Horse-Eye Jack

The Horse-eye Jack is a good light-tackle game fish.

 

HOW TO IDENTIFY A HORSE-EYE JACK

The body is compressed, though the profile of the head is not as vertical or as blunt as in large crevalle jacks, Caranx hippos. The eyes are characteristically large and have thick, adipose eyelids. There is a small black spot on the operculum, but there is no spot on the pectoral fin as in the crevalle jack. The straight portion of the lateral line has 32-39 scutes.

WHERE TO CATCH HORSE-EYE JACK

Occurs throughout the Atlantic Ocean; New Jersey on the U.S. coast to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, including Bermuda, the Bahamas and West Indies in the western Atlantic and off the coast of Africa in the eastern Atlantic. In the Pacific and Indian oceans it is replaced by its close relative, the bigeye trevally.It occurs in small schools around offshore islands and reefs, deep bluewater holes, channels adjacent to flats, and inshore along sandy beaches. It is also known in brackish water and, occasionally, in freshwater coastal rivers and streams. The following list includes additional details on where to catch this fish:

 

BAITFISH PATCHES                                        BREAKERS

COASTAL WATERS                                                   JETTIES AND BREAKWATERS

PIERS, DOCKS AND PILINGS                             MANGROVES

SHORE POINTS                                                       TIDAL FLATS

BAYS AND ESTUARIES                                              CHANNEL ENTRANCES

DEEP SHORE WATER                                      MAN-MADE STRUCTURES

REEFS, WRECKS, AND SHOALS                         MERGING WATER

SURF AND SHORE

 

HOW TO CATCH HORSE-EYE JACK

It feeds primarily on fish, but also on shrimp, crabs, and other invertebrates. It is a good light-tackle game fish that can be taken with live baits such as mullet, pinfish, or other small fishes, as well as with plugs, jigs, spoons and flies. Lures should be retrieved at a fast pace without slowing or stopping. The following are fishing methods used to catch this fish:

 

DRIFT FISHING                                              BOTTOM BOUNCING

SURF CASTING                                              SPIN CASTING

SALTWATER JIGGING                                     FLY FISHING

BAIT CASTING                                               STILL FISHING

SALTWATER TROLLING

 

HORSE-EYE JACK LURES, TACKLE & BAIT

The following are lures, tackle or bait that can be used to catch this fish:

 

BAIT FISH                                                     CUT BAIT

JIGS                                                             SALTWATER LIVE BAIT

SPOONS                                                       CRABS

FLIES                                                  PLUGS

SHRIMP                                                        SQUID