mackerel season started ?

BoarHunter

As the sun is shining, the memory of heavy buckets full of mackerels came to my mind.

Anybody been out yet ? are the big schoals here ?

Was thinking of having a go around kilkee with the feathers tomorrow.

BoarHunter

no one knows if the mackerels have arrived ?

clarelad

taking a spin up there in a while so i will let you know when i get back

Zzippy

Its still very early for mackerel. I certainly haven't heard of any in close to shore yet, nor even very many off the boat either.

clarelad

ya another month or two,no mackeral to be got in dunlicky today anyway...

BoarHunter

ok thanks lads i will wait a couple of weeks. the may BH WE should be OK .

MACK DE KNIFE

if this weather keeps up:D we might get afew in the first 2 weeks in may, we were getten them early in may last year out off dun laoghaire in boats:)

Mackyboy

I think the water temp is a bit too low at moment, but if the warm weather continues, it won't be long warming up

MB

dekbhoy

wont see decent mackerel on the shoreline till late june , might get a few out in the boats second week in may

SeaFields

There was a few taken in Kerry last week from the shore. It would take a good session to get any number at all tho.

Its going to have the warmest water temp of the country i suspect at this time of the year. As another poster pointed out, temp needs to warm up.

They wont be long tho lads!

mp22

Mackerel reported in bantry bay this morning.

Mackyboy

Hi Guy's,

I was talking to a guy at the weekend, and someone told him, they had mackerel from cloughahead pier last week.
I don't know how many.

I don't know if this is true, personally I find it hard to believe.

I only going on what I heard

MB

skipz

Thats poop talk anyawys, iam from clogherhead my self and its way too early yet! I go down the pier most days and hav'nt seen one. Last year at the end of may when it was nice and hot they came in but got rare until september

snow ghost

There are credible reports of mackeral being caught from boats and some from shore, it may be fairly early for them en masse from shore, but if you get lucky and the conditions are right you may find some.

Mackyboy

skipz wrote: »

Thats poop talk anyawys, iam from clogherhead my self and its way too early yet! I go down the pier most days and hav'nt seen one. Last year at the end of may when it was nice and hot they came in but got rare until september

Yeah as i said in other post, i didn't think it was true, that's confirmed it. At least we have a clogherhead spy now.

MB

elius

In Achill bank holiday just gone. No Mackeral to be had just 3 Pollock little early. look forward to there arrival though..

SeaFields

Got an hours feathering in today in Kerry...caught 5 pollock and 5 mackerel.

There was a few fishing around me who were getting them as well!

BoarHunter

Sounds good ! might have a go around loop head in a couple of weeks !

Wolfsberg

Anything going around Dublin yet?
Cheers

peterk19

seen a few being caught off the east pier in Dunlaoighre today while i was float fishing for wrasse, they arent big number of them yet tho

Wolfsberg

Thanks Peter!

peterk19

Wolfsberg wrote: »

Thanks Peter!

no problem they were getting them on the back of the east pier right down the end you need to cast it as far as you can to the sand bar just out of spinner caster distance,

be careful of the lobster traps there you should be able to cast between them comfortably,

Roddy23

Have they still got the dinghy's to rent from Chris off from Bullock harbour? Thinking about heading down tonight try catch a few mackerel

peterk19

i seen a few drifting so i presume they are available, alright

MACK DE KNIFE

this week plenty of mackies been caught off boats from dun laoghaire:D:D

Degsy

peterk19 wrote: »

i seen a few drifting so i presume they are available, alright

How much do they cost for a couple of hours?

zacmorris

think it's 25eu an hour!?

BoarHunter

caught a few from the shore in Co Clare this morning despite de rain. It's starting !

jimi_t2

Are they not basically green sprat at this stage though? I'd really just wait it out a bit - the summers going to be a scorcher. Go spinning off rocks for pollack or even a bit of bass fishing at night. Wreck fishing is incredible atm I'm guessing, but I'm stuck up in Dublin for the time being.

Based on the reports, a good sunny day on the cusp of the tide turning and you'd fill boxes this August.

Even last year when it was basically snowing we got one sunny day about a mile offshore last June not terribly far from Dingle and we saw gannets circling and the dolphins belting towards the rocks. Pulled in 42 in 15 minutes by myself using shortened feathers. Ended up using bare hooks and they went for them because they were glistening in the sunlight. Think the tally was about 3 40lb boxes and a few smallish coalies, pollack, couple horse mackerel and a wrasse.



Ended up gutting about 10 of them and feeding the dolphins for the headsup. You could have literally petted them when they started following us back into the harbour. Beautiful creatures, and it appeared to be a mating couple with pup. They apparently know the boat now because they didn't leave us alone for the rest of the summer!













Lost about 15 fish on the way back from gannets and gullies picking them off the gutting board. One of the feckers nearly took a jig with him.

God I love fishing.

(Small heads up, if you're down the southwest later on in the summer I might be bringing paying groups out depending on insurance and work availability. 32ft ex-angling tour boat, full colour radar/fishfinder/12 man liferaft etc... Used to be used as a heavy Ray/Tope big game boat.)

BoarHunter

jimi_t2 wrote: »

Are they not basically green sprat at this stage though? I'd really just wait it out a bit - the summers going to be a scorcher. Go spinning off rocks for pollack or even a bit of bass fishing at night. Wreck fishing is incredible atm I'm guessing, but I'm stuck up in Dublin for the time being.

