Saltwater · Year-round; schools most active in warm months around bait.
Green Jack
Caranx caballus
A small, green-backed schooling jack of Pacific beaches and reefs — willing on light tackle, abundant from Baja to Panama, and a staple live bait for larger predators as well as a food fish.
Seasons · Peak
Identifying features
- Green to bluish-green back, silvery belly
- Single dark spot on the upper edge of the gill cover
- Deeply forked yellowish tail
- Straight lateral line with weak scutes near the tail
- More slender than the Pacific crevalle jack
Habits
- Forms schools over sand and reef close to shore
- Juveniles in estuaries and surf
- Feeds on small fish and shrimp
- Often mixed with other small jacks around structure
Distribution
Where to find them
- Surf edges and rocky points on the Baja Pacific coast
- Piers and jetties in mainland ports
- Reef edges in the Sea of Cortez
- Bay mouths in Costa Rica and Panama
Where they live
How to catch them
Sabiki and small jigs Boat
Rig: Sabiki rig or tiny jig over reef and around bait schools
Bait/lure: Small feather jig
Key tip: Jig vertically in schools; keep fish for the table or the live well.
Casting small spoons Shore
Rig: Light spinning rod, small chrome spoon retrieved fast
Bait/lure: Small metal spoon
Key tip: Cast along surf edges and rocky points where schools chase bait.
Shrimp on a float Shore
Rig: Small hook with shrimp under a float near piers and rocks
Bait/lure: Shrimp pieces
Key tip: Fish close to structure where green jacks patrol for shrimp and small fish.
Best baits & lures
Baseline setup
- Rod: 6.5-7.5 ft light spinning rod
- Line: 10-20 lb braid or mono
- Terminal: 20-30 lb mono leader, small hooks and lures
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 30-40 cm; large specimens to 55 cm and about 2.5 kg.
On the table
Fair to good fresh; often used as cut bait or live bait for roosterfish and snapper.
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 Green Jack
Build today's plan⚠ Heads-up: Green 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.