Where and when to catch Spanish Mackerel in New South Wales: the NSW season, the spots in our guide that hold them, and where to find NSW's current size and bag limits.
NSW limits for Spanish Mackerel are set by NSW DPIRD and change from time to time, so we link them rather than copy them.
Check NSW DPIRD's limits before you fish.
Western Australian limits don't apply in New South Wales.
Whole gar on a wire-trace gang, slimy mackerel, fresh pilchards, live yakka or mulie
Lures
Halco Laser Pro 190, deep-diving hard-bodies, Halco Twisty 30–60g, large skirted trolling lures, slow-pitch jigs
Rigs
Wire trace is non-negotiable — 60–80lb single-strand or 7-strand, 40–60cm, run to a 6/0–8/0 single hook plus a stinger treble for trolled baits. For lures, a short wire bite tippet under a 60–80lb mono leader. Single-hook setups for live baits, gang hooks for whole pilchards or gar.
Technique
Troll skirts and deep-divers along the outer reef line at 6–8 knots, looking for bait shows on the sounder and bird activity above. When fish are holding on a particular bommie, switch to drifting live baits or slow-pitch jigs. They often follow a hooked fish to the boat, so have a second rod ready with a pitch bait. Land-based, cast metals into the current sweep at high tide. Keep retrieves fast — Spanish run down their prey.
Identification
Also known asSpaniard, narrow-barred Spanish mackerel
Long, steel-blue over silver, with wavy vertical grey bars that break up and fade as the fish gets bigger, and a mouth of fine, razor-sharp triangular teeth. The diagnostic is the lateral line: on a Spaniard it drops abruptly downward beneath the second dorsal fin. Shark mackerel have two lateral lines and an ammonia smell. Spotted mackerel carry round dark spots instead of bars and stay much smaller. Grey mackerel are blotchy and lack the sharp lateral-line drop. Wahoo look similar at a glance but have a longer, beakier snout and a long, low dorsal running most of the back.
Eating Quality
Yes — Spanish mackerel is excellent eating, provided it is bled and iced the moment it comes over the gunwale; the flesh oxidises fast in tropical heat and a poorly handled fish goes soft, grey and strong. Handled well you get firm, dense, pink-grey flesh that cooks up white and cuts naturally into steaks and cutlets. Grill or barbecue the steaks hot and fast, hot-smoke the belly flaps, or take sashimi off a very fresh fish. It carries a curry better than most. Mid-sized fish eat better than trophies, which run stronger and drier. Larger Spanish from northern waters carry a small but genuine ciguatera risk, so locals tend to keep the mid-sized ones. It freezes acceptably vac-sealed, though the flavour turns strong within a couple of months.