From coast to coast, these menacing monsters mean serious business!
It’s early morning on Santa Rosa Sound with the sun just barely peeking its fiery head above the distant horizon. The water is slick-calm, and my charter has already boated a half dozen keeper trout.
I’m up in the tower of my 24-foot Sea Pro peering for worthy targets cruising the flats, when suddenly I hear a loud commotion to the southeast. I turn my head only to see a massive school of shimmering baitfish leaping for their lives in every direction. Suddenly the surrounding waters are not so serene anymore, and my clients are about to play a big hand of GO FISH with the mighty jack crevalle!
Bad-to-the-bone and the bullies of all shallow, bay and the near-shore arenas, big jack crevalle are voracious feeders, and when they detect a school of unsuspecting baitfish they charge right in for the kill. In the Panhandle, crevalle can be found in schools of 20 to 50 individuals, ruthlessly ravaging random prey through the various sounds and shipping channels. Extremely efficient hunters with keen eyesight and sheer speed, crevalle are very good at cornering their forthcoming meal, and once they start their relentless attack, they won’t give up until they are victorious. Next time you see mullet nervously scattering in all directions and the water looks like it is about to erupt in a chaotic frenzy, chances are that malicious jack crevalle are to blame.
If you’re looking to put your tackle through a test like no other, the crevalle make more than worthy adversaries. If they could speak, “surrender” would not be a word in their vocabulary. Jack crevalle are one of the strongest game fish both inshore and off, and pound for pound, few species can out-pull this aquatic gamester. Unlike many of their smaller cousins, this jack has a high, blunt head with big, powerful shoulders and a black spot on the back edge of its gill-plate. Their back is painted slate to bluish-black and they have silvery-yellow bellies with the anal fin being especially yellow.
Most large crevalle weigh around 15-pounds and may take 20-minutes or more to subdue. Crevalle that weigh-in over 30-pounds can take a solid hour to land, which explains why I call them “hour jacks.” Crevalle grow rapidly and can attain a maximum size of four-feet and weigh close to 50-pounds when fully mature!
Depth of Distribution
The jack family has nearly 200 subspecies that can be found around the entire coast of Florida from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, though their range is much broader. Crevalle have been hooked off the coastal areas of the western Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to Uruguay, and can be found as far west as Texas. Jack crevalle are diurnal predators that enjoy feeding on a variety of fish and crustaceans. Along my piece of paradise up in the Panhandle, a typical adult crevalle diet consists of herring, menhaden, spot, croaker, butterfish and snake eels. They also enjoy devouring mud crabs, mantis shrimp and squid.
Jack Crevalle typically prefer water temperatures between 64 and 92.5 degrees Fahrenheit and salinity levels above 30-parts-per-thousand; however, there have been recorded cases of adults found in cool freshwater environments.
Because the jack crevalle is a migratory species and can handle a wide range of salinities, they can be found throughout the Panhandle’s offshore coastal arenas and all the way up in the back bays. There have even been reports of jack being caught near the mouths of freshwater rivers that feed into these bays.
Release Me
The jack crevalle is a popular game fish, and since they don’t make great table fare, or even fair table fare for that matter, they are usually released after landing, so they are currently in no danger of being over-fished. However, because large jack will often fight until critical exhaustion, release mortality can be high.
Although rare, there have been some reports of ciguatera poisoning associated with jack crevalle. Ciguatera poisoning occurs when humans eat fish that have consumed a toxin that is produced by the dinoflagellate, Gambierdiscus toxicus. This poisoning can affect humans in many negative ways including quite severe and painful gastrointestinal, neurological and cardiovascular symptoms.
Tricked-out Tackle
Tackle for jack crevalle can range from light to heavy, depending, of course, on the size of the fish you encounter and your sporting nature. Five to 10-pound individuals can be subdued on medium spinning gear and 12lb. test monofilament with no problem. When the fish approach the 20-pound mark, it's time to beef it up a bit. You won't stand much of a chance landing a brute with tackle that's more appropriate for speckled trout.
