On both sides of the North Caroliia-South Carolina border, anglers reported that 2011 was one of the best years on record for catching Spanish mackerel.
“Last year was as good as everybody says it was,” said Capt. Ed Elliott of Little River’s Lucky Strike Charters. “It was all you could catch and keep.”
Capt. David Cutler of Lowcountry Fishing Charters said he feels like the low numbers of king mackerel in nearshore waters and the high numbers of Spanish was not a coincidence.
“Last year, Spanish mackerel fishing was as good as I’ve ever seen it,” said Cutler. “I’d say I caught 2,500. We averaged 40 or 50 a trip, and I probably took 50 trips for Spanish.
“The thing is, the king mackerel didn’t come inshore; they stayed in 100 feet of water all summer. They never came to the beach until September, when the Spanish left. There wasn’t a strong predator base, and a king will eat a Spanish mackerel in a minute.”
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