Fish

Atlantic mackerel

Caballa del Atlántico

Scomber scombrus

Guide by Captain Big Joe (Joe Arias)

Saltwater

At a glance

Typical size

Most are around 12 in (30 cm).

Depth

From the surface down to 3,281 ft (1000 m), usually in the top 656 ft (200 m).

Best time

Early morning and evening.

Found in

5 areas

Spot it, size it up and learn its habits.

Identification: Sleek blue-green back with 20–30 wavy black bars, silver-white belly, and small finlets behind the dorsal and anal fins.
Typical size: Most are around 12 in (30 cm).
Maximum size: Up to about 24 in (60 cm) long (fork length) and 7 lb (3.4 kg). Source: FishBase
Diet: It feeds on tiny drifting animals (zooplankton) and small fish, mainly during the day.
Behavior: It forms large schools near the surface in cold and temperate shelf waters. It spends winter in deeper water and moves closer to shore in spring.

Where, when and how deep to look.

Where to find it: Found from Virginia & Chesapeake Bay, Delaware & New Jersey, New York, Long Island & Connecticut, Rhode Island & Massachusetts and New Hampshire & Maine.
Habitat: Open coastal water, harbors, piers and jetties; big schools in New England and Maine all summer, and off New Jersey and Virginia in late winter and spring.
Depth: From the surface down to 3,281 ft (1000 m), usually in the top 656 ft (200 m).
Fishing depth: Surface to 60 ft.
Best season: Spring through fall; they arrive as the water warms.
Best time: Early morning and evening.
Best tides: Any tide when the schools are in.
Best weather / conditions: Calm to light wind.

What to tie on and what to throw.

Best bait: Small strips of squid or mackerel belly; usually caught on bare rigs.
Best artificial lures: Mackerel tree (sabiki) rigs with a small diamond jig on the bottom.
Tackle setup: Light to medium spinning rod.
Hook size: Sabiki or mackerel tree rigs with small hooks; small metal jigs.
Line: 10–15 lb mono or braid.
Leader: Not needed with sabiki rigs.

The rod, reel, line and lures BigJoe would use.

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Step by step, from first cast to landing.

Go where it lives: Open coastal water, harbors, piers and jetties; big schools in New England and Maine all summer, and off New Jersey and Virginia in late winter and spring.
Rig up: Light to medium spinning rod. Not needed with sabiki rigs.
Pick your bait: Small strips of squid or mackerel belly; usually caught on bare rigs. Lures: Mackerel tree (sabiki) rigs with a small diamond jig on the bottom.
Fish it: Cast or drop a mackerel tree into the school and jig it up; you can catch several at once.
Time it: Early morning and evening. Any tide when the schools are in.

Fishing techniques: Cast or drop a mackerel tree into the school and jig it up; you can catch several at once.
BigJoe's tip: Fresh mackerel are the best bait there is for striped bass, bluefin and cod — live-line one under the school.
Catch and release: Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Is it good to eat, and how to prepare it.

Edibility: Good eating when fresh.
Cleaning: Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.
Cooking suggestions: Rich, oily meat — best very fresh, grilled, smoked or pickled. Ice it right away.

Safety, rules and taking care of the fishery.

Safety warnings: Watch the many small hooks on sabiki rigs.
Regulations: Usually generous limits for recreational anglers; some states have daily limits. Check your state's rules. Saltwater licenses and limits are set by each state (VMRC, NJ Fish & Wildlife, NYS DEC, CT DEEP, RI DEM, MA DMF, NH Fish & Game, Maine DMR) and by NOAA Fisheries and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission — check the current rules for your state before you keep fish.
Conservation: Keep only what you'll eat, release the rest quickly, and follow size and bag limits.

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Sources & photo credits