# Juvenile King Mackerel vs. Spanish Mackerel ID Made Easy



## SnookMook (Jan 7, 2004)

This is a post I put up on my newspaper blog site. I thought everyone might find this useful.

The following photos were provided to me by some fellow anglers who frequent the Boatless Fishing internet forum. I took the time to Photoshop in the type and identifiers. These photos provide good examples of how to tell the difference between a juvenile king mackerel (kingish) and a Spanish mackerel.










The two main things to look for are the lateral lines and the dorsal fins. A juvenile kingfish's lateral line dips significantly compared to a Spanish mackerel. Also the dorsal fin of a juvi kingfish will be a much lighter color, more of a gray or white color than the Spanish, whose fin will be black or very dark in color.

Here is a close up of the dorsal fins.










Knowing these differences between the two fish should help you distinguish the difference between the two if you're ever out fishing for mackerel and catch both species during the same trip. 

I hope this photo comparison comes in handy and helps keep a few anglers from having to plead a case of ignorance to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officer. Cause we all know how that encounter would likely turn out. LOL


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

Great post SnookMook! It's tricky to tell them apart sometimes.


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