By Terry Gibson
One of the things I love most about living in Martin County, and raising a family here, is that there are so many action-packed types of angling here perfect for introducing kids to saltwater fishing. In fact, this area boasts one of the most exhilarating and rewarding saltwater fishing experiences in the nation, one that is sure to get a kid hooked on fishing, inspire a fascination with the coastal ocean, and teach fishing skills that begin preparing a young angler for a lifetime of angling adventures.
Late fall through early spring anyone can catch a mess of drag-pulling, delicious Spanish mackerel within plain sight of our golden beaches. Schools of mackerel numbering into the tens of thousands stack up along the coral reef that runs parallel to the beach along the north end of Jupiter Island, just south of the St. Lucie Inlet.
Zsolt Takacs, my college roommate and fishing buddy of more than two decades, knows about the fantastic nearshore fishing opportunities this area offers. The Jacksonville resident is a regular visitor. Zsolt called me over the winter to set up a fishing trip with his brother, Tom, and Tom’s thirteen-year-old son, Scott, during his spring break. When Zsolt called, we agreed that the mackerel hole would be the perfect place to introduce Scott to saltwater fishing.
“The biggest fish he’s ever caught was a 15-inch rainbow trout,” Zsolt said. “We’re gonna blow that kid’s mind.”
As we turned south out of the inlet, I asked Scott whether he’d been out on the ocean before. He hadn’t. He was so excited he looked bug-eyed out across the dazzling blue Atlantic. About a mile south of the inlet, I slowed down to trolling speed—about three knots—and pointed out the reef where gentle swells broke over its shallowest crests. We looked down at the reef rising out of the sand about 10 feet below. The water was so clear we could see the crenellated brain coral colonies, the bright orange boring sponges, and the waving sea fans. Then Zsolt pointed to a pair of birds–royal terns–diving about a quarter mile ahead.
Zsolt, who is a high school marine biology teacher, took advantage of a teachable moment.
“When predator fish like mackerel feed, they trap baitfish against the surface, where those birds can catch them. That’s where the fish are.”
I adjusted course toward the terns while Zsolt cast out a pair of chartreuse Gulf Stream Flash Jigs about fifty yards back in the boat wake. We hadn’t trolled a hundred yards before both light spinning rods doubled over in the rod holders.
“Fights just like a rainbow trout, right” Zsolt quipped?
While Scott and Zsolt battled the two fish we hooked trolling, Tom and I began casting flash jigs, letting them drop to the bottom then retrieving the lures with a rapid, jig-and-reel, jig-and-reel action. We hooked up almost immediately. We spent the early morning trolling the jigs until we encountered a mackerel school, then cast into the fish until they relocated again. The action was frenetic. Within a couple of hours, we had plenty of mackerel in the boat for a couple of family dinners apiece, plus some destined for the smoker. Most importantly, Scott had learned a great deal about reading water, how to make accurate casts, and to fight powerful saltwater fish on light tackle. Two months later, says his dad, Scott’s still talking about that trip.
The Reef
Commercial fishermen and fishing guides with more than a 50 years experience on the water attest to the fact that vast schools of Spanish mackerel have always overwintered just east of what’s now the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, which was established in 1969. They overwinter in the protection of the northern terminus of the Florida Reef Tract, the world’s third largest barrier-reef ecosystem, and home to the only extensive shallow coral reef formations in the United States.
Most locals refer to this area as either “Peck’s Lake” or “the mackerel hole.”
Coral-studded rock ledges rise as high as 15 feet from the bottom, to within a few feet of the surface, creating a natural breakwater between the reef and the beach about a half-mile to the west. If there’s any swell running, breakers crash visibly over the shallowest sections of reef. The reef absorbs most of the energy, so the water is relatively calm inside the reef. Most vessels of reasonable size, freeboard, and seaworthiness can access the mackerel fishery on even moderately rough days.
Scientists think that Spanish mackerel and other overwintering species return to the reef each year because they expend less energy in calmer water and the reef offers cover while discouraging some large predators such as pelagic sharks to swim over the reef after a mackerel dinner. Also, forage fish such as sardines and thread herring often congregate on nearby reefs, while tiny glass minnows and other baitfish move in and out of the estuary along the beaches and out to the reef. In short, coral reefs only occur in suitably warm water—winter water temps in the area are typically in the low 70s– which is perfect for Spanish mackerel. Meanwhile, the reef provides shelter and attracts food.
Fishing Tips
Kids roughly seven years up and older should be strong enough to fight Spanish mackerel, but make sure the younger anglers are holding on tight, and wearing life vests.
Generally, you can find the fish by joining the fleet of boats that is usually sitting on the biggest schools. Otherwise, the above-mentioned trolling technique works well as a fish-finding tactic. Trolling is the way to go when the fish are scattered or if you want to find some schools away from the fleet. Trolling is also a great way to put kids on fish, if they haven’t learned to cast safely and accurately yet. Troll jigs, Yo-Zuri Chrystal Minnow Deep Divers, or the Clark Spoon Mackerel Tree Rig. Add a small trolling lead to the jigs and tree rig if the trolling lures in the upper half of the water column doesn’t produce.
Casting jigs, spoons and flies into the schools works well, if you employ a fast, erratic retrieve. My two favorite lures are the Gulf Stream Flash Jig in chartreuse and the Sea Strike GOT-CHA plug, in a color combination that includes chartreuse.