Bass fishing is closed ATM.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055916034

would be better to know if you want to take groups out fishing

Sparky84

Any mackerel at Poolbeg lighthouse ???

gearoid 12

any mackeral around youghal yet?

jimi_t2

BoarHunter wrote: »

Bass fishing is closed ATM.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055916034

would be better to know if you want to take groups out fishing

One thing I never do is night fishing or bass fishing; I can guide her in from 8 or so miles offshore right up to the pier off the radar, but the area around me is ****ing riddled with pots so you have to be very careful. Was propped at my mooring once last summer by some bloody messer laying shrimp pots off a buoy the size of a kids soccer ball and had to get a diver out; don't intend letting it happen again.

Even wreck fishing is something that I do very rarely, although I've caught a few fairly serious ling before. So yeah, Bass is one thing I've never gone out for or have any interest in; a throw away comment.

I had some notion that the closed season was around now alright, but I still thought it was catch and release! Are paternoster/boom rigs completely frowned upon then if you're up and out early and casting into the tide? I used to set spillers out with a variety of hooks and baits from rags to lugs to mackerel strips and squid, but asides from the occasional plaice and dab it was all bloody doggies.

(By the by, 6 Irish Specimens were set within 5 miles of where I'm moored, I won't give anymore away but I've an idea what I'm at! If you recognise the grounds from the photos you'll know what I mean, probably the best in Ireland overall.).

domall

The Mackerel have arrived in Clew Bay anyway lads. They're still a bit hit & miss but we were into them a fair bit with inexperienced anglers last weekend out in the middle of the bay between Achillbeg & Clareisland (fishing out of Currane, Achill).

I'm sure they'll get better over the next few weeks, but they're already very tasty!

BoarHunter

was out near kilkee last night for the tide and was reeling them in 4 at a time . Great barbecue in sight !!

jonnyj

Anybody catch any near, dunmore east / saleens yet lads. What did you catch them with? Were trying silverghost lures.

axiom

out around Dalkey today, absolutely nothing goin

browner85

anyone out in howth ?

Compton

Get out ad have a go! Then you'll know if there is or not.

murphy125

Absolutely none to been seen in Clogherhead today

Another few weeks i say:D

Wolfsberg

No mackerel at High Rock, Malahide before, during, or after high-tide this evening.

Dusty87

browner85 wrote: »

anyone out in howth ?

Will be next weekend

Dusty87

Wolfsberg wrote: »

No mackerel at High Rock, Malahide before, during, or after high-tide this evening.

Dose the high rock be finnicky anyway?? Iv fished it somedays and got great fishing and another day, same conditions would be poor.
Heading their and Howth next week

Wolfsberg

It can be like that I suppose Dusty, but I've never had any luck in Howth for that matter. The only thing is that there are loads of snags within about 30 feet of the shore in Malahide, I (as usual) lost a ball of tackle last night. I've rarely come home from High Rock with nothing to show, when there are mackerel around.

... Never remember mackerel rigs and lead weights being so expensive!... every time I lost a rig last night I was like "there's another €6.50 down the drain!"

skipz

Wolfsberg wrote: »

"there's another €6.50 down the drain!"

Where you buy your tackle from, thats mad money!!

Wolfsberg

An outdoor adventure shop in Swords. I never bought it there before Paid about €25 for 5 rigs, 5 weights, and a mackerel spinner. I decided to go on the day, all my tackle was in Kerry and I'm in Dublin. Please no advice that I should have gone to x, y or z shop, unless it was somewhere between Ashbourne and Malahide! I usually buy my stuff in ABC or Newry.

The dearest rigs were €3.50 and the dearest weights were €3. I did get some rigs for €1.50 though. The lad in the shop is very nice and he did give me a small discount.

Dusty87

Wolfsberg wrote: »

never had any luck in Howth for that matter.

Up by the cliffs, Walk down a little trail and your standing on a rock, decent spot but well known is the only thing, i think. Judging by the rubbish its well known. I often see lads fishing in the Harbour. Float fishing. What do they be after???
And anywhere else around the area?? Will be up in swords for a week next weekend

Wolfsberg

I tend to stay away from that area, it attracts a lot of junkies. I don't know what the guys are after float fishing in the harbour. The only thing I've ever seen inside the harbour was mullet!!!

skipz

Wolfsberg wrote: »

An outdoor adventure shop in Swords. I never bought it there before Paid about €25 for 5 rigs, 5 weights, and a mackerel spinner. I decided to go on the day, all my tackle was in Kerry and I'm in Dublin. Please no advice that I should have gone to x, y or z shop, unless it was somewhere between Ashbourne and Malahide! I usually buy my stuff in ABC or Newry.

The dearest rigs were €3.50 and the dearest weights were €3. I did get some rigs for €1.50 though. The lad in the shop is very nice and he did give me a small discount.

You should try making your own feathers it dead handy and its great catching them on them. You can use all manner off stuff on the hooks, plastic, cloth, tinfoil (rips handy, but great!). I find silver and red work deadly.;)

Wolfsberg

Thanks Skipz. I have made them in the past when I was a student with lots of time on my hands but with my job I'd rather just buy the rigs and spend the time I save doing some actual fishing.

... The foil wrapper on a kit kat is the best by the way!... red on one side, silver on the other. Drives the mackerel mad!!!

skipz

[QUOTE=

... The foil wrapper on a kit kat is the best by the way!... red on one side, silver on the other. Drives the mackerel mad!!! [/QUOTE]

Ah good one, must give it ago!;)