Item 1: Pink and whites are good for catching Spanish. But they weren't hitting my lure! The guy *RIGHT NEXT TO ME* had 3 on the beach. He was throwing a gold. So I switched to a gold. Still no hits. And the guy *RIGHT NEXT TO ME* had 2 more! So I watched his retrieve. He was jigging it a little. So I started jigging it a little. Still no hits. And the guy *RIGHT NEXT TO ME* had another! So I checked his gear against mine: 9' rod? Uh huh. Light line? Uh huh. 3.2+:1 gear ratio? Uh huh. So what's going on??? Still no hits. And the guy *RIGHT NEXT TO ME* had another! Item 2: The Spanish were jumping. Several fishermen were casting and not hooking up. I watched what they were doing. I watched what they were using: Pink and whites, red and whites, golds, silvers - none were working. I looked in the water and saw that the bait fish the Spanish were chasing were very small (1.5" - 2"). So I put on a very small single hook lure and caught 2 while everybody else stood there wondering what I was doing! There's no counting for the attack behavior of Spanish on artificial lures. Spanish are generally fast-swimming top feeders. They are a long, toothy, forked-tail fish. They will push the bait to the surface and feed from underneath. The generally accepted method for catching Spanish on artificial lures is to cast a small piece of painted lead as far as you can and retrieve it as fast as you can. Sometimes a "hurky-jerky" jigging motion will ellicit an attack. Sometimes a straight fast retrieve will invoke the attack. When I first began fishing for them, a shiny green and silver lead lure (affectionately referred to as a "butter-bean" for its shape) was the hot lure. But then just 2 years later, a long skinny 1.75 to 2.25 oz. pink and white lure gained acceptance. But Spanish are finicky! There are days when size is the matter. There are days when only greens will catch them. Then there are days anything you throw will get their undivided attention. Also, fishing from piers is different than fishing from the surf. From piers, light weight jerk-jiggers seem to work best. And while in the surf, combinations of either red- or pink- and white work best, from piers, greens and yellows are the preferred colors. Spanish Mackerel Spanish mackerel are a southern relative of the common, or Boston mackerel. They generally range in size anywhere from 1 lb. up to 7 lbs. Their range is from the gulf to the Chesapeake Bay. Unlike their northern brethren, whose flesh is oily and "fishy" tasting, Spanish provide a light white delicate- flavored meat. Spanish are a schooling fish. They will run with bluefish and jacks of all sorts. In the summer, pods will surface anywhere in in-shore waters between the continental shelf and the beach where conditions meet their approval. They like clear warm (75 degrees +) water. Standard shore techniques call for a light 8' - 10' rod with an open-faced reel capable of holding 250 yds. of 8 - 10 lb. test line. Although Spanish are toothy and can bite through the running line, a metal leader is discouraged because Spanish are also very wary and can spot the metal leader in the water. The metal leader also detracts from the action of the lure. Tie a 1.75 - 2.25 oz. lure directly to the running line. A variety of different lure colors are recommended including the ones mentioned above: pink and whites, red and whites, golds, and greens. Spanish can also be taken on live bait. The technique varies as a function of region. At Hatteras, the finger mullet move out of the salt creeks and sounds to the inlets on the first sharp cold fronts of the fall (mid-late Sept. - early Oct.). The Spanish will just "hang out" at the mouths of the inlets waiting for them. The finger mullet will come through close to the beach in large pods that can be easily caught in cast nets. It's fun to watch them flutter and flurry when a predator comes charging through them. The standard live bait rig consists of a #4 short shank tobacco hook attached to an 8" length of 40 lb. tobacco colored single strand wire leader using a haywire twist. The other end of the leader is attached (using a haywire twist) to a #2 dark swivel which is then tied to the running line. A 9' rod with open-spool reel and light line completes the rig. The strategy calls for hooking the live bait on top, behind the dorsel fin. The object is to have the bait look as natural as possible and to have the bait swim *AWAY* from you. Cast the bait out into an area where the pods of baitfish move through, and leave the reel bail open so that the bait can swim. The Spanish will attack the bait from underneath with a hard jolt, but won't take the bait. It requires strong discipline to refrain from attempting to set the hook at this stage. The Spanish will swim around the wounded bait until it is sure that competition has been driven off and to make sure its target is sufficiently wounded. The Spanish will then lightly pick up the bait in its mouth and swim off. Keep the bail open and allow the Spanish to swim with the bait for several counts before slamming down the bail and setting the hook. This is a highly seasonal, very delicate but very fun method of fishing for Spanish. There is no bad way of cooking Spanish. They are an excellent tasting fish. Some of my personal favorite methods are hot-smoking, cooking over an open fire, or just plain deep-frying.