How to catch a mackerel?

[myangle]

Can anybody help with some tips for catching mackerel. I have tried trawling a pilly (and got the most amazing case of line twist!) and I have also tried trawling with a hardbody lure wich goes to 3metres deep. I am having no luck at all! Are they more a morning and evening fish or can I catch them all day? Deep water or shallow?
I am really stumped.
BTW My haunts are the back of Green, StHelena and Mud Islands. Surely there would be something in that massive stretch of water!

[JRJR]

You do what I do, keep trying and trying and trying and trying....................and still get nothing.

Sorry I wasn't much help just wanted to share my frustration also.

[cobiaman]

mate, if you can try a bit further out near moreton, you would have a better chance

[BilgeBoy]

hi myangle

some days they can be real fussy...other days they will smash anything that moves. I personally use Ron Moles lures and find them perfect for the job. Just cast and crank like there is no tomorrow. Have caught them by just floating a pilly out as well. A good tip is to try and find out what they are chasing. You can often see the bait fish jumping out in front of them...then adjust your lure size to suit the bait fish size. The birds are your best friend as they will guide you to where they are heading.

Best of luck mate and I hope you hook up soon. But don't give up and just keep trying things until you hook up.

Regards

BilgeBoy

[levinge]

I'll tell you everything I know!!

1. Clean water, mack don't like the dirty stuff.

2. If your using pilleys there are 2 ways, 1 is trolling (not a great percentage hookup rate), 2 setting a pillie on ganged hooks, works well if you use a berley trail.

3. trolling hardbody lures, I use Rapala magnums and Xraps. Magnums, if your going to troll over 5 knots and use the Xraps at around 4 knots speed. I use the Xrap 30's (30 feet). Most colours work but I use the green with black stripes and the disco green one. In two trips we've managed 6 big Spaniards.

4. Make sure that your line and Rod class are matched up fairly closely, too stiff a line or rod and your lure won't work properly.

5. If the speed is not working, vary it, speed up of slow down until you get things going and you'll know when it happens.

6. Ask a few of your mates/fellow ausfisho's for a few mack spots and then cut loose and see what happens..

7. NW Edge of reefs is usely a quite productive area 25-30 metres of waters

8. You can also sink a pillie out the back of the boat with no float, that works pretty well, especially if you open up the belly slightly and let it self berley..

Good luck, hope this helps

This is one that my missus collared using an Xrap about 2 weeks ago

[myangle]

Thanks all. That was very helpful. Now I suppose I just need to know where to go...

[Jeremy]

what size boat?

[bermo82]

Hey myangle,

You are in the right area (sort of), Like cobiaman says head to towards the points of southern moreten and north straddie from the back of green island until you see a cluster of navigation markers. this area produces spotties and also the LT's when they are around.

Also invest in some slugs around 14-40g in weight to throw at schools under the birds. This is how i've scored most of my macks and also using an unweighted pillie on a gang.

If you don't score a mackeral on the next trip keep trying cause when you find them it will be game on.

Hope this helps.

Bermo

[myangle]

jeremy
4.1 tinnie with 30hp plus electric up front.

[Jeremy87]

Could you see any birds where you were trolling? When chasing bay spotties flocks of birds as usual are useful for finding schools of mackeral particularly when they have balled up bait. No birds normally means no fish, or no active fish. If you can find bait with no birds then it means no fish. This season so far there has been lots of bait but only a few spotties. We've done 5 trips found them on 3 caught them on 2. Personally i think the fish that have been hanging between st helena and mud have moved on and we are waiting for another wave to move in.

On to tactics. Yes you can catch them trolling but there is a time and a place for it. When you know there is fish in the area but they are not feeding on the surface then troll. When they are up on top trolling is a great way to break up the schools and annoy the cr&p out of the people casting at them.

To casting, this is most effective when the fish have balled up bait. Try to avoid casting over the top of the bait ball or landing straight in it. If the bait ball is small you can break it up by casting into it and if you cast over the top and hook up at the back of the bait ball then your line is left in the bait ball waiting to be bitten by another mackeral. Best place to cast is slightly past and to the side of the bait ball, anticipating the direction the fish are moving. You can tell the difference between a school of spotties feeding and say small mack tuna for example long before you can see the fish themselves. Firstly spotties form small compact balls and seldom have more than 30 birds feeding with them, when spotties "boil" they make a characteristic arked slash on the surface. This can be spotted several hundred metres away. small tuna tend to boil the surface forming a dense mass and then widening as the bait school breaks up. they often have alot more birds feeding with them. The other way to target spotties is as they are cruising the surface in search of new bait. sometimes you stumble accross them other times they can be picked by a single bird hovering on the one spot or slowly cruising along with them. Here a good pair of poleriod sunnies is essential. cast ten or so metres ahead of their direction of travel sink the slug and then crank it back through the cruising fish.

To slug selection. Like many have said matching the hatch can be important, but no always as important as for tuna. For spotties i like to start with a 30 or 40 grammer. This way the extra weight enables me to spin faster without breaking the surface and the longer profile protects you from the teeth. If the bait is smaller and they are not hitting the bigger slug then downsze to a 20 etc. I never run wire for leader. I normally use 40lb black magic tough trace, this is heavy enough to give you some protection but will not save you if a big spottie decides to inhail your slug. After every hit check the first 20cm of your trace for cuts and frayes. If it is damaged cut it off and retie. Slugs aint slugs, some swim and cast better than others, some come with better hooks etc. Prickly petes cactus slugs work well as do the gillies rip offs of sea rocks. There are a many slugs that swim better than others. A slug that spins or twists through the water will catch less than one with a tight controlled wobble. Buy a variety and see which ones swim best for you.

[myangle]

Thanks for that. I appreciate your taking the time to answer my post. Now if I can just find the time to head out on the bay....

[tailorboi99]

My favourite way is live baiting or casting slugs.

Tom

[myangle]

Right, I have my slugs, lures and pillys and I am off to try and catch a mackerel tomorrow morning. Thanks everyone for all the advice.

[dsma@rky]

Yesterday i caught my first spanish mackeral, I was at Britomart Reef out from Lucinda in north queensland and I got it on a live bait that was sitting just off the bottom. I also had a hit on a floating fusuilier (spelling), but failed to hookup.