeding macks.

Spanish mackerel are slender and sleek with forked tails made for covering long distances at a very fast rate. They have tiny scales- they’re almost smooth when you touch them, and usually silver with greenish backs. They also have distinguishing green or yellow spots along their sides paired with with rows of very sharp teeth.

Weighing mostly around the 2-5 lb range, Spanish mackerel can also grow upwards of 10 lbs. Whatever size you catch on the fly rod, it’s going to be a hell of a fight. Just be careful of their teeth!

Where are the Best Spanish Mackerel Destinations?

Spanish mackerel are found all along the Atlantic coast of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico. They tend to migrate with the seasons, spending the colder winter months down South in Florida and up the Atlantic as far as New York in the summers.

Spring: Spanish mackerel can be found further South in the warmer waters of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. They can even go as far west as Texas.

Summer: With rising water temperatures, Spanish mackerel will migrate north into the Mid-Atlantic region around Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. If it’s an especially warm summer, macks will continue travelling North towards New York or even Southern Canada.

Fall: Spanish mackerel will migrate back down the coast, travelling along the Eastern US to get back to their ideal water temps. Lower regions of the Mid-Atlantic are where Spanish mackerel are likely to be found this time of year.

Winter: Spanish mackerel hunker down in the warmest waters they can find, usually around Florida or parts of the Gulf of Mexico.

Fly Fishing Gear for Spanish Mackerel

Spanish Mackerel Rods

When fly fishing for Spanish mackerel, a 7 or 8 weight rod is the perfect setup. While these fish do not get huge, you will need enough backbone on your rod to stop their blistering runs. Stout rods also allow you to chuck your flies further, which is good for open water fishing. You might need that the extra distance when you find a feeding school.

Spanish Mackerel Reels

Your reel may be the most important element in this equation. Spanish mackerel are known for long, hard fights so a reel with a quality drag system is paramount.

The quality drag system will help slow down the fish, putting the brakes on their extensive runs and eliminating the chance of the drag “locking up” and breaking your leader. Spanish mackerel are some of the hardest running fish I’ve ever hooked. Despite their relatively diminutive size, macks will put your reel to work!

Fly Lines for Spanish Mackerel

When fly fishing for Spanish mackerel there are two fly lines that you will need: a floating line and an intermediate line.

Floating lines are perfect for when fish are close to the surface, or when fish are feeding on top. Floating lines also make pickup easier and if you’re chasing a school of fish. This can be extremely helpful as you may need to make multiple casts in different directions.

Intermediate sinking lines are great when the fish are a little bit deeper. Unless macks are actively feeding, they generally like to cruise several feet below the surface. We’ll need to be able to get our flies down the water column to get their attention. If a floating line is all you have, just add a weighted fly to get down to the right depth.

Leaders for Spanish Mackerel

Spanish mackerel are not leader shy, so keep them simple and short. On a floating line, I like a 7 to 8 foot leader while on a sinking line you can go even shorter in the 3 to 4 foot range.

Whatever line you’re fishing, make sure your leader is stout. Spanish mackerel have very sharp teeth and we’ll cut through any thin line almost immediately. Leaders in the 40 to 60  lb range will do the trick. Wire leaders are also an option, though I’ve found tying knots with these with wire is often tricky. I usually just stick with heavy monofilament or fluorocarbon.

You might also consider using a lighter 12 lb tippet with a  1-2 foot 40-60 lb or wire bite guard. Bite guards are extra tippet on the end of your “class tippet” that help protect against fish with very sharp teeth like Spanish mackerel.

Bite guards will allow you to break the fish off if a shark or dolphin is nearby looking for an easy meal. If you don’t plan on keeping your catch, do your best to not have your fish eaten by “the tax man” and simply break off the fish by pointing the rod straight at the fish, grabbing the fly line, and pulling until the line breaks and the fish can escape predators.

Spanish Mackerel Flies

Do not overthink flies for Spanish mackerel- if it’s in the water they will bite it. Seriously. I’ve had macks eat a torn apart Clouser Minnow with only 7 strands of hair still attached. This takes away from some of the fun nuance of figuring out which fly will work best but in this case, any fly will do.

