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Spanish Mackerel &

Sheepshead Presented by

Ron Barwick ron@halfhitch.com

Hosted by

Bob Fowler bob.fowler@marinemax.com

(850) 708-1317

marinemax.com treasureislandmarina.net

halfhitch.com

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Spanish Mackerel: Scomberomorous maculatus

Florida Regulations: 12” fork length, Daily Bag Limit per person: 15

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 March with the warming waters. They 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

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KING MACKEREL SHARP DIP IN THE LATERAL LINE UNDER THE SECOND DORSAL- SMALL NUMBER OF SPINES IN FIRST DORSAL 14-16- YOUNG WILL HAVE SPOTS SIMILAR TO SPANISH-FIRST DORSAL IS UNIFORMLY BLUE- ANTERIOR THIRD OF FIN IS NEVER BLACK-PECTRORAL FINS COVERED W/ SMALL SCALES

SPANISH MACKEREL BRONZE OR YELLOW SPOTS BUT NO STRIPES ON THE SIDES- LACK OF SCALES ON PECTORAL FINS –ANTERIOR OF FIRST DORSAL FIN IS BLACK AND SECOND DORSAL AND PECTORAL FINS BLACK TIPPED

CERO MACKEREL- VERY RARE IN THE NORTHERN GULF- DIFFERS BY HAVING YELLOW SPOTS & YELLOW-ORANGE STREAKS AND A DARK COLOR LINE RUNNING THE LENGTH OF THE BODY- LATERAL LINE GRADUALLY CURVES DOWN- PECTORAL FINS COVERED W/ SMALL SCALES LIKE KING MACKEREL-ANTERIOR THIRD OF FIRST DORAL IS BLACK LIKE SPANISH-

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King Mackerel vs. Spanish Mackerel ID Made Easy

The two main things to look for are the lateral lines and the dorsal fins. A juvenile kingfish's lateral line dips

significantly compared to a Spanish mackerel. Also the dorsal fin of a juvi kingfish will be a much lighter color,

more of a gray or white color than the Spanish, whose fin will be black or very

dark in color.

Here is a close up of the dorsal fins.

“Lateral line definite drop. Definite King Mackerel”

Catch From:

• Use a trolling lure from a boat or kayak.

• Use a casting lure from a boat.

• Use casting lures from the jetty or piers.

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Ideal Casting Combo

• 6’ 6” to 7’ 6” Medium Action Rod• 3000 – 4000 Size Reel• 10 – 15 lb. clear Monofilament line

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Ideal Trolling Combo

• 6’ 6” – 7’ light Action Conventional Rod• 20 lb. Conventional Reel• 20-30 lb. Clear Monofilament Line

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BUBBLE RIG

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Clear custom bubble 36”, with 40-60 clear mono, 2” treble hook and 3” straw over the treble hook

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CASTING SPOONS & PLUGS

• Works great fishing on flats.

• Use gold spoons in tannic(stained) water & silver in clearwater.

• Rig with 12- 18” 40-60monofilament leader

TROLLING LEADERS • TROLLING WEIGHT W/ 6-20 FT 40LB MONO LEADER.

• PLANER W/ 6-20FT 40LB MONO LEADER

• SHORT WIRE LEADER AT LURE 6-12”BLACK COATED OR BROWN MULTI STRAND WIRE OR BROWN SINGLE STRAND WIRE.

• USE SHORT 50LB MONO LEADER IF FISHING IS SLOW

• IF USING LEAD USE ONE WITH SWIVELS TO KEEP LINE TWISTDOWN

• HEAVIEST LINES EQUAL SHORTER DISTANCE OUT – 40 -60FT.

• LIGHT LINES EQUAL LONGER DISTANCE OUT – 80 – 100 FT.

TROLLING TIPS

• START OUT WITH VARIOUS WEIGHTS

• VARY YOUR SPEED

• CURRENT OR TIDE CHANGES CAUSES CHANGESIN WHERE AND HOW

• BE CAREFUL WHEN TROLLING IN CHANNELS ASOTHER BOATS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY

BEST TROLLING LURES Clark or Squid Spoon

EARLY SEASON USE A 00 SIZE AND AS THE SEASON PROGRESS, FISH AND THE BAIT FISH THEY ARE FEED ON WILL GET LARGE SO MOVE TO 0 AND THEN 1 SIZE. SILVER WITH OR WITHOUT PRISM TAPE, CHART,PINK BEST UNLESS WATER IS BROWN

Mackerel Tree

TIP: USE A WEIGHTED SPOON- DIAMOND JIG, SEA STRIKER JIG FISH OR GATOR TYPE SPOON INSTEAD

OF A LEAD WEIGHT TO KEEP THE RIG DOWN

Trolling Style Gotcha Plug

A TROLLING VERSION OF THE POPULAR CASTING PLUG

HOT SPOTS

• ST ANDREWS BAY– JETTY– CAMEL BACK SHOALS– MIDDLE GROUNDS– DEEP WATER POINT– NAVY BASE– ALONG THE BEACH, JUST OUTSIDE THE

GREEN WATER

How to Clean a Spanish Mackerel

Fillet off the bone and fillet skin off the meat for best flavor.

