From June 22, 2000</font id=blue>
Sitting in the boat on a calm summer day, anchored over your favorite reef hoping to catch some Black Sea Bass and possibly a King on the live baits you have strategically placed behind your boat. The water is dead calm, the rod tip is not bouncing much and you are sizing up the top of that cushioned cooler for a nap. Suddenly the surface of the water comes to life. Thousands of baitfish come crashing to the surface. The water begins to churn and Spanish Mackerel begin flying in all directions knocking baitfish senseless. You are suddenly wide-awake and run to the tackle box and crab a spoon and reach for a lightweight rod. You tie on the spoon and move to the front of the boat to cast and the waters go calm once again and the only evidence of Spanish are terns feeding on the remains of baitfish. I hate it when that happens.
There is something about the site of fish blitzing baits that gets the blood of every fisherman flowing. Fishermen love to be able to watch their target species in action and fool them into thinking an artificial bait is part of their diet. Before we started this website I did not realize how many fishermen in our area either fished for Spanish Mackerel or wanted to learn how. Part of what draws fishermen to this particular fish is their aggressive feeding frenzies. When you are in the right place at the right time it is possible to see acres of these fish churning the water as they run baits to the surface.
The Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus maculatus, can be found in the waters off of the South Carolina coast beginning in late April and early May reaching their peak in the late summer months. They will remain in our waters through fall and with mild conditions can be caught as late as November. Most of these fish range from 1 to 4 pounds with the current South Carolina State record being 11 pounds. Make no mistake about it; these fish are fast and furious. Looking at their streamlined bodies and razor sharp teeth it quickly becom