Bar Jack(Caranx ruber)

Quick Facts

  • Other Names: Hardtail
  • Size Range: Up to 5 pounds
  • Native Species?: Yes
  • Food Value: Poor, as they have risk of ciguatera toxin.

The bar jack is a silvery fish with a black and neon blue stripe along the back and into the tail fin. They are oval shaped with smooth scales and forked tail.

These jacks live in the western Atlantic in clear waters. Bar jacks frequent offshore structures like oilrigs and can often be found in schools.

They can be caught with small jigs and flies including sabiki rigs. They are often used for live bait for larger fish like tuna, wahoo and billfish. They can also be lowered to the bottom as bait for various groupers, amberjack and snapper.

Related Habitats:
Other Bait Fish Species: Gulf Killifish Golden Shiner Striped Mojarra Round Scad Atlantic Mackerel Atlantic Thread Herring Pinfish Gulf Menhaden
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Related Fishing Methods

Drift fishing can encompass a variety of fishing methods. Bottom fishing over structure is often done while drifting. Timing the drop of your baits as you pass by the structures below is the trick. Also knowing when you have drifted beyond the fish is a key element to being succesful. Anglers also drift while live bait fishing and chunking for bluewater pelagic fish like tuna. The use of live bait or chunks is a slower presentation where the fish are drawn to the boat by smell or vibration of live fish. Inshore you can drift along while casting for trout and redfish with baits or lures. One of the main benefits of drift fishing is that you can quietly cover ground while searching for feeding fish.

A versatile method of fishing for many types of fish in both freshwater and salt. A jig is a lure, normally a lead-headed lure with many various types of body/tail configurations made of rubber, hair and feather. Jigs are one of the most versatile of all lures and can be tipped with bait or not. Traditionally jigs are worked in variety of up and down motions, and can be fished throughout the entire water column, depending on the fishery. A modern form of jigs called metal jigs has taken hold and many varieties and shapes have been developed to work different ways. Made famous by the Shimano Butterfly Jig and now produced by many companies in many variations. If I could only have one lure to fish with it would be a jig.