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Cooking Recipe • Dip fillets in egg wash and bread with 50%

Panko bread crumbs and 50% Fish Fry.• Season with salt and Old Bay seasoning.• Let sit for 5 minutes before frying.• Pan fry in a cast iron skillet.• Place on a paper towel to drain excess oil.

Also great smoked or canned!

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Sheepshead: Archosargus probatocephalus

Florida Regulations: Minimum 12” length, Daily Bag Limit per person: 15

Gear Requirements:

Legal Gear: hook and line, cast net, seine, spear or gig Illegal Gear: Harvest prohibited by or with the use of any multiple hook in conjunction with live or dead natural bait; Snatching prohibited.

Habitat and Fishing Tips:

Sheepshead are commonly found in brackish water river mouths, bays, estuaries and tidal creeks and especially near oyster bars, buoys, channel markers, piers and bridge piles where food is plentiful. Sheepshead feed primarily on crustaceans, mollusks, barnacles and small fish. Anglers typically use light to medium weight spinning tackle with shrimp, sand fleas or small crabs as bait. Using their specially adapted (human like) incisors and crushing molars, sheepshead can be difficult to hook and have an uncanny ability to clean a hook without you knowing anything happened. When targeting sheepshead, it is very important to keep your line tight and be ready for the bite because you often get one, and only one, chance to set the hook. The food quality of sheepshead is very good.

State Record: 15 lb. 2 oz. caught near Homosassa

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Oysters and barnacles used as bait or chum for sheepshead:

Oysters and barnacles are very, very different when it comes to regulations. Oysters have closed seasons, bag limits, size limits and can only be legally harvested in specific shellfish harvesting areas that are classified as "approved" or "conditionally approved" and in the "open" status.

Barnacles on the other hand do not have size limits or specified bag limits, which means that you can harvest up to 100 pounds per person per day with a recreational saltwater fishing license and you can use them to chum sheepshead. You can also simply scrape them off bridge piles and allow them to sink and attract sheepshead. Do not scrape barnacles from private docks or other private structures without permission of the property owner.

Sheepshead have some pretty impressive teeth, So be careful when removing hooks!

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Baits for Sheepshead

Shrimp Fiddler Crab

Fish Finder (Carolina) Rig Jig Head

Rigs for Sheepshead

Fish Storage When Caught

Be sure to put Spanish Mackerel or Sheepshead directly into a saltwater slush (saltwater & ice) immediately.

This keeps the meat firm and makes it easier to clean which makes for a tastier meal.

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FUTURE CLASSES • March 8 – Fishing for Cobia• April 12 – Bay Fishing for Redfish & Trout• May 10 – Red Snapper & Bottom Fishing• June 14 – Offshore Trolling for Wahoo, Dolphin & Tuna• July 12 – Kayak Fishing, Scalloping & Water Activities• August 9 – Surf Fishing• September 13 – King Mackerel• October 11 – Flounder & Fall Bay Fishing• November 8 – Hands on Rigging• December 13 – Winter Trout

MEETINGS

Next Two Meetings Schedule

Gulf Of Mexico Fishery

Management Council Meeting

Schedule 2203 N Lois Avenue, Suite 1100 Tampa, Florida 33607 USA Toll Free: 888-833-1844 Email: info@gulfcouncil.org gulfcouncil.org

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February 3 - 6, 2014

Westin Galleria Houston 5060 W. Alabama Street Houston, TX 77056 April 7 - 11, 2014

Embassy Suites 4914 Constitution Ave. Baton Rouge, LA 70808

MEETINGS Next Meeting:

February 12-13, 2014

4500 West Cypress Street, Tampa, Florida, 33607

Florida Fish and Wildlife

Conservation Commission

Farris Bryant Building 620 S. Meridian St. Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600 (850) 488-4676

Saltwater Regulations myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/

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FISH REGULATIONS AP Visit http://www.gulfcouncil.org/ And install the Fishing Regulations App for either iPhone or Android. • fishing regulations • fish identification • measurement guidelines • sanctuaries & closures You can also visit the play store and search for GFC regulations

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FACEBOOK

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halfhitch.com

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HOW TO MEASURE • Fish regulated by fork length are measured from the tip of the jaw or

tip of the snout with closed mouth to the center of the fork in the tail.

Fork Length Species Include: Amberjacks, Bluefish, Rudderfish, King Mackerel, Hog Fish, Spanish, Mackerel, Dolphin, Permit, Cobia, Pompano, Mullet, African Pompano Total Length Species Include: Snapper Family, Grouper Family, Red & Black Drum, Snook, Spotted Seatrout, Weakfish, Tripletail, Bonefish, Sheepshead and Flounder.