Photo by CRAIG HOLT Big Spanish mackerel are available at nearshore waters off Carolina and Wrightsville beaches now.

Spanish mackerel fishing has been good to great once again during a predictable four-week window — the last half of April and first half of May — off Pleasure Island.

“The best way to get big Spanish is to cast to them,” said Carolina Beach Guide Jeff Wolfe (Seahawk Inshore Charters, 910-619-9580; jeff@seahawkinshorefishingcharters.com; www.seahawkinshorefishingcharters.com).

“What I’m doing on calm days is sight casting to Spanish in the morning.”

His favorite lures are Maria jigs or Stingsilvers.

Many anglers still prefer to troll for Spanish mackerel, but Wolfe said with the water clear and the ability to watch the fish jumping into the air with a mouthful of baitfish — “usually glass minnows” — anglers can almost pick out the mackerel they want to attempt to catch.

“There’s a couple places that are really good,” Wolfe said. “High Rock (aka Sheepshead Rock) and the Liberty Ship.”

Sheepshead/High Rock is a protrusion that comes within 6 to 8 feet of the surface about 1 mile off Carolina Beach. No one knows why, but it attracts huge Spanish mackerel — on the order of 3- to 5-pounders — annually during a month-long period in April and May.

The Liberty Ship (AR 370, aka the Meares Harris Reef) is about 3 nautical miles from Masonboro Inlet and is another good spot for finding big Spanish, Wolfe said.

“You can also find bonito out there at times,” he said.