The “wintertime” has set in along the Gulf Coast. The lows are getting into the 50’s and day highs are in the low-70s. Captain’s are bored of ‘off-season’ and the end of tourist season. Cabin fever is setting in; so it’s time to head out onto the gulf and see what’s biting.
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A best kept secret, winter fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is always a great adventure. Right after setting up shop in their first location, the captains reeled in two almaco jacks back-to-back – a fan favorite for dinner.
You don’t really hear people talk a lot about almaco, especially as tablefair, but it’s a fantastic fish to eat. Almacos don’t have a big commercial following because you really can’t catch the numbers that they would need to supply the industry with.
Want to know what are the clear markings of an almaco jack?
They have a really prominent dorsal fin. They also call them a Black Jack, because as they come up, they look a little bit darker. The dorsal fin is really pronounced – it almost looks like a White Marlin with the way that it comes up – so it’s really pronounced. The fish is much wider and it has a streak going straight at an angle. Compared to a rudder jack, a rudder jack’s head is rounder and it has got a bigger eye, and it’ll actually have like a yellow stripe across the body.
