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Catching Mackerel

Trotter

Im a newbie to fishing and all Ive got is a rod & reel, and a line of 5 or 6 little 2 inch wiggly illuminous fish.

How basic a fisherman do I sound after that!!?

Anyways.. Ive spotted some rocks that lots of people fish off, and seemingly the place is normally good for mackerel.

SO! Is it a case of cast the line out and leave it there, or should I be reeling it in as soon as the bait comes back in with the tide close to the rocks? (Im presuming mackerel wont hang around right under the rocks, they'll be a few metres out?)

Any advice at all would be gladly received!! Im sure the simplicity of my approach to fishing will disgust all the seasoned anglers, all I can say is sorry!

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byrnenj

I'm no expert either but I've caught a few mackeral!
You'll probably catch more with a spinner! Cast out (as far as you can) and reel back in slowish. You don't want the spinner sinking to the bottom or flying across the top of the water, just swimming about 2/3 down in the water.
A set of feathers might also work, but I'd say a good spinner would be better.

Best idea would be to go to a local fishing shop and ask them. Tell them your interested in getting started in fishing and you need some spinners and lures.

They'll be able to tell you the best places to go locally, and the right lure to use there! I'm sure they'll be very helpful by doing so turn you into a loyal customer!

Chat to the people on the rocks, ask them what they are using and whether they are catching much!

Good luck!

Trotter wrote:

Im a newbie to fishing and all Ive got is a rod & reel, and a line of 5 or 6 little 2 inch wiggly illuminous fish.

And a weight as well?

cast out, and retrieve, maybe giving little jerks on the line. Or sweep rod back , move the rod forward and retrieve. You are trying to persuade the mackerel that they are looking at little fish!

jd

Illkillya

If those wiggly luminous fish are hokkai lures then that'll do fine for the mackerel.

A string of feathers, or a heavy lure called 'german spratt' are the most common lures used for mackerels, but they can be caught with almost anything when they're around (makeshift lures of my own have included a hook with a bit of a tayto packet tied onto it).

Trout spinners or basically anything resembling a spratt will do fine, my only worry with your current set up is having 6 hooks on 1 line can be dangerous when fishing from the shore for 2 reasons... its 6 times easier to get snagged on kelp or something, and theres also the risk of catching too many mackerel on one cast (one thing worse than just losing your line is losing your line with 4 or 5 mackerel attached to it). The latter isn't usually a problem this time of year but later in the summer/early autumn, when the mackerel are breaking, its not uncommon to get a fish on every hook.

Depending on where you're fishing, theres a good chance you'll be catching pollack along with the mackerel, so be careful that your line isn't too light, since pollack from the rocks are often 4lbs or over, and they'll take the same lures that mackerel will take.

Regarding simplicity, I share the mathematicians' view - the simpler the better. If you're catching fish with a handline threaded between your toes at the edge of a cliff then you're doing better than the English fella down the road with his €300 beachcaster and umbrella catching dogfish with his peeler/lugworm/caviar cocktail bait.

Trotter

K.. I went for an hour to the rocks in Dunmore east in Waterford. Rumour has it that the painted numbers on the rocks were the place to be because thats where they do the competitions, so I stuck myself right on the 5.. a spot about 6 foot above the water level. I used a line of 5 hokkai lures. (Thanks Illkillya!)

Now.. I caught nothin, and nearly gave up when my line got stuck. But.. having cut the line and tugged it once more.. murphys law kicked in and it came loose. So.. I went home.. tail between my legs, but with my hokkai lures all set to fight another day.

SO.. a few questions.

Why did the man who was fishing nearby and who was finishing up.. look at me like I was an escaped criminal when I asked "Is this a good spot to catch something?"... He just grunted NO and kept walking. (Why was he there so you ask.. I think it was him being an Ignorant GIT).

Next.. When I casted out.. the line used to make its way straight back into the rocks, where I just reeled it in again and casted it out. Do fish hang around right up against the rocks??

