# experts???



## tommy261 (May 3, 2006)

Here are a few pics from tuesday, slow day but here is my ? for the 2 coolers... I ended up with 4 sp. macks 1 trout and 1 ling... As I got back to the boat ramp at texas city the game warden pulled up to check me... This is the same game warden that checked me 2 weeks ago... Are these sp. macks or Kingfish... The only reason I am asking is that he told me that I had 2 undersized kingfish out of the 4 (sp. macks) ... I asked how to tell the diff of these four fish... he said the lateral line has a drastic drop... I told him I am not doubting his word but I think all four of the fish look identical; as far as the lat line drop.. He then stated that it was no big deal alot of people make this mistake and then he left...That was the only thing he checked... Dont get me wrong he is a super nice guy I just dont want to mistake any fish... I have caught many sp. macks and kingfish, and never seem to be confused about identifying the two... Sorry about the pics but what do yall think?????? Tommy261


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## jeff.w (Jan 22, 2006)

I see 4 smacks, a fat trout and a nice ling.


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## 007 (Mar 11, 2008)

jeff.w said:


> I see 4 smacks, a fat trout and a nice ling.


Me too!!


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## txpoboy (Feb 27, 2008)

Nice!


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## Mudwhistle (Apr 29, 2008)

Kingfish? LOL what is that guy smokin.


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## boashna (May 28, 2004)

no big deal at $300 a fish .. what was he on... make sure you take it to jury and not a judge or you will pay the $600 fine. ..


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## tommy261 (May 3, 2006)

*no big deal*

I am sorry I forgot to mention that I did not get a ticket, he said he was just letting me know...


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## 007 (Mar 11, 2008)

tommy261 said:


> I am sorry I forgot to mention that I did not get a ticket, he said he was just letting me know...


Yeah!! He was letting you know that he doesn't know the difference between a king and a smack!!


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## reelthreat (Jul 11, 2006)

I think he made a mistake them tried to say it was no big deal... it boils down to tooooooo much pride.


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## mako17 (Jul 30, 2007)

Little kings can have the spots, but I have never seen them that strongly yellow. The only thing is, the lateral line on the kings is supposed to be all over the place but Smacks are smoother. The bottom two fish have lateral lines that look kingfishy to me, but not the coloring.

This was from an online ID guide:

*Spanish Mackerel Description:* Spanish Mackerel are probably the brightest colored of the mackeral having a green back, shading to silver on sides, golden yellow irregular spots above and below lateral line. The front of dorsal fin is black and the lateral line curves gently to base of tail. Alot _of people confuse spanish and juvenile kingfish and the positive way to identify a spanish is by their lateral line which does not dip strongly like the king mackerel._


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## seabo (Jun 29, 2006)

you really need to know your game, cause they will write you up then you have to prove! it happened to me , game warden tryed to say was in poss of pintail hen it was a gadwall hen me and my buddies had to tell him the diff. i notice before he left he had 3 gadwal hens in his boat, probly wrote three tickets to, poor guys! NICE SMACKS!! AND LING!


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## steveh (Oct 13, 2005)

*Kingfish*

Crack kills!


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## tommy261 (May 3, 2006)

*north jetty*

These fish were caught at the north jetty, and I know there are kings caught there a lot. I have caught a 32 lb king at the south jetty. Just before the sp. macks were caught there was a big school of sp. macks jumping just beyond our lures... shortly after the fish were in the boat... I have caught small kings trolling that had very faint spots, almost a light brown color never a bright yellow... I think if I would of had 2 kings undersize I would have probably got a big fat ticket...


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## Bayscout22 (Aug 9, 2007)

Definitely smacks.


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## The Machine (Jun 4, 2007)

nice fish


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## Capt. Juarez (Jun 20, 2008)

*ILLEGAL*

breakin the law, breaking the law, breaking the law, breaking the law


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## tommy261 (May 3, 2006)

*phone call*

Hey Brent I tried to call you on my cell phone, to let you know that I was on the water....lol...lol...


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## Hendu3270 (Oct 2, 2006)

Look like Smacks to me. Here's a pic (not mine) that shows the lateral line of a Kingfish. It does have a drop in the line and I see nothing THAT drastic in your fish.


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## Cajuncranker (Jul 26, 2006)

You sure that guy was a game warden? Sounds ungame warden-like to me. . . he didn't know a king from a smack . . . then, didn't give you a ticket for having "two undersize kings" . . . . .hmmm.


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## LPKENNER (Apr 26, 2006)

HEY TOMMY, WAS IS CHAMBERS AND HIS BUDDY WHO STOPPED YOU? IVE HAD A FEW RUN IN'S WITH HIM


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## seattleman1969 (Jul 17, 2008)

Here's an even better question from a jetty newb, how do you target smacks? My wife is Filipina and she loves ANY kind of mackerel, so knowing how to catch them would make her happy as a pig in the proverbial poo!


