# Trolling for Spanish Mackerel



## MajorMaes (Apr 17, 2019)

I'm wanting to start targeting Spanish Mackerel this spring and was wondering if anyone can recommend what planners to use and ideal speed to troll. Looking at fishing nearshore around St. Simons and Jekyll


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## Rabun (Apr 18, 2019)

I don't fish the GA coast much, but in NW Florida for spanish I use a #1 planner dragging a clarkspoon at about 3.5 mph.  I'll also drag an unweighted mackerel tree above and behind the planner lines.


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## dank1296 (Apr 18, 2019)

I like trolling a yozuri deep diver 2-3 mph gets down about 10 feet. They like that off the Bama coast and may get lucky on a king mackerel


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## Scallen2112 (Apr 19, 2019)

Really no bigger than a #1 on planers for "near shore". 3 miles off shore here is still only 25' at the deepest.


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## Cumberlandjg (Apr 19, 2019)

How far off say st simons Island or Cumberland would you need to troll in? How deep?


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## Scallen2112 (Apr 21, 2019)

Cumberlandjg said:


> How far off say st simons Island or Cumberland would you need to troll in? How deep?



I've caught them less than a mile from the island. I always take a spinning rig and some plugs and grubs with me when I go out shark or tarpon fishing, and cast for spanish while my big live baits are out. In say 20ft of water, I have always gotten them in the upper ten feet or less. I've never gotten one near the bottom on live bait, but I've had them bite the live pogies in half fishing 5-6 under a float, and gotten them casting plugs and such that run 5-8 feet down.

I can't tell you about further out, because I haven't fished for them past 3-4 miles.


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## Uptonongood (Apr 26, 2019)

Spanish mackerel will come all of the way into St. Simons Sound if salinity is high enough during periods of low freshwater runoff.


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## MajorMaes (Apr 26, 2019)

Uptonongood said:


> Spanish mackerel will come all of the way into St. Simons Sound if salinity is high enough during periods of low freshwater runoff.


The other night they were catching them off the pier. Haven't tried yet since the flounder and sea trout bite has been amazing this week


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