You can also anchor and chum the fish to the boat with small live baitfish or handfuls of frozen glass minnows. In the winter months, it is sometimes possible to castnet small live pilchards and/or glass minnows in the shallow bays inside the Indian River Lagoon. Nothing works better than live bait if you can find it. As you chum, cast lures into the chum slick or drift live or dead baits back through it as naturally as possible.
Spanish mackerel are also easily caught and a blast on fly rods. Fly fishermen opt for 7- to 9-weight rods and intermediate to fast-sinking lines. I prefer the Orvis Hydros HD Depth Charge series of sinking lines, in 250 to 450 grain. You need a six- to nine-foot leader with at least 12 inches of 50-pound fluorocarbon tippet. One to three-inch Clouser Minnows, again in chartreuse, with weighted eyes, are the go-to fly. The fish occasionally rise to the surface to strike popping bugs and Crease Flies, especially if you chum them up with live minnows.
Regardless of the tactic you choose, remember that mackerel have very sharp teeth so you must use a leader. There are days when the fish won’t shy away from a light wire leader. But generally, the water is too clear to use wire. With conventional gear, I prefer to tie on a three-foot piece of 50-pound fluorocarbon leader and keep cutting and retying the jig every time the leader shows a knick or a fray.
Wear gloves when unhooking mackerel and use pliers or other de-hooking devices. Their teeth are razor sharp and will cut your fingers to the bone.
Boating Tips
Boaters with less experience should pick and choose your days, especially if you have inexperienced young anglers aboard. For marine forecasts and sea-surface conditions, visit NOAA’s Marine Weather Service.
Larger vessels should go all the way out the St. Lucie Inlet past the detached south jetty and run south well outside of the reef and breakers. There are several natural channels in the reef that allow safe passage to the inside. But watch the swells carefully. Deep-draft vessels should exercise extreme caution coming over the reef.
Smaller vessels can turn south between the St. Lucie Inlet’s attached and detached jetties, a course that puts you inside the reef, in relatively calm waters. But watch for shoals. While fishing, boaters need to be wary of waves crashing on the reef. The waves can easily capsize and founder a vessel.
The reef is extremely valuable and fragile. Some of the coral formations, which are important to healthy fisheries, are hundreds of years old. Please do not anchor on the reef. There are mooring buoys along the outside, and you can usually catch mackerel there if you chum them to the boat. If you do use an anchor, make sure it catches in the sand far from the reef. Make sure that the anchor and anchor chain are long and heavy enough to hold. Mark a spot on the shoreline as a measure of whether the anchor is slipping.
Keep in mind that this is a popular fishery and that people are out there making use of this public trust resource for different reasons. In the winter months, the mackerel fishery is the commercial fishing sector’s bread and butter. Charter captains are trying to put paying clients on fish. And plenty of private recreational anglers like me are out there taking our families and friends fishing, and looking to put a couple of tasty ‘macks’ in the box. So, unless you’re anchored, please keep one person at the helm and alert at all times. Also, please keep your distance from other vessels. There are plenty of fish for everyone.
Limits, Fish Care, and Recipes
Thanks to federal laws that require sustainable fishing levels through science-based annual catch limits, the Atlantic Spanish mackerel population appears to be quite healthy. Anglers are allowed a generous limit of 15 fish, 12 inches and longer. That’s almost certainly more mackerel than a family can eat before the flesh goes bad. And like most oily fishes, mackerel does not freeze well. In the freezer, the flesh becomes soft and gains a very strong, unpleasant flavor. So please take what you can eat within a couple of days and release the rest. We want to make sure that this fishery remains healthy for generations of anglers to come.
If you fail to keep your fish ice cold while on the water, the meat will also become mushy. Make sure to bring plenty of ice and keep the fish completely covered in ice or saltwater/ice brine to keep the meat firm.
Fresh mackerel—fish that were landed within one to three days—are absolutely delicious. The flesh is white meat with a flaky texture and a rich oil flavor. I typically eat what we catch the day we caught it or the next day. When it’s that fresh, I remove the rib cage and pin bones along the centerline, but leave the skin on and the bloodline in. Just eat around the bloodline, which runs down the center of the filet.
Spanish mackerel filets have a ton of flavor, so there’s no need to add much spice to them.
I just sprinkle a little dill and a paprika on the filets, add a couple generous pats of butter, and squeeze lemon juice and/or white wine on the filets. The filets are placed skin down on a cooking pan lined with tinfoil. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and cook for 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the filet. Remove the fish a little before they’re completely done. The flesh will keep cooking, and if you overcook mackerel it gets dry.
Spanish mackerel make for an excellent fish fry. If the fish are bound for the deep fryer, removed the skin, bones and bloodline before dipping in beer batter, Panko or cornmeal. Divide filets into cube-sized chunks.
Spanish mackerel are excellent smoked and smoked mackerel makes excellent fish dip. Mrs. Peters Smoke House in Jensen Beach will smoke whatever fish you bring them.
Tackle Shops and Guides
Whether you’re visiting, or new to the area, it’s a good idea to get some advice from local tackle shops or better yet hire a guide a few times to learn the ropes. Martin County’s professional fishing community prides itself on being helpful, friendly and successful.
Tackle Shops
Jensen Beach
Stuart
Guides
About the Author
Terry Gibson grew up fishing in South Florida and in the Martin County area for nearly 40 years. He has served in various editorial capacities at Saltwater Fly Fishing, Florida Sportsman and Outdoor Life magazines.