Spanish Mackerel

Does anyone know the official name of the bait fish that we call Spanish Mackerel (about 6 to 8 inches long with yellow color towards the tail). When I looked up the mackerel family on line I couldn't find it. Maybe not officially a mackerel?

Pacific jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus)

 I thought it could be Pacific Jack Mackerel but when I saw they could go to 82cm and I've only seen small ones, I wasn't sure. Thanks for clearing this up.
 

Pacific jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus)

+1

I thought they were Pacific Chub Mackerel?  Chubs have better defined wavy lines than jacks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chub_mackerel

I thought they were Pacific Chub Mackerel?  Chubs have better defined wavy lines than jacks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chub_mackerel

That's the other mackerel we commonly catch, aka Pacific Mackerel.

I like it when I find a school of chubs.  They make nice bait for lings, they seem to live a while in the bait tube, AND I will happily eat the ones I have left over.  Love that fishy taste!

Are there many in Monterey bay this time of year? I may target them at PIF if I can paddle out

I like it when I find a school of chubs.  They make nice bait for lings, they seem to live a while in the bait tube, AND I will happily eat the ones I have left over.  Love that fishy taste!

I have never heard anyone call them chubs or chub mackerel.  I don't think that is a commonly used name for them around here.

-Allen

Load up a sabiki with mackerel...gives me a chub.
So, if like minded individuals asked if I wanted to fish chub macks, I would know to bring a sabiki. If he asked if I wanted to Mack a chub....that's the only dif in Macks.

Here's a handy-dandy guide to "Marine Bait Fishes of Northern California":

https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=36324

They call them "jack mackerel" and "chub mackerel", but "spanish mackerel" and just plain "mackerel" seem more common usage to me. Anyways, just to add to the confusion, I've heard some people call the plain old mackerel a jack mackerel, so you never know...

Load up a sabiki with mackerel...gives me a chub.

Happy to fish for mackerel with you, if we are in separate kayaks.  No room for my chub and a passenger.

We get those Jack smelt in Bodega, doran beach and harbor. Good eating! Fried right on the beach. Cook well though due to worms. Also scrape/clean, black liner in gut area...