Anyway.. Its been beautiful sharing my first hour of getting the flu on a rock.. sorry I mean fishing! with you all.

Until the next day.. may your lines remain out of the kelp.

Trotter.

Illkillya

My guess is yer man said no because he caught nothing. I haven't been to Dunmore East since I was about 3 years old, but if you're fishing from the rocks and the water is clear/not estuarine and deep, then its probably a good place for the mackerel. If theres weed close in to the rocks, then theres bound to be pollack there also. I would also guess that there are wrasse there - they don't tend to go for lures but are easily caught with a bait.

If you're having no luck with the mackerel, you could try digging some lugworm or ragworm (available in most muddy estuaries), put these on the hook and theres a wider variety of catchable species there.

You'll often go fishing for mackerel and catch nothing even if you're doing nothing wrong - simply that they're not there. Keep an eye out for things like seagulls feeding, or disturbances on the surface which can be a sign of fish.

The advantage of fishing with 1 single lure, is you can let it drop down closer into the rocks, and entice any pollack or other fish that are in close. Next time you see a guy fishing there ask him if there are pollack there.

An hour fishing is not long at all, but generally its enough when you're fishing for mackerel. Its usually safe to move on if theres no sign of life after that length of time when fishing for mackerel. The main thing is that you enjoy it even if you're catching nothing.

Trotter

Illkillya wrote:

My guess is yer man said no because he caught nothing. I haven't been to Dunmore East since I was about 3 years old, but if you're fishing from the rocks and the water is clear/not estuarine and deep, then its probably a good place for the mackerel. If theres weed close in to the rocks, then theres bound to be pollack there also. I would also guess that there are wrasse there - they don't tend to go for lures but are easily caught with a bait.

If you're having no luck with the mackerel, you could try digging some lugworm or ragworm (available in most muddy estuaries), put these on the hook and theres a wider variety of catchable species there.

You'll often go fishing for mackerel and catch nothing even if you're doing nothing wrong - simply that they're not there. Keep an eye out for things like seagulls feeding, or disturbances on the surface which can be a sign of fish.

The advantage of fishing with 1 single lure, is you can let it drop down closer into the rocks, and entice any pollack or other fish that are in close. Next time you see a guy fishing there ask him if there are pollack there.

An hour fishing is not long at all, but generally its enough when you're fishing for mackerel. Its usually safe to move on if theres no sign of life after that length of time when fishing for mackerel. The main thing is that you enjoy it even if you're catching nothing.

Ah yeah it was a superb calm evening, nice and fresh! Yer man may have caught nothin, but I was nice and civil ... " excuse me, is this a good spot for mackerel".. He just looked up and said "No".. then walked straight past me! Muppet. Anyways, I was determined then to catch all the fish he missed lol

There were tonnes of seagulls around alright, but they were feeding pretty far out. I'll try take some digi photos of the spot next time Im there and post them up!

byrnenj

Well, I spent about 6 hours fishing for Pike today and caught nothing as well. Don't think the sun and the heat were helping!
Was a lovely day though! Well worth it!

Keep up the fishing Trotter, it wont be long till you have your first catch! Late summer is better for catching Mackeral though, but I'm sure they will be some around.

lfc5

Hows it going folks I was just wondering the best way to use feathers 4 mackerel. Also how to use ragworm & sandeel properly so it stays on hook properly. Im only just got into it have a 10 foot rod mitcheel reel and yesterday at decils rock lost most me stuff but what a spot 4 fishing! Anyone have some good tips and or places to go around the northside

Cheers
Lfc5

The Hill Billy

lfc5 wrote:

Anyone have some good tips and or places to go around the northside

If you want to go a bit further Northside than Howth - there have been great catches of mackerel off Skerries harbour at high tide over the past few days. E.g., On Thursday night there was little sport in catching the fish as you could pull in as many mackerel as there were hooks on your line. The fun was in landing them before the seals got them off your line.