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Are you looking for your next fishing challenge? Are you interested in learning how to catch Almaco Jack? Almaco jack is a favorite game fish for many anglers partly due to its stamina and strength. The Almaco jack is a member of the Carangidae family with its dusky-colored appearance.
Almaco Jacks put up a serious fight and is well-known for their long, hard runs. With its skill, speed, and power, it is a difficult fish to catch. In this article, we discuss how to catch Almaco Jack, fishing tips, and behaviors.
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How To Catch Almaco Jack
Fishing for Almaco jacks is not complicated. With your bait on the line, drop it into an area where you expect Almaco jacks to be holding out like underwater structures like wrecks, reefs, wrecks, rocks, and oil and gas platforms. When it takes the bait and gets hooked, Almaco Jack will put up a hard fight.
They also are well known for long and hard runs when hooked. Therefore, your fishing gear has to be high-quality and in good shape. There are a number of fishing methods that are used to catch Almaco jack like trolling, drifting, jigging, bottom bouncing, still hunting, chumming, and night fishing.
1. Trolling
Trolling is a fishing method in which you attach the line to the back of the boat and move the boat slowly through the water. This slow movement of the bait in the water will attract fish and when it strikes, you then take the line, set the hook in, and reel in the fish. Trolling is done with live bait even though artificial lures can also be used.
2. Drift Fishing
When drift fishing, you slowly move the boat to drag a weighted bait through the water. Drift fishing allows you to cover many habitats that can hold a variety of fish. A bobber or a float is used to keep your bait at a higher depth or a weighted line to sink it to the bottom. You can drift on ponds, lakes, streams, or rivers.
3. Still Fishing
Still fishing is a simple and effective way of fishing. Drop your line with the bait on the hook in the water and just wait for a bite. Still fishing is a good fishing method for beginners to start their fishing careers. It is good to use when you are learning how to catch Almaco Jack.
Stillwater fishing can be done from piers, docks, a bridge, a boat, or from the shore. Stillwater fishing can also be done on the bottom or off the bottom in ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams.
4. Jigging
Jigging is an effective fishing technique to catch different types of fish. When jigging, drop the line to the bottom and wait for a few seconds for the bait to hit the bottom. After it hits the bottom, quickly jerk your line upward to quickly pull the bait in an upward motion. Then let it drop back to the bottom. Jigging can be done up and down or side to side.
5. Bottom Bouncing
Bottom bouncing is a way to get fish’s attention and entice them to strike. When you implement bottom bouncing, drag a natural bait and drag it on the bottom. When you drag it, it the bait will bounce and bring up small clouds of mud or sand. After a few strikes of bottom bouncing, you can drop the anchor and apply other fishing methods like still fishing or jigging.
6. Chumming
Chumming is a fishing technique that can attract the attention of fish to your boat. When chumming, you drop pieces of cut bait into the water to get the attention of fish. When the scent of the bait gets to the fish, they will come and eat the cut bait.
The key is to not drop big pieces of cut bait so often that the fish get filled. You just want to drop pieces at intervals to get the fish to expect more and then you drop your bait on your line to hook them.
7. Night Fishing
Night fishing has been discovered by many anglers to be more productive than fishing during the daytime. One major reason is that the fish are less wary during the night because of the darkness and more big fish come out to feed during the night.
Many large predator species don’t have good vision during the night and this works to the advantage of many fish that come out at night to feed. Fishing at night is easier for a beginner who is learning how to catch Almaco Jack.
8. Dead Nets
Dead nets can also be used to catch Almaco Jack. With the net, you throw it out into the water where you suspect Almaco Jacks are holding out. After some time, you and your team pull it in with the catch. Using nets is also a good way to learn how to catch Almaco Jack as a beginner.
If you are interested in cast nets, we reviewed the best cast nets on the market today and you can read it from this link.
Best Almaco Jack Bait
1. Shrimp
Shrimp is a good bait when fishing for Almaco Jack. It is also ideal when learning how to catch Almaco Jack.
2. Crabs
Almaco Jack likes to prey on crustaceans and crabs are good baits for them.
3. Squid
Squid works well as bait when fishing for Almaco Jack. It is a good bait for beginners who are learning how to catch Almaco Jack.
4. Mullet
Mullet also works well as bait for Almaco Jack and is a good bait to use when learning how to catch Almaco Jack.
5. Herring
Heering also works well as bait for catching Almaco Jack.
6. Pilchards
Anglers also use pilchards as bait when fishing for Almaco Jack.
Best Almaco Jack Lures
1. Spoons
Spoons also work well as lures when fishing for Almaco Jack.
2. Jigs
Jigs work well as lures when fishing for Almaco Jack. It is used when Almaco Jack is deep in the water column.
3. Plugs
Plugs are lures that work well when fishing for Almaco Jack.
Amberjack vs Almaco Jack
| Amberjack | Almaco Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Bluish-green on top and silvery below the lateral line. | Brown-olive tinge to the whole body and a dark bar that runs from the eyes back to the start of the dorsal fin.
|
| Dorsal fin | Less Sickle-shaped | Sickle-shaped |
| Dorsal fin length | Not as tall as that of Amalco Jack’s | Tall dorsal and anal fins |
| Size | Larger than Almaco Jack | Smaller than Amberjack |
| Maxilla | Rounded with a “boot” protrusion on its dorsal surface. | Not as rounded as that of Amberjack. |
| Position of Maxilla | Reaches the midline of the eye | Barely meets the front of the eye. |
| Color | Lighter than Almaco Jack. | Darker color than Amberjack. |
| 2nd Dorsal Fin | Shorter than that of Almaco Jack. | Higher than that of Amberjacks. |
Almaco Jack Fishing Tips
1. Almaco jacks are known for their strength and stamina.
2. When hooked, Almaco Jacks put up a spirited fight and also make long, hard runs. So be prepared.
3. Almaco Jacks can be found around reefs, wrecks, rocks, and oil and gas rigs in depths of 20 to 500 feet.
4. Drift fishing, trolling, jigging, and bottom bouncing using live bait, squid, shrimp, spoons, jigs, and plugs can be used to catch Almaco Jacks.
5. Almaco Jacks spawn offshore during spring, summer, and fall.
6. Almaco Jacks exhibit skill, speed, and power making it challenging to catch it.
7. Dead nets can also be used to catch Almaco Jacks.
8. You can go fishing for Almaco Jack all year round.
The Bottom Line
Almaco Jack is a favorite game fish for many anglers because they are abundant, available all year round, and have good strength and stamina. It is a challenging fish to catch because of its skills, speed, and power.
In this article, we discussed how to catch Almaco Jack, fishing tips, and its behaviors to help improve your chances of successfully catching this fish. If you also fish for amberjack, sturgeon, and wahoo, then you can read how to catch amberjack, how to catch sturgeon, and how to catch wahoo.