Most of the crevalle that are seen cruising the beaches in Pensacola and beyond are beefy fish in the 20 to 25-pound range, so here you will need a stout rod and reel combo. The Fenwick Inshore Series 15 to 25lb. class rods with either a baitcaster or spinning reel are the way to go. If you prefer the ease of use of a spinning outfit, I like both Offshore Angler’s Ocean Master 60 and Penn’s 5500ss. When spooled with 20 or 30lb. Ultra-Braid and a 40lb. fluorocarbon leader, this sort of equipment will handle even the most stubborn jack. For a baitcasting outfit, I suggest the Abu Garcia 6500c or Offshore Angler’s 400 or 200 spooled with 20lb. Ultra-Braid. These reels are sweet and have a silky-smooth drag system that is well suited for these powerful predators.
When choosing the proper offering, remember that crevalle aren’t very picky feeders, however, I have learned when presenting a lure to feeding jack, faster is always better. These game fish enjoy the thrill of the chase. As far as artificial lures go, my favorite would have to be Mann’s Magnum Chug-N-Spit with the blue mackerel and redhead my most productive color patterns. Another Mann’s bait that works well is the new 3/8oz. Tidewater Waker Elite Series. This plug only dives one to three-inches and when worked fast and loud, the jack can’t seem to get enough of it. It mimics a fleeing wounded baitfish and drives the fish absolutely crazy. A variety of jigs work well as do shiny spoons, but crevalle seem to like the top-water presentations the most. When throwing your lure, make as long a cast as possible, just past the hungry school, and then retrieve the lure using short, sharp jerks. This will make the lure dance from side-to-side. Make sure you have 3X hooks, because these hard-pulling game fish have been known to straighten out many an inadequate hook.
If you prefer to fish with live bait, a 3/0 Gamakatsu circle-hook rigged with a shrimp or finger mullet will usually do the trick. Almost any baitfish will entice aggressive strikes; just remember to rig with a circle-hook so the fish are not gut-hooked.
Techniques
There are a few different methods used to entice crevalle whether you’re working the shallow-flats, targeting the beaches or focusing your efforts just offshore in 20 to 30-feet of water. Many jack are caught as bycatch while targeting other species. I have caught numerous crevalle while slow-trolling for kings with dusters rigged with a live or dead cigar-minnow. If you’re strictly targeting crevalle, you will need to look in the right places and have the appropriate tackle. Boat position is also critical when working the beaches for jack. Along the Panhandle most fish cruise from east to west, so it is imperative to position your boat facing eastward. If you’re going to cruise the beach, it may be beneficial to fish from a small to mid-size boat with a tower. This way you can spot the approaching schools from a distance.
My best bet for scoring crevalle is on the beaches along the first and second sandbars. This year the jacks have been hanging around local buoys with the kings, so a lot of anglers have had a surprise when their reel starts singing. They think they’ve hooked a smoker king, but after a 40-minute battle, they realize they’ve hit the jackpot!
So the next time you’re out on the flats or cruising the beaches looking to put a bend in the rod and you see a big school of baitfish scattering in every direction, grab your rod and get ready for an exciting battle because chances are, you’re about to go head-to-head with a hunting pack of carnivorous crevalle – arguably one of Florida’s most exciting game fish.
Fly Fishing
Noisy plugs attract hungry jacks from far and wide.
For adrenaline-driven fly-casters it's hard to beat sight-fishing for jack crevalle along Florida's Emerald Coast. Jack arrive in April in big numbers when the Gulf water temperatures reach 70-degrees, and they continue to cruise the Gulf shorelines until the water cools in November. These are generally fish in the 15 to 30-pound range, and they can be alone or in schools of 500. The most exciting tactic involves staking out within casting range of the beach and waiting for them to arrive. The jack will be moving fast, and reaction time must be kept to an absolute minimum. A few seconds can mean the difference between a hookup and simply watching the school accelerate down the beach beyond you. This is not a game for sissies. Rods must be at least 10-weight with 12-weight outfits even better. Large arbor reels with at least 250-yards of 30lb. backing and bulletproof drags are essential. I prefer floating lines with the fly-of-choice a large popper. Deceivers and clouser minnows will also work, but it's hard to beat watching a school of crevalle chase after a popper. Recently, my go-to fly has been a 2/0 Umpqua Pearly Popper.
Captain Baz Yelverton Gulf Breeze Guide Service www.GulfBreezeGuideService.com
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