bad mackeral season

LastIrishMonkey · 31-08-2002 2:23am #1

i know mackeral are so easy to catch but does anyone notice the lack of em this year lots of sprat tho i dunno the waters are getting worse

I also fly fish i had a great year 8lb trout which im very proud of

IM ALSO NEW TO THIS POSTING HERE SO HELLO ALL

there more bellow

Illkillya · 31-08-2002 3:29pm

I was out of the country most of this summer but I've heard that the weather was cold, dull and overcast all summer long. This always means that it will be a bad season for mackerel. There will only be lots of mackerel around during or after a spell of hot weather. Having said that, the last few days have been sunny here, so if this weather continues for the rest of the week it could improve.

daveirl · 31-08-2002 7:05pm

This post has been deleted.

It wasn't me! · 31-08-2002 11:42pm

It has been a bad season but there will be worse. There have been plenty around but they've all been very small and they've been a long way out.

The problem was how to get to them. There was a convenient pier nearby but even then you had to cast 150 yds.
Another problem was the amount of small pollack attacking feathers. It was a match though so I don't think any one minded too much. You caught maybe 4 pollack for every one mackerel.

Oh well, there'll be plenty of better seasons, and you can be damned sure there'll be worse.

jd · 03-09-2002 11:49pm

Haven't really tried from shore, but no problem on baots in Mayo and Wexford.
My Bro said there are loads on the Beaches South of Arklow at the the moment so there ya go...

It wasn't me! · 04-09-2002 4:09pm

I don't have access to a boat so it looks like I'll be trying to further my shore career at the moment.

jd · 04-09-2002 4:25pm

Originally posted by It wasn't me!
I don't have access to a boat so it looks like I'll be trying to further my shore career at the moment.

Are you in the Dublin Area..
Tide permitting you can hire boats self drive in both Bulloch and Colliemore Harbours...Expensive for 1 25 eu first hr and 15 an hr after..

Tel: 280 6517 and 280 0915 (Bullock Harbour), 283 4298 (Coliemore Harbour).

Might be a good stickie
boat hire..
charter and self drive...

It wasn't me! · 04-09-2002 4:46pm

I remember you used to be able to hire a boat and guide in Bullock harbour for a fiver/hour

Littletinyman · 04-09-2002 4:51pm

I saw a load of Mullet in the Lee the other day and I was gonna eat them but my mammy said we had to go

Ruaidhri · 05-09-2002 4:15pm

yes..there are sweet **** all in galway bay this year.i was out on sunday for a few hours and all we caught was 8 mackeral...FFS! that's nothing.there are no shoals in the bay afaik..there is a lot of pollock though.although many are undersized.

mofu · 05-09-2002 9:39pm

I went mackeral fishing once this season in Clare (blue pool or something like that). There were 3 of us and we caught 56 in about an hour.

LastIrishMonkey · 06-09-2002 2:40am

aw i love to try from boat my granddad used to take me out but hes getting old now so we stop

Shore fishing isnt what it used to be at all i remeber good couple of years ago mackeral would be nearly eating the sprat of the beach but now nothing few small breaks here and there

a body of mine said the alantic drifts are getting very different maybe thats it last year tho i was catching mackeral in november

i dunno .

also funny story : me and a buddy were fish in corks great river lee and he was bringing in a fair size of a fish (trout)on a fly rod when all of a sudden a pike came up from deep water a bit it in half

i laugh so much that, (dastard) he shouted :rolleyes: .rofl

PH01 · 18-09-2002 9:15am

Depends on where you go. From the shore you're at a disadvantage as your access to good water is limited. But from a boat you should have no problem doing a bit of mackie bashing.
I was in Enniscrone (Killala Bay) during the summer and on the first evening the conditions were right, tide nearly at full flood and the sea was calm and warm, and quite a lot was caught from the pier that evening. The next evening we went out for an hour on a boat - 8 euros a pop (was that expensive?) - and it was very hard NOT to catch a fish - they were taking the bare hooks it was that good.

