Awesome Jumpimg Mackeral

[Jack_Lives_Here]

Was chasing the tuna around the northern part of the bay on Tuesday morning when myself and my deckie for the day, watched as a BIG mack come WAY out of the water, through a school of small bonito. 8)We were idling up the school trying to get a shot at some of the bigger fish in the middle. Seriously, we both counted 4 seconds that it was air born. The thing was HUGE. We were close enough to identify it as a Spaniard (not long enough in the snout for a wahoo) and 5 feet + long. The thing was a foot deep in the belly. Would have needed some serious gear to stop this one.

I've had mates tell me about spaniards down the south coast doing this but always put it down to too many brown lemonades on their part.

Anyone else witnesses this type of thing before??

Are Spaniards common on the bay??

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

i've seen wahoo leap around flat rock & it is awesome but heres a thought...

Fish normally only leap when they are being chased ...
what else was down there big enough to spook a 5ft spaniard.

chris

[krazyfisher]

a 14ft+ shark would give a spanish a spook I have had what I guess 4ft + mackeral taken by sharks.

[bunyip]

ive seen it on 2 occasions at hutchies,both times the spaniards were fairly big.ive read somewhere that they jump to rid themselves of parasites on their skin.
i have some exelent video footage of a freind(in my boat)catch a 23.4kg spaniard at the curtin.before that i had never heard of spaniards in the bay.

[jack_attack]

I have seen it a few times as well. The first time, we were travelling towards Gilligans Island at the bottom end of Bribie, when 4 huge Mackerel exploded from the water within 50m of our boat.

They lept very high, one at a time and the whole show was over in a matter of 4-5 seconds.

They too, looked to be about a foot deep at the shoulders. Incredible fish.

The next few times we have seen them were individual fish and they were on the southern side of Gilligans where the deep hole/channel is. We have seen them quite often in there while we have been fishing for spotties.

I am not sure if it was on an old Harro vid or a Malcolm Florence vid where I saw this, but which ever one it was, has an excellent bit of footage of a Mackerel hitting a surface lure at pace. The height it gets on the vid is some what like what we have seen around the southern end of Bribie.

After seeing that footage I have always presumed they did this aerial thing whilst feeding on surface fish/bait.

[mackmauler]

For some reason Big spaniards jumping seems to be mainly in the bays, ive seen them in wide bay, hervey and moreton, and up around the whitsundays they often jump into tenders while chasn gar. Cleaning up the spotties in the bay atm only 50 or so today, no nets in sight.

[Jack_Lives_Here]

This fish came up thru a school of 6" long bonito - so would assume it was feeding. Seen a few small sharks feeding alongside tuna and eagle rays on the same day.

[Rev]

I've been fortunate enough to see this maybe 10 times or so.

Fishing around the Northern Territory in places like Nhulunbuy, Wessell Islands, Maningrida, Bathurst Island and Melville Island, this is not an uncommon sight.

Twice, I've been lucky enough to see a leaping Mackerel, clearing the water by at least 2 to 3 metres with my lure in its mouth.

So, I could definitely say they are feeding not running from anything.

Every time I see this I'm just as awestruck as before, it is an amazing sight.

Rev.

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

this post brings back memories of a story in the courier mail a few years back about a bloke that got speared between the bones of his forearm by the beak of a large long tom that decided to leap across his tinnie
# OUCH !!!

[scottem]

years ago in a fishing mag there was a story about a guy fishing off coburg peninsula that got hit on the side of the face by a macks teeth.it said it opened up his cheek.we all know what those teeth could be capable of.i have see macks jump some in singles some in big numbers,it was in a few places on the west coast.all open water,out of onslow,broome and a couple of reefs off the kimberly coast.if you see them close remember to duck your head.
cheers scotty

[Jack_Lives_Here]

Yeh I reckon if they landed in the boat it would be "feet up toes in" big time.

We watched a pod of dolphins hunting in the same area. Haven't they got a turn of speed!!!!

[Smithy]

I don't know about this being just a bays thing, I have seen them jump at places like Outer Rock at 1770 and Boult Reef on the GBR. Was it Wildfish that had that awesome footage of Spaniards jumping on a dead calm ocean and going straight up and about 20ft high? The one that hit my pusher lure at Boult came from underneath and had it in its mouth for the duration of the jump yet once it landed we missed the hookup and the drag didn't even go, just a slight movement in the rod tip. I have had some mates troll high speed lead hed pushers on the western side of Fraser Island and they have landed a Spaniard that bomb dived a lure on its downward descent so they must have awesome sight and co-ordination.

[dazza]

Hi All,
we see heaps of big spaniards jumping around in the torres strait. some fish seem to just jump for no real reason others feeding. the only hooked ones that we have had jump have a 12 foot plus tiger shark up their clackers. makes for very spectacular fishing.
cheers
dazza

[tideline_two]

just joined .i;m from the east coast of the usa. our king mackrel are very similar to yall's spanish mackrels. our kings "skyrocket" a lot especially when we are fishing live bait slow trolling.awesome sight looking up at a 4o+ king 10 feet in the air and heading down on your bait.and if we see 'em free jumping on bait you can bet we fish there !

[Jack_Lives_Here]

Hey John. Welcome to the site. This fish I saw seemed to have it choreographed. I'd just put the bloody camera away after taking some picks of the dolphins hunting - BUGGER!