KING MACKREL

Peak Season: All Year

The King Mackerel is a medium-sized fish, typically encountered from 5 kg (11 lb) to 14 kg (30 lb), but is known to exceed 40 kg (90 lb). The entire body is covered with very small, hardly visible, loosely attached scales. The first (spiny) dorsal fin is entirely colorless and is normally folded back into a body groove, as are the pelvic fins. The lateral line starts high on the shoulder, dips abruptly at mid-body, and then continues as a wavy horizontal line to the tail.

The migratory patterns of King Mackrel are a bit irregular, which is why you have to really try to understand them as much as possible. King Mackrel typically travel in large schools, so when you’re onto them the action is quick. They are a great fight but normally not too hard to catch! King Mackrel have a full mouth of teeth so you should always be careful when bringing them on board.

They have very good eyesight and very sharp teeth. They often bite on the back of a lure, so the hook is set in the back of the mouth behind a full set of chompers. We like to troll for King Mackerel with a very light wire so they don’t bite through the line, but you can’t go too heavy due to the great eyesight or they won’t bite. The gauge of wire really depends on water clarity in any given location. Because Kings typically bite the tail, you must rig live bait or trolling lures with hooks in front and back. Generally, the bigger the bait, the bigger the fish you’ll catch.

King Mackerel have an oily meat that is best prepared smoked or grilled. Cutting them as thick fillets works best, because they have very few large bones. The flavor is very pleasant, with a strong to medium fish taste. They are highly valued as a sashimi fish, but more commonly seared and cooked to medium rare or they can become dry.