Mackerels & Tunas

Wahoo
King Mackerel
Spanish Mackerel
Cero
Frigate Mackerel
Bluefin Tuna
Yellowfin Tuna
Blackfin Tuna
Little Tunny
Atlantic Bonito
Albacore
Skipjack Tuna
Bigeye Tuna

Yes, Tunas actually are members of the Mackerel family, and the largest Tuna of them all - the Giant Bluefin - is called "Horse Mackerel" in parts of its range. Some members of his family - the Wahoo and most of the Tunas - are true pelagics that roam the open sea in fashion of Marlin and Dolphin. Other members - the Mackerels and Little Tunny, for example, are called coastal pelagics because they do roam the seas, often migrating long distances, but generally stick fairly close to land. It is never surprising to encounter a coastal pelagic anywhere from the beach to deep blue water. True pelagics, on the other hand, stick to the deep blue - perhaps straying from it briefly now and then in the hunt for food. As a family, nearly all these fish rank high in angler esteem, the large Tunas being among the elite of big-game fishes, while the Mackerels and smaller Tunas provide some of the best sport available to shorebound anglers and small-boat fishermen.

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OTHER NAMES: Peto, Ono
RANGE: Offshore of all Florida coasts, especially the Keys, but for more plentiful in the Bahamas and many Caribbean Islands.
HABITAT: Roams the deep blue water, but anglers can find them by working dropoffs, seamounts, weedlines and other favorable feeding locations.
DESCRIPTION: Long, slender body marked with zebra-like stripes of white and deep blue or black. Mouth is elongated and narrow, and equipped with razor-sharp teeth - careful!
SIZE: Common at 10-50 pounds; often grows to 80 or 90 pounds; maximum potential about 150 pounds. World record 158 pounds, 8 ounces; Florida record 139 pounds.
FOOD VALUE: White meat is tasty but rather dry. A good smoking fish.
GAME QUALITIES: May strike a surface bait in spectacular, greyhounding fashion, but seldom jumps after being hooked. Wild fight is characterized by several sizzling runs, usually at or near the surface. One of the fastest of all gamefish.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Many Wahoo are hooked on heavy tackle, incidentally to Billfishing. Best choices, however, are light to medium ocean trolling outfits with lines up to 30-pound test; 50-pound isn't too heavy for good sport with big specimens. A few have been caught by deep jigging or ocean casting with spinning and baitcasting tackle - even fly tackle on rare occasion. Most productive bait is a weighted feather or similar trolling lure, rigged in combination with a whole small baitfish or large strip. Surface trolling is sometimes effective, but deep trolling is much more likely to produce a Wahoo.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Trolling.

OTHER NAMES: Kingfish, Sierra, Cavalla
RANGE: All Florida coasts; also the Bahamas and Greater Antilles, but not in such great quantity.
HABITAT: In the Bahamas, around reef drop offs. In Florida, widely distributed from the edge of blue water all the way to the beaches. Runs of schooling fish occur on both coasts in spring and fall, with action possible throughout the summer in North and Central Florida and, throughout the winter in Southeast Florida and the Keys. The runs take place, usually, in water from 20 to 100 feet deep, which is fairly close to shore along the Southeast Coast; farther out elsewhere. The very biggest fish, however, are often hooked very close in and are referred to as "Beachcombers."
DESCRIPTION: Adults are heavy bodied, with large mouth and razor teeth. Elongated body is greenish above but mostly silvery and unmarked, except in juveniles, which have spots.
SIZE: School fish may run from 4 to around 20 pounds; individuals to 50 pounds, or slightly more, are not rare. Potential is from 75 to possibly 100 pounds. Florida and world records 90 pounds.
FOOD VALUE: Depends on taste of the individual. Flesh is rich and oily. Fine broiled or smoked.
GAME QUALITIES: Kings are about as fast as Wahoo, although they seldom get that acknowledgment. Regardless, they are strong and sizzling fighters at any size.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Trollers generally choose ocean outfits with lines testing form 20-40 pounds, but kings of all sizes can be caught on spinning, baitcasting and even fly tackle. Spoons trolled behind planers are good, as are rigged Cigar Minnows and feather-minnow combinations. Fishing with Pilchards as both chum and live bait could be the most productive system of all, but drifting with rigged baits, strips or live baits, including live shrimp, is effective too. For casters, spoons and nylon jigs usually work best. Fly rodders do well with shiny flies on sinking lines.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling.