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## jhfishersofmen (Apr 14, 2006)

*Fish ID*

Yeah i can see the confusion that you are talking about, but the two top smacks do have a drop in the lateral line much like a king, but also there yellow spots are very bright so i have a reason to believe that they are all smacks. For now on i think if i see something like this i am throwing them back, knowing my luck i want get a game warden as nice as he was.


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## txfishbait (Jun 21, 2007)

For the same length, Smacks USUALLY have more girth than a small king.


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## Cajuncranker (Jul 26, 2006)

I have done really well catching smacks using a silver spoon in the surf. Also, shrimp under popping cork. Just make sure to use steal leader, cuase those guys destroy mono. First time I got into a school, my mono got shorter and short . . . changed over, and started pulling smacks out on every cast. good luck!



seattleman1969 said:


> Here's an even better question from a jetty newb, how do you target smacks? My wife is Filipina and she loves ANY kind of mackerel, so knowing how to catch them would make her happy as a pig in the proverbial poo!


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## Bayscout22 (Aug 9, 2007)

Capt. Juarez said:


> breakin the law, breaking the law, breaking the law, breaking the law


Nice Judas Priest reference!


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## pkpaul (Jun 18, 2008)

How about this one for a musical reference, 'I fought the law and the law won"

I don't think that when they pin that badge on you in Austin automatically makes you "all knowing"

Seems the warden was taking the "high road" and just advising they don't have to write tickets for every infraction.

None of you have ever made an honest mistake? I guess y'all live in glass houses also, I heard Dr. errrr cpt. Mickey does.

*SUPPORT your local CCA*


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## Capt. Juarez (Jun 20, 2008)

Hey now that was mean. LOL Just my luck you know



tommy261 said:


> Hey Brent I tried to call you on my cell phone, to let you know that I was on the water....lol...lol...


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## FALCO (Aug 25, 2005)

its easy to tell the difference lift up the dorsal fin and if the front part is black then its a smack its not black then its a king simple as that.


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## spitfire (Jan 2, 2007)

How could anyone confuse the two?


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

spitfire said:


> How could anyone confuse the two?


Pretty easy to do actually ... the lateral line is one of the biggest indicators ... pop quiz ... juvy king or smack ... ?

Take a closer look at the lateral line ...


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## boashna (May 28, 2004)

seattleman1969 said:


> Here's an even better question from a jetty newb, how do you target smacks? My wife is Filipina and she loves ANY kind of mackerel, so knowing how to catch them would make her happy as a pig in the proverbial poo!


If you ever have your line pulled a little and lost your leader, it is the Spanish Mack doing it and you need to use black swivel and not silver color . 

to catch the Spanish mack use a silver spoon and move it in the water and pick up speed as they like it fast . it you hook up but get disconnected use a larger spoon they can be caught during summer at either jetty.


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## Lagunar boy aka Josh (Mar 8, 2007)

I see dinner!


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## seattleman1969 (Jul 17, 2008)

boashna said:


> If you ever have your line pulled a little and lost your leader, it is the Spanish Mack doing it and you need to use black swivel and not silver color .
> 
> to catch the Spanish mack use a silver spoon and move it in the water and pick up speed as they like it fast . it you hook up but get disconnected use a larger spoon they can be caught during summer at either jetty.


So if you are using a silver swivel, you are saying they will hit the swivel? Interesting! I have had that happen and figured I just didn't tie the knot well enough.


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## bioman (Jul 6, 2005)

we see kings with spots all the time, number one looks like a king lateral line but i would have to be looking at it, anytime that line takes a dip like that they are going to say kingfish


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## tommy261 (May 3, 2006)

*sp. macks/kings*

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/publications/southern_mackerel_ident_2_120406.pdf
This may help someone out... I called the game warden in austin and he said that a king will lose the coloration of spots upon death... Also the spanish mack will have a black area on the front dorsal fin which a kingfish does not have the black area... One more that he said was that a sp. macks pectoral fin will be smooth at the base, a king and cero mack will have scales at the base of the pectoral. Here is a web site that was given to me to look at.. Tommy261


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## Bueno Suerte (Jun 27, 2004)

*King Mackerel*









*Family Scombridae, MACKERELS and TUNAS
Scomberomorous cavalla
*_Illustrations and Copyright by Diane Rome Peebles
Il__lustrations are for viewing purposes only. _

*Description:* color of back iridescent bluish green; sides silvery, streamlined body with tapered head; *no black pigment on front of dorsal fin*; lateral line starts high and drops sharply below the second dorsal fin; young fish often have yellow spots like those of the Spanish mackerel.

*Spanish Mackerel*









*Family Scombridae, MACKERELS and TUNAS
Scomberomorous maculatus
*_Illustrations and Copyright by Diane Rome Peebles
Il__lustrations are for viewing purposes only. _

*Description:* color of back green, shading to silver on sides, golden yellow irregular spots above and below lateral line; *front of dorsal fin black*; lateral line curves gently to base of tail.


Hope this helps.


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## Fecster (Sep 26, 2007)

I don't care for either of them but it was a great and informative thread.Thanks.


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## haparks (Apr 12, 2006)

u the man i lost my ling


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