mackerel - suggestion for PBO article

Agree to the paravane. Cost around £7 to £10 but can be adjusted for depth and which side of the boat they go when mackeral gets hooked. To catch other than mackeral you need to be at anchor or drifting but don't be surprised if mackeral end up on the hook !!
 
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There is no skill to catching mackerel.
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Almost impossible not to catch them at certain times of the year.
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If the fish are there you will catch them
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They are easier to catch than any other fish by a factor of a hundred or more
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Cheers! That makes me feel great - having failed completely to catch *anything* this year.

Not happy /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Andy

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You are not alone, Andy. I caught nought last year either. normally have no probs around headlands/ overfalls in our cruising area, but last year? - ZILCH! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Hi and welcome to the forum, Possibly the last new entrant for 2007?
If you want to fish for more interesting and tasty fish, you need to get your boat over red kelp, which is normally foung on shoreline with rockey cliffs, which also happens to be a very dangerous plase in a swell or an onshore wind, so great care is needed, and perhaps someone designated to control the boat under power while others fish, and engine always knocked into neutral when playing a fish.
You will find reasonable pollack and bollan rassea, in these areas.
Large silver or copper Tobies drawen past the kelp will usually pull a good un, and when you hook one keep the tip of the rod high at all times, as they will try their best to tangle the line around the kelp.
Screaming reels.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
There is no skill to catching mackerel.
/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Almost impossible not to catch them at certain times of the year.
/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

If the fish are there you will catch them
/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif


You are not alone, Andy. I caught nought last year either. normally have no probs around headlands/ overfalls in our cruising area, but last year? - ZILCH! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

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Must be loosing it /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
I dropped my mooring one day last season, and almost at the same time I chucked out a small silver toby, which represents the sandeel.
Almost instantly I had 3 on, chucked them back, also the toby again, then 3 more, possibly the same three, and again the same thing, 9 mackeral withen a space of about 10min, I got fed up and put the rod away.
I hate when the fishing is that boring. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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What else can be caught from a sailing yacht (preferable with artificial bait)? And what are the alternative recipes for cooking mackerel? Some of my family are fed up and I have suggested they try to catch a hamburger. Should I worry about dolphins going after my bait ?

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Erik,
First of all forget about the dolphins, they are far too smart to take a bait or lure. They may follow up mackerel on your line but just for fun.

We used to feed them on the way home from work when we had live bait left in the tank. They would hang around the bow wave and chase live bait the crew would throw out ahead of the boat Would not even look at dead bait or live bait that was not perfect.

Not many people eat mackerel here[common slimy mackerel] its mainly a bait species and is used to catch marlin, tuna etc. The fillets make excellent bait for bottom species such as snapper, either fresh or salted.

I'm almost retired now and handline some slimies each morning for setline bait. I use a jig with four lures I make up myself from firetail syntheyic material. White is the predominant choice with a flash of pink. One pound sinker on the bottom and just drop this down into a patch of fish while the boat is stationary. The heavy sinker is mainly to prevent tangles, four lures is enough, four slimies at a time that are regularly about a kilo each is enough to handle. This works most of the time but this time of the year here when marlin are common they get a bit cautious. Now I have to use a bit of slimy fillet and catch then by handling one at a time.

As for bottom fishing with artificial bait I would recommend soft plastics. Google up quidgy lures. These are used extensively here by amateurs and some professionals to target bottom species such as snapper, bream, flat-head etc. The larger sizes will take marlin and tuna. The larger sizes up to about 18 inches look and feel a bit too much like a sex aid, I'm sure both industries use the same plastics.

These soft plastic lures have a scent in them so you do get some smell on your hands. They regularly out fish fresh bait.
 
Cooking Mackeral..
In my mispent youth on the Isles of Scilly we used to take visitors out on the launches for mackeral fishing.. cought hundreds of the damn things lol..
We tried many recipes, but my favourite is the following, and so simple...

Head tail n gut. Place tin foil under grill and preheat grill on medium.. in the body cavity of the mackeral add a knob of butter, salt pepper and garlic if you like garlic.. mmmmmmm..
Place under preheated grill on foil with body cavity upmost.. grill gently.
They are cooked when the two sides fall flat, you can lift out the whole backbone in one at this point, and, the meat will drop away from the skin.. delicious. skinned and filleted with no hassel.

Joe
 
Fisherman (of this parish) mentioned some months ago that a paravane could be made from a baked bean tin. As i recall, you cut out both ends then, with the tin lying on it's side, you drill a small hole (3mm maybe?) at the top of the one end and at the bottom at the other end. Fasten swivel clips to these holes and your line to one and the bait trace to the other. Off setting these holes from the center line will cause the paravane to go to the port or starboard so you can troll two, three or more at the same time.
 
plateau de fruits de mer

This is great. Anyone any advice for other fish? I know how to catch sea bass and eels from a static shore line (and have done it). Cod needs silent, deep and COLD water. Would love to catch sole if only I knew how. Ray might be a bit much from a yacht cockpit.
 
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