Atlantic horse mackerel · fishing, baits & best season

Overview

Very common gregarious pelagic fish in the Mediterranean. Fast and combative, excellent live bait for predators.

Identification

Body

Elongated and laterally compressed body with a forked tail fin.

Colouration

Blue-green back, silver sides, and white belly with reflective scales.

Sexual dimorphism

Absent/not noticeable.

Growth

Medium, reaches maturity in a few years.

Taxonomy

Family

Carangidae

Order

Carangiformes

Class

Actinopterygii

Related species

Habitat & distribution

Environment

Coast, Open sea, Reefs

Preferred bottom

Sand, Rock, Gravel

Geographic distribution

Wide distribution in the Mediterranean, Northeast Atlantic from Norway to Senegal, and the Black Sea.

Micro-habitat

Often found in open waters near the coast and over mixed seabeds.

Prefers well-oxygenated and nutrient-rich waters.

Presence by sea area

Diet

Primary prey

small crabs, shrimp, annelids

Secondary prey

small cephalopods, fish larvae, plankton

Occasional prey

other small fish, fish eggs

Feeding behaviour

Gregarious and active predator, hunts in groups by quickly darting at schools of prey.

Natural predators

tuna, bass, bonito, dolphins

Opportunistic feeder, focuses on abundant organisms.

Behaviour

Activity

diurnal

Social behaviour

large_schools

Aggressiveness

low

Migration

Performs seasonal migrations for breeding and feeding.

Seasonal behaviour

Approaches coastal areas during warm seasons and forms large schools.

Juveniles

Young form dense schools for protection and hunting in the upper layers of water.

Adults

Adults can form large schools and migrate depending on food availability.

Reproduction

Spawning season

May, June, July

Spawning depth

between 20 and 60 meters

Eggs

Pelagic, small, and transparent eggs.

Larval stage

Larvae are planktonic and gradually develop pigmentation and adult features.

Sexual maturity

Varies between 2 and 4 years

When to catch Atlantic horse mackerel

This species shows peak fishing activity in summer and autumn, when the productivity index (FPI) reaches its highest values.

Fishing activity decreases in winter, when conditions are less favourable.

Ideal conditions

Where to catch it

Best spots

Fishing techniques

Recommended

Other applicable

Recommended baits

Baits by pressure

How to really catch it

The Atlantic horse mackerel is a sleek schooling pelagic fish, with a streamlined body, large eye, and a marked lateral line that flashes as soon as light touches it. When it pushes close to shore in the warm season, a stretch of water that looks empty can suddenly come alive with fast chases and abrupt strikes.

🐟 Good to know

Horse mackerel eggs are pelagic, small, and transparent, and the larvae also live as plankton before gradually developing pigmentation and adult features. It is a revealing detail: this is a species built to live suspended in the water column from its earliest life stages.

🌊 Where & when

You find it in the Mediterranean, the Northeast Atlantic, and the Black Sea, in open coastal waters, near reefs, along rocky edges, and over mixed bottoms of sand, rock, or gravel, from 20 meters down to much greater depths. It becomes more approachable from June to November, especially in the warm season when it moves closer inshore and forms large schools; from May to July it spawns between 20 and 60 meters.

🎣 How to really catch it

To catch it for real, light bottom fishing is the most concrete approach: picture the boat drifting over clean water, a thin fluorocarbon leader, small hooks, and a simple bait such as live shrimp, a strip of squid, or a piece of sardine working just above the bottom or through the layer where the school is moving. With a fast 2.40-3.00 m rod, 0.20-0.30 mm main line, and 5-15 g weights, the take comes sharp, nervous, and sideways.

💡 The detail that makes the difference

The practical edge is not to stay glued to the bottom if the school does not answer at once. Horse mackerel hunt in groups through the water column and feed on shrimp, fish larvae, and other small pelagic prey: around rocky ledges, harbor mouths, or open coastal water, work the bait slightly lifted as well and repeat tidy passes through the same layer, because the fish is often there rather than deeper.

Catch & handling tips

Fight

Combative and responsive, makes quick jerky pulls and tries to swim sideways.

Handling

Use a wet cloth to avoid damaging the scales when handling.

Release

Release gently back into the water quickly to reduce animal stress.

Curiosities & culture

Record catches

Maximum documented size: up to about 70 cm and 2 kg (source: FishBase). IGFA All-Tackle record: 8.16 kg (18 lb), set in 1990.

In the kitchen

Widely used in fish soups and mixed fry, popular in Mediterranean cuisine.

Cultural notes

In popular culture, the sugarello is often used as a symbol of marine abundance.

Historical notes

Historically, mackerel have been caught with traditional methods like traps and trawl nets.

Fishing guides for this species