OTHER NAMES: Sierra
RANGE: All Florida coasts, Cuba and Hispaniola; not present in most Caribbean Islands or the Bahamas.
HABITAT: Largely coastal, but roams offshore at times.
DESCRIPTION: Dark above with silvery sides. Many spots, which are both yellow and brown. The body is proportionately deeper than with juvenile King Mackerel, and the yellow spots appear rounder and brighter, but if in doubt, the only true identifier is the lateral line, which tapers rather gently from front to back with no severe dip.
SIZE: Common at 1-3 pounds; not too unusual at 5-7 pounds; maximum potential over 10 pounds. World record 13 pounds; Florida record 12 pounds.
FOOD VALUE: If you like rich, rather dark fillets, they are great broiled or skinned and fried. Good smoked, too.
GAME QUALITIES: Outstanding on light tackle; very fast runs.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Spinning, baitcasting and fly outfits. Spinning is often best because the faster retrieve of a spinning reel is sometimes needed to move a lure at a pace that will interest the Mackerel. Best lures are small white nylon jigs and silver spoons, but many others work, including topwater at times. Flies should be small with lots of flash. Best baits are small silvery baitfish, live shrimp and drifted strips.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling.

OTHER NAMES: Cero Mackerel, Painted, Mackerel, Sierra, Pintada
RANGE: This is the common mackerel of the Bahamas and Caribbean Islands. Also plentiful seasonally in the Florida Keys and Southeast Florida. Straggles to other Florida areas.
HABITAT: Coral reefs and inshore patches and shoals. Ventures to deep blue water as well.
DESCRIPTION: Similar to the Spanish Mackerel, except that the marks take the form both of spots and of broken lines.
SIZE: Averages 1-5 pounds, but 10-pounders are not rare, and the maximum approaches 20 pounds. World record 17 pounds, 2 ounces; Florida record 15 pounds, 8 ounces.
FOOD VALUE: Very good. Lighter flesh than the Spanish Mackerel, but nearly as oily.
GAME QUALITIES: Outstanding; very fast runs.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Spinning, baitcasting and fly outfits. Spinning is often best because the faster retrieve of a spinning reel is sometimes needed to move a lure at a pace that will interest the Mackerel. Best lures are small white nylon jigs and silver spoons, but many others work, including topwaters at times. Flies should be small and with lots of flash. Best baits are small silvery baitfish, live shrimp and drifted strips.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling.

OTHER NAMES: Bonito, Tinker Mackerel
RANGE: Individually uncertain, but one or the other occurs throughout Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
HABITAT: The open seas, but often near deeper reefs.
DESCRIPTION: The Frigate Mackerel, shown here, and the Bullet Mackerel, Auxis rochei, are two similar species confused by scientists and unrecognized by many anglers, who generally pass them off as juvenile Little Tunny. They do have the wavy lines of Little Tunny on the posterior dorsal area, and one of the species also has dots under the pectoral fin as the Little Tunny does. The anterior and posterior dorsal fins are widely separated, however, on the Frigate Mackerel, and nearly touching on the Little Tunny. Another smaller member of the clan is the Chub Mackerel, Scomber japonicus, also known as Tinker Mackerel, distinguished by black spots along the side.
SIZE: Seldom eaten because of a general prejudice against eating "Bonitos" of any sort. Indeed, the flesh is dark but not bad when boiled and made into Tuna salad.
FOOD VALUE: Like other species of Tuna, they rank among the best battlers in their size group, mixing fast, zippy runs with as much pulling power as their small size allows.
GAME QUALITIES: When targeted (usually as bait for larger fish), the best outfit is a spinning rig with a small jig.
TACKLE AND BAITS: See Jack Crevalle.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Trolling.

