The jack family is made up of several popular game fish. Two species, known as the jack crevalle and the yellow jack, are closely related and are fairly similar in appearance.
So, how do you identify the two and what are the differences between them?
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Jack Crevalle vs Yellow Jack
While both fish are members of the Carangid family, they are actually two different species. Jack crevalle belong to the genus Caranx, while yellow jacks are from the genus Carangoides.
Differences in body shape, coloration, and mouth size are other easy ways to help you easily identify a yellow jack vs a jack crevalle.
How To Correctly Identify A Jack Crevalle
The first indicator that you have a jack crevalle is going to be the blocky forehead.
Jack crevalle have a black spot on their gill cover and at the base of each pectoral fin. It also has no scales on its chest, except for a patch in front of its pelvic fins. These two things are the most reliable indicators for jack crevalle.
Its jaw goes past the posterior edge of the eye and they have a divided dorsal fin that gives the appearance of two fins.
How To Correctly Identify A Yellow Jack
The first indicator that you have a yellow jack will be the bright coloration and bright yellow fins.
Unlike jack crevalle, yellow jack have a small mouth, which doesn’t reach the anterior edge of its eye. They also have faint blue/green iridescent patterns along their back above the lateral line.
The best way to differentiate them is to look for the mouth shape and the coloration on the yellow jack versus the head shape, gill cover, pectoral spots, and scaly patch in front of the pelvic fins on the jack crevalle.
Why The Confusion?
Due to their similar appearance and shared Carangid body types, anglers often confuse these fish. They also share a similar range, eat many of the same things, and are fairly similar in size.
To add to the confusion, in some areas yellow jacks are called crevalles! At one point, both species were actually considered to be in the same genus because they’re so similar!
Additionally, both species tend to be yellowish in their coloring, especially on the fins, and both have bony plates called scutes at the base of their tails.
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The Main Differences Between Jack Crevalle And Yellow Jack
Head
The most obvious and quickest way to tell the two species apart is by looking at their head.
Jack crevalle have a very distinctive and very abrupt forehead. From the nose, the head goes up very steeply to the top of the head. Once you’ve seen a jack crevalle head, it becomes very easy to identify.
The yellow jack has a tapered head, which gives them a more streamlined appearance.
Color
While both look somewhat similar at first glance, the yellow jack is a brighter fish. Though they both tend to have yellow fins and tails, a yellow jack’s will be much brighter in appearance.
Yellow jacks are blue on the top and yellow on the side, with silver coloring on their bottom side.
A jack crevalle is green/blue to blue/black on top, shading down to silver on the bottom. While it can have some yellow on the side, it will be muted when compared to a yellow jack.
Body Shape
The yellow jack has a longer and more streamlined body than the jack crevalle and has a straight V-shaped tail.
The Jack crevalle has a deeper body and a sickle-shaped tail. The jack crevalle also has a larger mouth than the yellow jack.
Taste
The jack crevalle has never been known for its high rating on the edibility scale (most people say they’re no good to eat). It consists entirely of dark red meat that has an intensely fishy flavor.
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Yellow jack, on the other hand, is considered good eating with a mild flavor. To preserve this flavor it’s important to remove the bloodline and any dark meat around it, but this is easy to do.
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