The author's Pacific Sierra, caught on a surface iron lure in Panama. This one turned into some delicious ceviche.
Pacific Sierra Mackerel
Scomberomorus Sierra
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Pacific Sierra Mackerel Description
These feisty and fast members of the Mackerel family are fun to catch and fun to eat. They are an inshore fish that travels in schools and prefer cooler water to many other tropical gamefish. They are striking to look at, with metallic blue/green on top and bright yellow dots on their bodies. They are found in the Eastern Pacific and are abundant along the coasts of Mexico and other Central American countries.
Sierra Mackerel max out at around 20lbs, with anything in the double-digits being a pretty nice fish. They are a skinny fish, and not very heavy at all relative to their length. If you catch one, watch out for their sharp teeth which can inflict a nasty bite.
Pacific Sierra Mackerel Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 5 out of 10 on the Saltwater Scale
Pacific Sierra Mackerel are sporty, but they are slender and don't have much weight to put behind their fight. They do have a high percentage of muscle and can make some speedy runs, but they don't have a lot of stamina. You just have to keep their teeth away from your line.
Pacific Sierra Culinary Rating - Medium
I really like eating Sierra when made as ceviche. Some fresh Sierra ceviche is hard to beat after a long day fishing. When cooked other ways they taste good, especially when fresh.
Pacific Sierra Mackerel Tackle
These gamesters are not terribly powerful and don't pull you into rocks, so you can get away with fairly light tackle. However, most people fish them with heavier tackle than they need because of the presence of stronger fish such as Jacks and Snapper in the areas where they live. In general, 30lb braid and a Daiwa Certate 3000 or 4000 spinning reel are a good choice if you are just targeting Pacific Sierra Mackerel. Click here for tackle recommendations.
Pacific Sierra Mackerel Techniques
Most Pacific Sierra Mackerel are caught slow trolling baits or lures near or just below the surface. Any small baitfish that lives in the area like anchovies or sardinas make a good bait for these guys. If you find a school of bait, predatory fish like Mackerel are generally nearby.
Like all Mackerel, they have an annoying combination of good eyesight and sharp teeth. That means that if you don't fish them with a wire leader you stand a good chance of getting cut off, but if you use a wire leader they are less likely to bite. They often bite the back of a lure, so sometimes you get lucky and they miss the teeth, but most people use the lightest wire they think they can get away with.
Pacific Sierra Mackerel Lures
Pacific Sierra Mackerel tend to like shiny lures. Spoons like the Luhr Jensen Krocodile, Rapalas, and skirted hoochies with a lot of flash work when trolled. If you are casting, surface iron lures such as the Tady 45 can nail some big ones.
They also like to hit topwater lures, so you can try skipping a Ranger surface lure with a fast retrieve near schools of bait. Small poppers can also work.
If you are a fly fisherman, a variety of flashy streamers will work.
Pacific Sierra Mackerel Baits
In general, it's hard to beat a shiny silver baitfish like a sardine. Just set some back behind the bait and slow troll, or cast if you find a school. Sometimes the bigger ones will go for bigger baitfish such as goggle-eyes (called cojinua if you are in Panama, ojon if you are in Mexico). I imagine they will eat squid, but I have never caught them on any bait besides baitfish. Live baits generally work a lot better than dead bait.
Where to get the big Pacific Sierra Mackerel
Panama has some big ones, and they are also plentiful in some parts of Mexico.
Other Pacific Sierra Mackerel Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch Pacific Sierra Mackerel. The resources below will provide additional information:
The Baja Catch by Neil Kelly and Gene Kira is a wealth of information on many species of fish.
If you want to catch some big ones, try the Cebaco Bay Sportfishing Lodge in Panama or Rancho Leonero (winter months) in Baja.
