Don't use any snaps or swivels. Spanish also have excellent eyesight. They will steadfastly resist a lure preceded by a wire leader, but they also have a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Because the macks are so leader shy, experienced mackerel anglers never use a wire leader. The monofilament shock line acts as a leader, but occasionally a lure will be sacrificed if the fish hits the lure from the front as it is moving through the water.
Most folks feel losing a lure or two is the trade-off for getting the bites.
It pays to experiment with the type of retrieve. During the heat of summer, fish act a lot like people, and tend to be less active during the middle part of the day. For this reason, early and late are often the two best times to fish the summer surf. This is especially true of Spanish mackerel, and it seems the trend during the past few years is for the Spanish to be considerably more dependable in the evening than at the first light of day, especially on an incoming tide. While boaters may catch Spanish mackerel along the entire length of the Outer Banks from Ocracoke to Oregon Inlet, beach anglers consistently find them at only a few locations.