Are the Galway Mackerel in yet?

Caribs

Has anyone seen any sign of the mackeral coming in yet? Hopefully the warm weather of the last week or so might have helped bring the water temp up a little.

Steyr

The Mackerel are/have been here for ages, pretty poor fishing along the shore but plentyful just off the lighthouse, best bet is to go out on a boat fishing trip, but no fun in it really i used feathers and every feather had one on it nearly all the time but they are pretty small in size lately.

Discodog

This could be the third year in a row when the Mackerel do not "come in" as in come right to the shore in large numbers. The old fishermen here tell me that they sometimes miss an odd year but never three in a row.

One fisherman offered the theory that excessive rain run off decreases the salinity close to the shore & that Sprat are sensitive to this. I find it hard to believe that with tides & wave mixing that the salinity would change but the "failure" of the Mackerel has coincided with wet summers.

Euro_Kraut

Discodog wrote: »

This could be the third year in a row when the Mackerel do not "come in" as in come right to the shore in large numbers. The old fishermen here tell me that they sometimes miss an odd year but never three in a row.

One fisherman offered the theory that excessive rain run off decreases the salinity close to the shore & that Sprat are sensitive to this. I find it hard to believe that with tides & wave mixing that the salinity would change but the "failure" of the Mackerel has coincided with wet summers.

Thats mad. I wonder do the people in the Marine Institute in Rinville have any theories? Could it be a subtle change in water temperature brought about by climate change? Mutton Island cleaning the bay effecting the eco system?

Discodog

Euro_Kraut wrote: »

Thats mad. I wonder do the people in the Marine Institute in Rinville have any theories? Could it be a subtle change in water temperature brought about by climate change? Mutton Island cleaning the bay effecting the eco system?

Last year the MI hosted a conference on Mackerel. As I live by the sea & have witnessed the genuine spectacle of shoals of Mackerel jumping so close to shore that they occasionally land on the beach I contacted the MI.

I asked whether the factors controlling this behaviour were known & I was told that this was a "good question". Two days later someone called me back & said that they had no idea why the Mackerel would come in some years & not others. Anyone fancy a research project ?.

Das Kitty

They were definitely in at the shore two years ago. I waded
into water with them.

Saw them last Thursday about 10 yards out. You would think that the levels of fry would be up this year though, it's been milder than recent years.

They come in because the herd the fry into a kind of bait ball at the shoreline. Some mackeral come out of the water during the frenzy but mostly the get carried back out on the next wave.

s_carnage

Where's the best places to go for fishing along the shore? Suppose anything within a 10 mile radius of the city.

Caribs

Thanks for the responses - good to hear they are around. Hadn't noticed the usual crowds along the prom so was wondering.

I normally go a bit further out towards Spiddle and a couple of years ago witnessed a huge shoal driving the sprat into the shore at the back of the pier. I've never seen anything like it, they were literally at our feet in about a foot of water. I was just using a german sprat spinner as it was too easy to catch them but people were hauling them out six at a time. Amazing spectacle.

jasonh

Was @ Blackhead, County Clare on Monday but nothing really going on - tough enough round there, especially with the rocks.
Can someone clarify - do they come in and hound the sprats at high tide or when the tide is going out?

Hyperbullet

I've done a good bit of fishing this year at home in Clare and its been pretty poor this year. My usual haunt is a spot outside kilkee thats always full with them this time of year and so far its been very very poor. I havent gone fishing in Galway yet but by the looks of things they're not in here yet either which is shocking. Can anyone recommend a decent spot to fish off the shore in Galway? Would like to have a look myself.

ValerieR

Sorry, I can't give advice on where to fish from the shore, but mackerel is definitely around - we were leisure fishing in the bay last weekend and there were a good few fish caught!

ValerieR

Discodog

jasonh wrote: »

Was @ Blackhead, County Clare on Monday but nothing really going on - tough enough round there, especially with the rocks.
Can someone clarify - do they come in and hound the sprats at high tide or when the tide is going out?

The fishermen usually fish on a highish tide but often they are wrong. It depends on the topography of the shore.

sam69

Not really many about this year so far,
heard they were been caught in Clare earlier this week but nothing in Galway.
Was out in the bay last month, caught loads but its not the same.
Was brilliant last year, sprat was jumpin mad

gary82

People saying that they didn't come in for the last few years .... I caught hundreds last year!!! Around this time last year I'd be catching maybe 40 around high tide every day for a few weeks.... sometimes twice a day when the tides/daylight allowed. Offered them off to friends. Did all my catching off Nimmo's Pier as I was living locally at the time. Could have caught more but supply was outdoing demand! Used to walk home with two of those strong Dunnes Stores bags of them!

Caribs

Went out to Spiddle this evening, nothing doing. Caught one small Mackeral but other than that didn't see anything for 1.5 hours fishing....maybe next year..!!

biscuits1981

was walking the porm today around 6ish and there was a good crowd across from seapoint and them seem to be catching a good bit.... stopped and watched it for a while and was nice to see alot of father and sons fishing

stevecrow74

there one factor for mackerel shoals coming in close.. food..

the mackerel follow the shoals of sprat and feed off them, the sprat come in close during the warmer weather presumably to spawn and with such easy pickings the mackerel shoals follow... and its not only mackerel that follow but scad and garfish, and depending on the size of the shoals of sprat that come in will effect the size of the mackerel shoals, now sprat are also commercially caught and sold as whitebait, and as we know mackerel are also netted for food..
the last good shoal of mackerel was about 3 years ago for the simple reason we had a good patch of weather that made it easier for the sprat to get closer into shore, hence the mackerel followed in close. but its not to say that the last two years have been bad for them.. they were out in the bay in large numbers, just that they didnt come in close for any length of time, which is also what is happening this year..

and to answer why do mackerel beach them selves.. its all to do with food again, mackerel arnt really the brightest of fish to begin with, but they will chase a shoal of sprat onto a beach to trap them in a corner or along the coast making it easier for them to feed, and the shoals literally go into a frenzy, even to a point that a mackerel will chase a sprat out of the water and inadvertently beaching its self..

a good place to catch them is far away from everyone else trying to catch them... too many hooks flying about for comfort..

Discodog

One problem with your theory - Sprat spawn in April. Here the first sign of the mackerel "coming in" is usually lots of dead Sprat on the tideline.

stevecrow74

i did say 'presumably to spawn'.. (not exactly an aficionado on sprat)..

the first signs of mackerel 'coming in' for me is usually seeing large shoals breaking the water further out and large numbers of seagulls either diving or just siting on the water picking up sprat..
maybe follow the life cycle and migratory route of sprat could reveal more about mackerel !!!

Discodog

It does seem odd that an annual event that is part of local culture is still not understood. One old ex fisherman told me that people relied on the mackerel coming in as many did not have boats. They would then collect the fish & smoke them to provide essential Winter protein. If the Mackerel "failed" there would be serious consequences.

No one seems to know if the Sprat gather in the shallows & consequently attract Mackerel or if the Mackerel collectively drive them inshore. Also why does this behaviour result in so many being washed up dead ?. As each day goes by it is less likely that the Mackerel will come in.

gd1987

They were in at the prom last night, good few people down beside Seapoint pullin them out 2 or 3 at a time. Wish I still had a fishing rod!

Discodog

They are definitely in. Sea black with Sprat & loads of Mackerel.