Saltwater · Year-round around Caribbean islands; best at dusk and night on drop-offs
Black Jack
Caranx lugubris
A dark, oceanic jack of deep Caribbean reef edges — around islands from Florida and the Bahamas to Cuba and the Bay Islands, taken at night and on drop-offs with jigs and live bait. A specialist's fish of clear, deep water.
Seasons · Peak
Identifying features
- Uniformly dark olive-brown to almost black body and fins — darkest of the Caribbean jacks
- Steep, slightly concave head profile with a large mouth reaching to the centre of the eye
- Breast completely scaleless; strong scutes 26-33 along the rear lateral line
- Median fins and scutes usually dark brown or black
- Look-alike: crevalle jack is silvery-green with a yellow tail and an opercular spot; black jack is dark all over
Habits
- An oceanic, insular jack of clear water — rarely in shallow inshore areas
- Hunts fishes mainly at night and at dawn around drop-offs
- Occasionally schools, but big adults cruise singly or in small groups
- Found from about 12 m to over 350 m, most often along deep edges
Distribution
Where to find them
- Outer reef drop-offs off the Bahamas, Cuba and the Bay Islands
- Island points with current and deep water within casting range
- Seamounts and deep ledges away from busy bays
Where they live
How to catch them
Vertical speed jigging on drop-offs Boat
Rig: Heavy jigging rod, 50-80 lb braid, 80 lb leader
Bait/lure: Speed jigs 100-200 g in dark colours
Key tip: Drop on the edge of the wall in 40-80 m and jig fast upward; bites come in low light and at dawn.
Live bait at island points Boat
Rig: Conventional outfit, 7/0 circle hook, bait slow-trolled or drifted
Bait/lure: Live blue runners or pilchards
Key tip: Slow-troll current-swept points where deep water pushes close to shore.
Poppers at reef points Boat
Rig: Heavy spinning rod, 120-150 mm poppers, 80 lb leader
Bait/lure: Large poppers and stickbaits
Key tip: Cast points at last light — black jacks rise from deep water to smash a noisy popper.
Best baits & lures
Baseline setup
- Rod: 7 ft heavy spinning or conventional jigging rod
- Line: 50-80 lb braid, 80-100 lb leader
- Terminal: Speed jigs, poppers, 7/0-9/0 hooks
Recommended gear for this species
Rod · Best value
9' medium-heavy surf spinning rod
≈ US$110-170
Casts plugs and bait past the breakers and handles stripers, drum and bluefish in the wash.
Reel · Best value
5000 size sealed spinning reel
≈ US$120-180
Salt spray and dunkings kill cheap reels — a sealed body and 30 lb braid capacity are the surf standard.
Terminal · Budget
Topwater plugs, soft-plastic jigs and fish-finder rigs
≈ US$25-40
Plugs for blitzes, jigs for the trough, bait on a fish-finder rig when they won't chase — the inshore trio.
Picks are never paid placements. Prices are guides; price links are coming soon and none is an affiliate link yet.
Typical size
Common 5-15 lb; world record about 39 lb (17.9 kg), max about 100 cm
On the table
Fair — dark flesh; large fish carry ciguatera risk in parts of the Caribbean, so many anglers release them.
Similar species
Regulations vary by area and can change in-season — always check the official rules for your area before you fish. Regulations guide →
Plan a trip for Black Jack
Build today's plan⚠ Heads-up: Black Jack doesn't occur around Vancouver, BC (or is very rare there), so it's not a sensible local target. Your plan stays in Vancouver, BC and is built around the fish that actually live there.