Pacific Sierra Mackerel are a popular game fish in Baja (and most of the Pacific coast) known for their speed, strength and fighting ability. They're a beautiful fish, and taste as good as they look, making them highly sought after by recreational anglers who target them with light tackle and fly rods.

Mackerel are a close relative of tuna and part of the Scombridae family of fishes. They have streamlined bodies designed for speed, with the dorsal fin located far back on their body. Because of their size and shape, they're sometimes called "mini-wahoo".

Mackerel eat a wide range of prey, including squid and small fish such as anchovies and sardines. Clamshell-shaped teeth are used to grasp their prey. They travel in schools of several dozen to several hundred members.

Sierra mackerel are pelagic fish that spend most of their younger lives in the open ocean. As they mature , they return to coastal waters during times of the year to spawn, feed on the abundance of prey, and avoid larger predators. The adults can grow to over 3 feet long and weigh up to 18 pounds, but they average between 1 and 2 feet long and weigh between 1 and 4 pounds.

Because Sierras tend to be pelagic, the best times to target them in Baja is when they move into the shallow inshore reefs and sand flats to spawn. This is generally starts in December and lasts through March or April.

Sierra mackerel have very sharp teeth, which can easily cut through fishing line. If you hook one, it's going to aggressively fight back with fast runs and jumps close to the water’s surface.