Mackrel

Judders

Judders

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[ QUOTE ]
Take the fishing gear, the Mackerel are around.
Using a hand held line that I bought in Aldi or Lidle recently - reel, line weight, feathers, spinners etc for a couple of quid, we caught 6 large mackerel the first time we dropped it overboard just past the Needles last weekend. Bit of a game getting them off the hooks and into the bucket but they tasted great on the grill later

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Now whilst we are on the subject of getting our SWMBOs interested, if their are Mackrel about then that has got to help.

How do we find them and how do we catch them?

(You wouldn't know it from my ignorance, but mackrel driving is in my blood)
 
Don't let them die in the bucket. Rigor mortis sets in and they end up curved and you can't get them into the frying-pan. Learned that in 1978 in Fecamp.
 
Absolutely, my missus loves catching fish. We use a hand line complete with paravane and lures, similar to this ...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PARAVANE-Trolling-...1QQcmdZViewItem

We get best results round about the 10m or so depth, and around 4 knots - this may vary in your area. If you catch small Saithe, you need to go a bit further out for the Mackerel.

After using a bucket once, with the problem of filleting a semi-circular fish, we dump them in the sink to expire.
 
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We get best results round about the 10m or so depth,

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Do you mean with the depth beneath the keels at 10 meters or the hook ten meters down?
 
I tend to despatch them quickly with a smart crack to the back of the head and gut them on board, the entrails providing a tasty snack for anything around. It just seems less messy that way and I hate to see anything die slowly.
 
Someone once told me that pouring alcohol into the mouth and on the gills knocks 'em out straight away. Never seen it done though - and don't know if off-the-shelf booze will do the trick.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Someone once told me that pouring alcohol into the mouth and on the gills knocks 'em out straight away. Never seen it done though - and don't know if off-the-shelf booze will do the trick.

[/ QUOTE ]It works for me - If you want to try it out, I rather favour the 18year-old Talisker
 
Pernod is the traditional intoxicant to use.

I learnt the hard way. When you bring up a line with all 6 hooks loaded with Mackeral just keep the biggest and throw the rest back, then try again. You will end up with several large mackeral instead of lots of different sizes ( mainly small ).
 
Just grab hold of them, hand round body just below the gills, finger into mouth and pull the head backwards ie towards the dorsal fin. You will break their backbones and kill them instantly.
 
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We get best results round about the 10m or so depth,

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Do you mean with the depth beneath the keels at 10 meters or the hook ten meters down?

[/ QUOTE ]10m depth of water. We have the lure running fairly deep, maybe 5-8m, but I've not tried different settings. When jigging we always start with the single right on the bottom.

On the other issue, mackerel are a very "aerobic" fish, and don't last long out of water. I've not found it particularly effective bashing them on the head - they tend to wake up again. If you want a quicker end, cut the backbone just behind the gills which will also sever the main blood vessels just undernead the bone.
 
[ QUOTE ]
aka The Lewmar kiss

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Hey Moodysailor, you didn't crew for John McCarthy anytime in the 70's/80's did you? Anybody who crewed for him became adept at avoiding the winchhandle! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.................
oh okay then........ my lawyer says I've got to add, "Allegedly"..... so, "allegedly". /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
AKA....

aka award them The Star of Lewmar!

But try to do it over the side...and don't squeeze them too tightly...otherwise yer decks will be a mixture of fish poo, blood and scales /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Also avoid any bits of teak and keep a bucket of water and washing up liquid on deck BEFORE you start...that way you don't have to go down below when you're covered in scales and smell of fish /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Enjoy....
 
oh come on people, a swift gutting generally does it pretty well. Knife in anus and split up to head, pulling guts at the same time with your finger.

Do you think trawlers and the like humanely knock out each little fishy before the electric shock across the temples.

If you need to kill them nicely first maybe you would be better leaving them in the water for the dolphins and seals to swallow alive!

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Chopping board on rear cocpit coaming and "Off with his head" as soon as he's off the hook then head and guts straight over stern for seagulls.
 
If there is a big shoal you can catch them on bare , shiny hooks . Most commercial hooks work . To find the depth they are feeding (inshore ) let the weight hit bottom whilst moving along slowly and retrieve . If you hit a shoal you will soon know .
 
Another thing, I always use barbless hooks. Just call me a big softy. I'm not aware of losing fish off the trace, and it makes it easier to release anything you're not keeping.

We used barbless when I was catching fish for a marine aquarium, where we needed to minimise injury.
 
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