Fantastic King Mackerel Description and Fishing Tips

The King mackerel (Scomberomous cavalla) is a highly prized gamefish as well as an important commercial species. The giant of the mackerel group, the king which is one of their nicknames of the western Atlantic can grow to more than 100 lbs. A member of the Scombridae family, the king’s pinkish meat is so tender and delicious that you can eat it raw. They’re mostly sold and eaten fresh. I never forget my “wasabe” when I go on a mackerel fishing trip.

Characteristics

A long, slender fish, the king has 2 dorsal fins with about 10 finlets and an anal fin with also about 10 finlets. The whole body is covered with tiny scales and the lateral line begins on the top of the gill, dipping sharply below the second dorsal fin. The color is dark grey on the back, silvery on the sides and belly.

Habitat

King mackerel are schooling and migratory species, preferring warm waters not below 68 degrees F. They migrate yearly along the coasts of the western Atlantic following warmer waters that suit them. Generally they’re an offshore, open-water species but often they can be found inshore or near shore; around reefs, buoys, oil rig platform, wrecks, inlets and places where baitfish are plentiful because they’re voracious eaters.

Size

Their average size caught with fishing gear is less than 10 lbs with usual length around 2-4 ft. Kingfish as they’re sometimes called can reach weight of 100 lbs and length of 51/2 ft. Their lifespan is believed to be around 15 years. But hooking on to a 7 years old fish nowadays is rare. The all-tackle world record is a giant of 90 lbs taken off Florida, way back in 1976.

Spawn

The males reach mature stage and sexually active between their second and third years and females between their third and fourth years. They spawn in offshore waters from April to November. Depending on the size of the females, a large size female may spawn between 1-3 million eggs.

Diet

King mackerel feed on threadfin, mullet, herring, ballyhoo, squid, shrimp, menhaden, anchovy and other smaller mackerel species.

Fishing methods

Kings are often taken on trolled or drifted bait, either deep or on the surface, but casting with lures and live baits are possible too. Some fly fishermen use large streamer flies to tangle with them when kings are sighted on the surface near boat, usually after some heavy chumming.

Baits

Among the baits used are some other small mackerel species like the Spanish and Atlantic mackerel, croaker, mullet, squid, ladyfish, blue runner, pogies (menhaden), jacks, herring, pilchard and ballyhoo. Some of the artificial lures used by kingfish’s anglers are large spoons, jigs, poppers, bucktail jigs and feathers.

Tackle

Tackle for King mackerel fishing must be of high quality because kings when hooked will make strong and long runs, occasionally jumping aggressively off the water. A 7 ft. medium-heavy rod of 20-30 lbs class matched with a same lbs class reel able to hold 200 m. of good quality 20-30 lbs test line is the best option. Fishing reels, spinning or conventional, the drags must be real smooth.

These predators are armed with razor-sharp teeth so wire leaders are a must. Hook-size can be from as small as #6 to as big as #2/0 and of course again, good quality. When using live-bait I prefer a double hook rig, with the smaller hook hooking through the nose of the bait-fish and the bigger hook on the back or let it swing freely.

King mackerel fishing can be a real thrill and explosive when you hooked on to a “smoker”; and not forgetting the juicy meat is simply unbeatable.

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