Kings vs. Spanish: What’s the difference? Why you should care?

Every year, a few fishermen get into trouble because they can’t tell the difference between Spanish mackerel and small, spring kings.

Fishermen often call these smaller kings “snakes,” but they can be approximately the same size as larger Spanish mackerel. A problem may arise when anglers think they’re working on a daily limit of 15 Spanish, but they’ve actually got several kings in their cooler, with the daily limit on kings only three fish.

The size minimum for Spanish and kings creates another problem. Spanish must be 12 inches long, fork length; kings must be 24 inches, fork length.

If you can’t tell the difference, you might wind up with a limit of what you think are Spanish but actually includes a couple of undersized kings. When you get back to the dock, an officer with the Marine Patrol examines your catch and informs you that you’re about to have a “fine” old time.

The major appearance differences between Spanish and king mackerel include:

• Spaniards have light-green backs and silvery sides marked by three rows of prominent yellow to yellowish-brown ovals. The first dorsal spine is black and the lateral line gradually slopes from the top edge of the gill to the tail.

• King mackerel have a colorless, first dorsal spine that’s folded down, not sticking up. The top of a king’s back may be dark olive, gray or even black, fading to silver on the sides. A king’s belly is white. Young kings may have small, yellowish-brown side spots, which sometimes causes confusion. The determining factor is that a king’s lateral line makes a major dip before moving along its sides toward its tail, unlike the almost-straight lateral line of a Spanish.