Pull out any baitfish pattern from your box and you’ll be good to go. Clouser Minnows, EP Baitfish, whatever looks like a little baitfish will get it done. The aggressive feeding nature of Spanish mackerel gives us an opportunity to put old, ratty flies to good use. Whatever flies you’re using just make sure you have a bunch of them. Spanish mackerel will quickly tear apart flies with their sharp teeth.

Poppers are also awesome flies to use when targeting Spanish mackerel. It’s a pretty wild scene to watch several macks crash the surface at once- all competing against each other to get your fly. Poppers are also a great searching pattern. Create a ton of commotion on top of the water and you’ll be sure to attract macks in the area.

Spanish Mackerel Techniques

How to Find Spanish Mackerel

When searching for Spanish mackerel, we need to cover a lot of water. Macks are most often found in nearshore waters, just off the coast searching for prey. They are also found in inlets and passes, large open flats, and sometimes roaming inshore waters.

Birds are a telltale sign of feeding fish. Look for diving birds crashing onto the surface. They’re either eating baitfish that are close to the surface, or the scraps of baitfish floating up to the surface. Birds are the “bat signal” of fish in the area, so sending a fly towards them is always a good call.

Casting to Spanish Mackerel

There’s not a ton of technique when it comes to casting the Spanish mackerel-simply send your fly out there and you will get bit.

What fly fishing for Spanish mackerel lacks in delicate, accurate casts and presentations, it more than makes up for in hard fights and frenzies of catches.

Retrievals for Spanish Mackerel

The most important part in fly retrieval to Spanish mackerel is to keep your fly moving. Spanish mackerel like to chase their prey and will attack fast moving flies with rod-jolting aggression. From my experience, they don’t seem to bite on dead drifts or slow moving flies. They certainly want to earn their prey!

When retrieving your fly, move it as fast as you can. You can either do this single handed or use a double hand retrieve to really get the fly going. Either way you do it, move it fast and hold onto that line!

Strip Sets

Using the strip set technique is a must to effectively hook Spanish mackerel. This involves stripping the line with a swift, firm motion to set the hook securely in the fish’s mouth.

What is a Strip Set?

As the name suggests, strip sets are hook sets created by a firm strip of  the fly line with your hand. As opposed to lifting the rod to drive the hook into the fish’s mouth (“trout setting”), you’ll instead grab a hold of the fly line in your stripping hand, and swiftly pull back on the line to set the hook. This is a vital skill in all of saltwater fishing.

Trout setting is a hard habit to break, especially if you have done mostly freshwater fishing. However, strip sets are by far the best way to hook a fish in the salt and the Spanish mackerel  you’ve worked so hard to get to bite will likely swim away if you try to hook it with a trout set.

Strip Sets and Spanish Mackerel

Strip setting on Spanish mackerel is vital. These fish are tough and a proper strip set will ensure that your fly is firmly planted in the fish’s mouth and you’ll be able to reel in your catch.

Spanish mackerel bites are not subtle. You will feel the fierce strike immediately and when you do, you set the hook. During a feeding frenzy, macks will also bite your fly, then continue actively hunting other prey. Because they continue to move quickly, simply holding the line and allowing the hook to set itself can also get the job done. But from my experience, it’s always better to give it a little tug to remove any doubt that that hook is firmly set.

Conclusion

Spanish mackerel are underrated fish that offer a thrilling and rewarding experience for any angler willing to give them a shot. Their hard fights, blistering runs, and their sheer abundance make them an exciting target, especially on days when other species are less cooperative.

Despite often being overshadowed by more glamorous species like bonefish, tarpon, and redfish, Spanish mackerel are flat out fun to catch. Their beauty, aggressive nature, and the non-stop action they can provide will turn a slow day on the water into an unforgettable one.

So next time you’re out on the water and the conditions aren’t ideal for your usual targets, remember the Spanish mackerel. These fish can save the day. Equip yourself with a 7 or 8 weight rod and any baitfish fly you have in the box, keep an eye out for diving birds, and get ready for some line-screaming action that will leave you eager for more. Happy fishing!

Have you caught Spanish mackerel on the fly?