OTHER NAMES: Giant Tuna, Horse Mackerel
RANGE: Historically, both sides of the Bahamas, plus Gulf of Mexico and, sporadically, the Caribbean. Occasional wayward schools would sweep past Southeast Florida in past years. Now scarce everywhere, a sport-fishery still exists in the Bahamas, primarily around Cat Cay and Bimini, but it is paltry compared to the years before commercial fishing ruined the stocks.
HABITAT: The deep sea.
DESCRIPTION: The best identifier is huge size, since small Bluefins have always been almost non-existent in Florida and the tropics. The massive body is dark blue above, shading to silvery on the lower sides. All fins and finlets are steely blue.
SIZE: In the past, runs in the Bahamas (and, unpredictably, in Florida waters) consisted of fish weighing from about 200 to 600 pounds. Presently, most run over 500 pounds and many push 900. The increase in average size is indicative of the declining stock. Giant Bluefins are in trouble worldwide. World record 1,496 pounds.
FOOD VALUE: Too good for its own good. The Giant Bluefin is one of the most desired species in Japan, and in sushi bars worldwide. Also excellent when cut into steaks and broiled.
GAME QUALITIES: A spirited fighter on light tackle. Makes faster runs than other Jacks, and sometimes jumps, too.
TACKLE AND BAITS: This is the toughest of all big-game fish to fight and land; has size, speed and stamina in boundless quantity. In classic Tuna fishing, the searching, chasing and baiting of the Tuna schools was as exciting as the fight, if not as punishing.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Trolling (by sight, if possible; blind-trolling in desperation).

OTHER NAMES: Allison Tuna, Ahi
RANGE: All Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
HABITAT: The open seas, but frequently near dropoffs.
DESCRIPTION: Distinguishing the Yellowfin Tuna from the Blackfin or Bigeye is sometimes difficult as many visual features are similar. Finlets of the Yellowfin are yellow, trimmed in black. Gold stripe along side. Light underside usually shows spots and/or wavy lines. Second dorsal and anal fins of very large individuals are elongated and lunate - a feature not found on any other Tuna.
SIZE: May run anywhere from a few pounds to more than 200 pounds. Maximum close to 400. World record 388 pounds, 12 ounces; Florida record 230 pounds.
FOOD VALUE: One of the best.
GAME QUALITIES: Second only to Bluefin Tuna, and only because of smaller size.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Heavy outfits are indicated - 50- or 80-pound. But light and medium ocean outfits are often used. Most are probably caught trolling with offshore trolling lures or rigged baits, but in certain areas the best approach is to anchor on a reef near deep blue water and bring in the fish by chumming with Pilchards or similar small baitfish. In that situation they can also be hooked by casting artificial lures with spinning, baitcasting and fly tackle - and landed, if the size is right and luck is with the angler.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling.

OTHER NAMES: Bermuda Tuna, Football
RANGE: All Florida, the Bahamas and Caribbean.
HABITAT: The open sea.
DESCRIPTION: Dark overall but with a bronze stripe down the side that can cause confusion with the more golden stripe of the Yellowfin Tuna. The finlets, however, are dark.
SIZE: Common from 2 to 20 pounds; exceeds 40 pounds. World record 45 pounds, 8 ounces; Florida record 38 pounds.
FOOD VALUE: Excellent.
GAME QUALITIES: Pound-for-pound, among the best.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Light classes of ocean tackle, plus spinning and baitcasting outfits. For trolling, choose small offshore lures, feathers, spoons, small rigged baits such as Ballyhoo and strips. Deep-diving plugs are also good. Blackfins also can be chummed with live Pilchards or similar small baitfish, and fished for with the same bait, or by casting. Best hard lures are white jigs, tied with bucktail or feathers to provide a larger profile. Flies should be similarly tied - to imitate size and color of the live chum.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling.