redsteveireland · 04-09-2010 11:32am

I was thinking of heading out to Spiddal later on for a spot Mackeral fishing to keep the kids happy, has anyone been out there lately? Have the numbers improved at all?

rushnaldo · 05-09-2010 1:24pm

Ha Ha comical thread. Do people realise mackerel are a palegic species. They do not hang around reefs and peaks like pollock or hang around sand like flatfish. They are absolutely everywhere and at anytime. They are one of the quickest breeders and growers of any species and are almost impossible to wipe out despite all the hammerings they took over the years. They can be difficult at times to get off the shore and your arm gets sore shhooting feathers and hawk eyes out cast after cast for hours sometimes for nothing but on a boat they should be no bother. The thing about mackerel is they may be hard to catch when you want them and then when you dont want them they take your bait when your fishing for something else. Donegal Bay is just full of them all summer its crazy. Men have made big money selling them 40 euro a box on the jiggers

skipz · 06-09-2010 12:54pm

The gurdy's are the way to go, these bhoys must be sittng over one hell of a shoal,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF2INCOgOIc

UnleashTheBeast · 06-09-2010 1:38pm

Ruaidhri wrote: »

yes..there are sweet **** all in galway bay this year.i was out on sunday for a few hours and all we caught was 8 mackeral...FFS! that's nothing.there are no shoals in the bay afaik..there is a lot of pollock though.although many are undersized.

Where in Galway were you fishing?

I have to say, I think this year has been the best for years. I've gone out plenty of times at high tide in recent years and struggled to get a few Mackerel.

I went out fishing along the Prom in Salthill with a friend last week, we caught around 25 Mackerel. Threw back 20. The looks you get from people when you throw them back..... there is no tomorrow for these people.

As I was going back to my car to put my gear away, two Polaks were carrying a bucket full of Mackerel, you can imagine how big the bucket was when it took two extendible rod yielding polaks to carry it.

These people are not helping the situation. Feathers from the shore is such overkill IMO....

stylie · 07-09-2010 4:56pm

There are studies done on the survival rates of mackeral that are released, they seem to be very subseptable to damage from handling, be it losing slime or heat damage from hands.
Something to bear in mind the next time you are releasing Macks, shake them off the hook or use the wet cloth/gloves approach.

DryFlyFishing · 07-09-2010 11:37pm

stylie wrote: »

There are studies done on the survival rates of mackeral that are released, they seem to be very subseptable to damage from handling, be it losing slime or heat damage from hands.
Something to bear in mind the next time you are releasing Macks, shake them off the hook or use the wet cloth/gloves approach.

iv fished all my life at some stage during the summer and i can guarantee that mackeral are decimated compared to years past and that is a fact.

anyone that is a commercial fisherman would tell you the same.. or anyone that has 30 years fishing summers for them................

DryFlyFishing · 07-09-2010 11:40pm

skipz wrote: »

The gurdy's are the way to go, these bhoys must be sittng over one hell of a shoal,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF2INCOgOIc

those mackerel are like salmon smolts/sardines ... does anyone remember the deep belly mackerel of a decent size..........

syboit · 08-09-2010 10:05am

DryFlyFishing wrote: »

those mackerel are like salmon smolts/sardines ... does anyone remember the deep belly mackerel of a decent size..........

caught 3 decent sized ones allright at the weekend. Biggest we've had all year, one must have had about 4-6 sprats in his mouth/belly. Would agree completely with previous posters, definitely seem to be less around and no point doing the dog on it.

stylie · 08-09-2010 12:23pm

DryFlyFishing wrote: »

iv fished all my life at some stage during the summer and i can guarantee that mackeral are decimated compared to years past and that is a fact.

anyone that is a commercial fisherman would tell you the same.. or anyone that has 30 years fishing summers for them................

Why are you quoting my post in yours ??? They are not related, read the post above mine and then read mine

snow ghost · 08-09-2010 2:43pm

I found it a great year for macks - loads around and many of a large size.

No probs around these parts getting them.

