Scomberomorus commerson

The Spanish mackerel is a coastal pelagic enjoying warm waters. It can be found anywhere, on the reef or about fifty meters upstream, in the blue.

It is present all year round, with a higher probability of February to July, period of the big solitary individuals.

It can be encountered at any time, including mid-day, more rarely after 17.00, and almost always with current. It usually appears under your fins or in your back and you must act quickly with composure. The Spanish mackerel is not bothered by murky water.

The ideal is to hunt it by drifting, with a drop about a hundred meters from the obstacle. You have to get in position and, if there, it will appear. Avoid desperate shots. If the tengiri is on zone, you can have a second opportunity, and you will be better prepared. The shot is often from top to bottom, diagonally. Suffice to say that you have to be accurate, which is not easy with a slip-tip. Get close.

The Tengiri can be hunted with a floatline rig or a reel, but it requires 100m of line and more for fish over 15-20kg if the place is deep. The slip-tip is really a plus because of the speed of the rush. With a conventional barbed shaft aim at the center, between the dorsal and the anal fins.

In recent years I have noticed that tengiri were getting more more suspicious of floatlines than in the past.

It is a fish that comes willingly to flasher, and that can to some extent be chased like its cousin the wahoo.

The Spanish mackerel is delicious raw or cooked but also a fish threatened by commercial overfishing. It is probably one of the best catches of Indonesian waters. Be careful, however, of the presence of parasites in the abdominal area. Take them out and even better, freeze it before slicing it for carpaccio or ceviche.