This past weekend it was as if someone finally turned on a faucet, and out came a ton of fish. Virtually every angler was catching large numbers of mackerel. This is the season when the small boater can troll with light tackle and not risk going too far from shore.
The Spanish are in every inlet in North Florida and mixed in with them are their running mates, toothy bluefish. They are chasing and eating the small baitfish that have begun to show in the area, and as the days pass, these fish will show up farther north up the Atlantic coast.
Catching them is as easy as putting a small spoon out the back of the boat and slow trolling in and around the inlets. Most of these fish are small, barely the twelve inch minimum, but don't be surprised to hook into some bruisers that will go eight pounds or more.
You will need a small wire leader on the spoon to prevent a cut off from their sharp teeth. A monofilament leader after the wire will help prevent line breakage. But, don't use a gold or silver swivel to attach the leader to your line. Even that small amount of flash will draw a strike from a Spanish or blue, and your spoon will go to the bottom! Trust me - I have been there and done that! With a spoon, you need to either use one that has a swivel on it's eye connection, or you need to use a flat black swivel on your leader.
Verifiable reports this past weekend indicated numbers of fish in the hundreds being caught by individual boats. These fish will be in and out like this for about a month and a half before they continue migrating north. Take a nice day, some light tackle and your small boat and have some fun when the mackerel show up in your area. It's one of the best small boater opportunities around!
