MACKEREL, NARROW BARRED

Description:

The great Spanish Mackerel is probably the most sought after of the Mackerels and is by far the largest of the Australian Mackerel.

How To Identify:

Narrow Barred Mackerel are the largest of the Australian Mackerel species. They have an elongated body with pointed noses and mouth full of very sharp teeth. Narrow Barred Mackerel are a brilliant iridescent blue green above the lateral line with shimmers of purple or violet. They have a numerous thin wavy vertical lines that increases as the fish grows. Narrow Barred Mackerel grow to nearly 60kgs.

How To Catch:

All Mackerel are great fun to catch and are excellent for the table, especially when fresh and when caught they are quickly bleed and put on a slurry of ice (which is really good for all fish that you are keeping to eat). Mackerel readily take trolled lures of minnow, feather jigs, metal lures and skirted lures. Live baits are another excellent way to catch all Mackerel. Mackerel can be come a common catch when reef fishing by 'floating' an unweighted pilchard or live bait out the back of the boat while bottom bouncing.

Where Found:

Narrow Barred Mackerel are found in the tropic and warm temperate waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. In Australia they follow the warmer currents down both the eastern and western sides of Australia (and throughout the top). In the east they go down as far as Montague Island off New South Wales and to about Perth in Western Australia. The larger fish tend not to school up as much as other Mackerel species, and generally can be found in schools of 2 or 3 (very large specimens can often be loners), where they will patrol a reef edge or bommie.

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