DryFlyFishing · 08-09-2010 8:28pm

stylie wrote: »

Why are you quoting my post in yours ??? They are not related, read the post above mine and then read mine

clicked on the wrong quote button ... sorry... i meant to click on the guy that said they are not under threat....:rolleyes:

DryFlyFishing · 08-09-2010 8:32pm

syboit wrote: »

caught 3 decent sized ones allright at the weekend. Biggest we've had all year, one must have had about 4-6 sprats in his mouth/belly. Would agree completely with previous posters, definitely seem to be less around and no point doing the dog on it.

Have you ever cought makerel that are 1.5 - 2LB in weight or near to that weight?

syboit · 09-09-2010 10:22am

DryFlyFishing wrote: »

Have you ever cought makerel that are 1.5 - 2LB in weight or near to that weight?

couldn't say for sure about a 2lb mackerel, but we've had a good few in the 1lb and slightly higher down through the years.

rushnaldo · 09-09-2010 11:07am

There can be no doubt about it that Mackerel are teeny tiny around the shores this summer. I work in a mackerel factory in Killybegs and can guarantee you that Mackerel from Norway down to the Kerry coast are smaller than ever before. A few years back the boats were landing every fish over 600grams (1.3lbs) But Mackerel are one of the fastest breeders of any fish and if given a break can come back stronger than ever hence all the small stuff around the coast that are getting a hammering now from ex salmon fishermen with tonnage and a big government cheque to buy one of those gurdy machines to hammer the mackerel all summer (salmon men with gurdys getting 20 boxes in two hours at 40 euro a box in Donegal Bay this Summer). There is a massive storm brewing this winter because the Faroes and Iceland are saying that they are going to go out against scientists and fishermens advice and catch 100k tonnes of mackerel because they are not in the EU and we must blockade the ports and not buy any of their catch if we want Mackerel to survive, it will impact us all.....

DryFlyFishing · 09-09-2010 11:32am

rushnaldo wrote: »

There can be no doubt about it that Mackerel are teeny tiny around the shores this summer. I work in a mackerel factory in Killybegs and can guarantee you that Mackerel from Norway down to the Kerry coast are smaller than ever before. A few years back the boats were landing every fish over 600grams (1.3lbs) But Mackerel are one of the fastest breeders of any fish and if given a break can come back stronger than ever hence all the small stuff around the coast that are getting a hammering now from ex salmon fishermen with tonnage and a big government cheque to buy one of those gurdy machines to hammer the mackerel all summer (salmon men with gurdys getting 20 boxes in two hours at 40 euro a box in Donegal Bay this Summer). There is a massive storm brewing this winter because the Faroes and Iceland are saying that they are going to go out against scientists and fishermens advice and catch 100k tonnes of mackerel because they are not in the EU and we must blockade the ports and not buy any of their catch if we want Mackerel to survive, it will impact us all.....

totally agree........

but even us rod and line guys should not be keeping more than our fill...

catch your 50 but keep you damaged fish or 5 of a good size...

snow ghost · 09-09-2010 12:08pm

DryFlyFishing wrote: »

catch your 50 but keep you damaged fish or 5 of a good size...

The small ones always taste better, I had a few huge ones from the shore last week, they would have been 1.5 to 2lb easily, although I didn't have my scales with me.

Good point the poster who mentioned the plans of iceland and the faroe islands, there's a reason the scientists recommend qoutas, they should not be allowed to decimate the seas.

DryFlyFishing · 09-09-2010 12:13pm

anyone ever get the mackerel sweats... when you eat to much mackerel you overload on oil and your skin is like an itchy rash

my grandfather put away so many when i was a child he got the sweats.. dead now from cancer... i hope it was not the mackerel as they are a preditory fish and load up on toxins... form bait fish..

snow ghost · 09-09-2010 12:28pm

Never heard of the 'Mackerel Sweats' - sounds more like a possible excuse for a hangover.

I'd be more worried about over-dosing on MacDonalds than MacKerel.

You should make a youtube video Dry Fly Fishing - Super Mackerel Size Me - on teh perils of scoffing too many of them.

BTW after the first few meals of them after they arrive they become very sickening and mundane to the taste buds.

bad mackeral season

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