King Mackerel and Cero Mackerel
We had a short trip today, but we managed to catch some nice fish. Fishing on and along the Reef we put together a catch of some nice Mackerel. We got two big King Mackerel, or Kingfish as they are called locally. Kingfish strike hard and are strong, fast, and powerful swimmers. Always a lot of fun to catch. I have caught them up to 56 lbs so they can get quite large, but anything close to 20lbs is considered a nice one.
Cero Mackerel are a smaller cousin to the Kingfish. They only get up to about 15 lbs but they also strike hard and fight well for their size. Generally speaking, Cero Mackerel are considered better eating than Kingfish. The meat is much whiter and not oily at all. Many people turn their nose up at Ceros because they are in the mackerel family, but this “tropical” cousin is closer to Wahoo than traditional Mackerel in my opinion. Firm white meat that is good for frying, grilling, or baking.