Friday, 6/3/11 … spanish mackerel and ladyfish

Like yesterday, it was another good Captiva fishing charter day.

We caught spanish mackerel and ladyfish.

Spanish mackerel are a great fish.  They are incredibly fast and feed aggressively in schools.  They can be a lot of fun to catch because they fight very hard for their size.

Spanish mackerel have very sharp teeth and can sometimes bite the bait fish in half and not take the hook.  You can also catch them on lures and jigs in the right feeding situations.

They are generally considered a good eating fish.  If the fish are cleaned correctly, you’ll have large, non bony filets, relative to the size of the fish.  Have a guide or someone else who has experience cleaning mackerel show you how to best filet the fish.

Some people think they are a bit too oily, but many folks consider this part of mackerel’s culinary appeal.

Ladyfish are also fun to catch because they jump and give a very good fight, relative to their size.  You often encounter ladyfish mixed in with mackerel.

Ladyfish are most definitely not an eating fish.  They are missile-like in shape and all hard bone and hard muscle.  They can be good to cut up as shark bait.

Make sure the ladyfish’s belly is pointed away from you when you handle them to remove the hook.  They are hard to hold because they squirm and fight so vigorously.  You’ll end-up grasping them quite firmly which may cause them to poop on you, if you have them pointed in the wrong direction!

They are also pretty slimy.  Keep an old towel nearby to wipe your hands and the deck.

One of my dog Hank’s habits is that he loves to lick the slime off ladyfish.  He doesn’t have the “hankering” to do this with other fish – he is very selective and his only licking habit is with ladyfish.  But Hank is a good first mate – we all have our weaknesses!

Fair winds and following seas,

Captain Joey Burnsed ~ call 239-472-8658 or email captjoefred@gmail to book a charter.