Scomberomorus Sierra
Home
Other Species
Pacific Sierra Mackerel Description
These feisty and fast members of the Mackerel family are fun to catch and fun to eat. They are an inshore fish that travels in schools and prefer cooler water to many other tropical gamefish. They are striking to look at, with metallic blue/green on top and bright yellow dots on their bodies. They are found in the Eastern Pacific and are abundant along the coasts of Mexico and other Central American countries.
Sierra Mackerel max out at around 20lbs, with anything in the double-digits being a pretty nice fish. They are a skinny fish, and not very heavy at all relative to their length. If you catch one, watch out for their sharp teeth which can inflict a nasty bite.
Pacific Sierra Mackerel Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 5 out of 10 on the Saltwater Scale
Pacific Sierra Mackerel are sporty, but they are slender and don't have much weight to put behind their fight. They do have a high percentage of muscle and can make some speedy runs, but they don't have a lot of stamina. You just have to keep their teeth away from your line.
Pacific Sierra Culinary Rating - Medium
I really like eating Sierra when made as ceviche. Some fresh Sierra ceviche is hard to beat after a long day fishing. When cooked other ways they taste good, especially when fresh.
Pacific Sierra Mackerel Tackle
These gamesters are not terribly powerful and don't pull you into rocks, so you can get away with fairly light tackle. However, most people fish them with heavier tackle than they need because of the presence of stronger fish such as Jacks and Snapper in the areas where they live. In general, 30lb braid and a Daiwa Certate 3000 or 4000 spinning reel are a good choice if you are just targeting Pacific Sierra Mackerel. Click here for tackle recommendations.
Pacific Sierra Mackerel Techniques
Most Pacific Sierra Mackerel are caught slow trolling baits or lures near or just below the surface. Any small baitfish that lives in the area like anchovies or sardinas make a good bait for these guys. If you find a school of bait, predatory fish like Mackerel are generally nearby.
Like all Mackerel, they have an annoying combination of good eyesight and sharp teeth. That means that if you don't fish them with a wire leader you stand a good chance of getting cut off, but if you use a wire leader they are less likely to bite. They often bite the back of a lure, so sometimes you get lucky and they miss the teeth, but most people use the lightest wire they think they can get away with.
Pacific Sierra Mackerel Lures
Pacific Sierra Mackerel tend to like shiny lures. Spoons like the Luhr Jensen Krocodile, Rapalas, and skirted hoochies with a lot of flash work when trolled. If you are casting, surface iron lures such as the Tady 45 can nail some big ones.
They also like to hit topwater lures, so you can try skipping a Ranger surface lure with a fast retrieve near schools of bait. Small poppers can also work.
If you are a fly fisherman, a variety of flashy streamers will work.
Pacific Sierra Mackerel Baits
In general, it's hard to beat a shiny silver baitfish like a sardine. Just set some back behind the bait and slow troll, or cast if you find a school. Sometimes the bigger ones will go for bigger baitfish such as goggle-eyes (called cojinua if you are in Panama, ojon if you are in Mexico). I imagine they will eat squid, but I have never caught them on any bait besides baitfish. Live baits generally work a lot better than dead bait.
Where to get the big Pacific Sierra Mackerel
Panama has some big ones, and they are also plentiful in some parts of Mexico.
Other Pacific Sierra Mackerel Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch Pacific Sierra Mackerel. The resources below will provide additional information:
The Baja Catch by Neil Kelly and Gene Kira is a wealth of information on many species of fish.
If you want to catch some big ones, try the Cebaco Bay Sportfishing Lodge in Panama or Rancho Leonero (winter months) in Baja.
A nice-sized Sierra caught on a Tady 45 surface iron lure in Drake Bay, Costa Rica
The author's friend Gary with a nice specimen taken in Panama
This greedy Sierra ate a large live goggle-eye
An unfortunately blurry picture of the author's largest Pacific Sierra, taken in Panama in 2004 on a live goggle-eye
Smaller Sierra Mackerel like this one can shred tackle when you are trying to catch bait. This one was luckily landed before it cut the line on a Sabiki bait rig.