OTHER NAMES: Blue Bonito, False Albacore, Little Tuna
RANGE: All Florida coasts, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
HABITAT: All Florida coasts, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
DESCRIPTION: Wavy lines on back and spots around pectoral fin make this one easy to identifyÐbut it is well known anyway to nearly every angler who ventures very far from shore.
SIZE: Common anywhere from a couple of pounds to 15 pounds; exceeds 30 pounds. World record 35 pounds, 2 ounces; Florida record 27 pounds.
FOOD VALUE: Not highly valued in Florida, but very good when lighter meat is separated from the darker.
GAME QUALITIES: Outstanding battler on light tackle.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Schools can often be approached and cast to with jigs, spoons and small plugs. They can be moody and selective, however, so you may have to try various baits and retrieves. Also a good fish for fly casters - with same advice. Often caught from piers on the Atlantic Coast and Panhandle, usually with tackle of surf dimensions. Trollers take them on everything from offshore lures and rigged Ballyhoo or Cigar Minnows to small feathers.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Trolling.

OTHER NAMES: Northern Bonito, Katonotel, Boston Mackerel
RANGE: A temperate species, not common in most of Florida but often seen along both the upper Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. A temperate species, not common in most of Florida but often seen along both the upper Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.
HABITAT: The open sea, but roams to the beaches.
DESCRIPTION: Differs from Little Tunny (previous) in having a series of wavy lines along upper half of body, and no spots on lower half. Additionally, its two dorsal fins are not divided.
SIZE: Averages 4-10 pounds; maximum is possibly 20. World record 18 pounds, 4 ounces.
FOOD VALUE: Not well regarded but good.
GAME QUALITIES: Like other Tunas, an excellent fighter.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Usually overmatched with ocean trolling gear, but a great target, when the opportunity arises, for light casting tackle. Eagerly hits spoons, jigs and streamer flies, and also live fish and strip baits.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Casting; Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling.

OTHER NAMES: Longfin Tuna
RANGE: Sometimes caught in deep waters off the Florida Gulf and Northern Atlantic Coasts. Said to occur throughout the tropics, but is nevertheless also uncommon in the Bahamas and Caribbean. Obviously prefers cooler waters.
HABITAT: The open sea.
DESCRIPTION: The easiest Tuna to identify because of its extra-long pectoral fins, and because the trailing edge of the tail is white. Unfortunately, these indicators are seldom put to use in this area, where the Albacore is the rarest Tuna.
SIZE: Usually 10-50 pounds; sometimes exceeds 80. World record 88 pounds, 2 ounces.
FOOD VALUE: White, relatively tasteless flesh makes it less of a treat than other Tunas, although it's priced higher when bought from supermarkets in cans.
GAME QUALITIES: An outstanding battler, even among the hard-fighting Tuna clan.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Same as for Blackfins.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Trolling.

OTHER NAMES: Oceanic Bonito, Arctic Bonito, Striped Tuna, Watermelon
RANGE: All Florida coasts, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
HABITAT: The deep sea.
DESCRIPTION: Horizontal stripes on lower half of body distinguishes it from others of its clan.
SIZE: Common at 2-10 pounds; often exceeds 15 pounds. World record 45 pounds, 4 ounces; Florida record 31 pounds, 8 ounces.
FOOD VALUE: Dark flesh; good but not to most tastes.
GAME QUALITIES: A terrific light-tackle battler.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Any kind of casting tackle, small jigs, plugs and flies. If trolling, small feathers and spoons are best.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Trolling.

RANGE: Uncommon but present off all Florida coasts, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
HABITAT: The open sea. As the bigeye proves, it stays deep most of the time and so may not be as rare as as the low number of angling encounters would indicate.
DESCRIPTION: Confusingly similar in looks to the Yellowfin TunaÐeven down to the yellow inlets edged in black. The gold stripe common to the Yellowfin is usually absent, but may be dimly present. The eye is indeed larger, but this might not be readily apparent without a side-by-side comparison. A scientist might have to examine the liver to be perfectly sure of identification with some specimens, but anglers seldom have to worry, simply because the Bigeye is a rare catch, whereas the Yellowfin is common in many areas.
SIZE: About the same range as the Yellowfin - from a few pounds to more than 300, but most taken off Florida have run 50-100 pounds. World record 435 pounds; Florida record 167 pounds.
FOOD VALUE: Excellent.
GAME QUALITIES: A good-sized Tuna. Enough said.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Not targeted but sometimes hits trolled lures or shows up in a chumline; see Yellowfin Tuna.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling.