Mackeral in the Bay

[BassTracker]

Im not sure if any of you read the artical in the courior mail on the weekend regarding the mackeral season this year. They were saying that it is shaping up to be the best season in 15 years to our weather patters returning to normal, and defined seasons rather than the mash we've had. They said they were expecting that mackeral should be turning up in numbers around the bay about now and I was wondering if anyone has had any luck with them??? Or have seen schools around the bay yet?

[BassTracker]

they are my favorite [img size=336]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/n524153278_132466_9337.jpg

[kriso]

yeah would love to catch one someday! there a awesome fish!

[dhess]

Haven't ever targetted mackerel in the bay but its definitely on the to do list.

Mid November I trolled up a smallish spaniard approx. 1m long around flinders reef.

I have heard reports of a fair few being caught about a month or so ago from the top of Moreton into the trench.

[BassTracker]

I've heard the same but I havnt really heard of anyone seeing them schooling up anywhere.. I'm heading out this arvo to have a look around, and take advantage of this weather.. its been windy for way too long

[dhess]

Good luck!

The weather does look pretty good. I was tempted to get out this morning but glad I didn't. It briefly blew up to about 20knots. Should be ok this afternoon though.

[noname]

this type of fishing requires a bit of know how, but once you have a few tips under your belt can be a very exciting type of fishing, {sight fishing}.

TIP 1. don't drive into the middle of the school.

TIP 2. get to know what birds to look out for.

TIP 3.when throwing slugs, let them sink, count to 7/8. before you start winding.

TIP 4. wind as fast as you possibly can.

TIP 5. these fish will feed into the wind, so go upwind of them and let them come to you.

hope this helps some.

cheers rob

[kriso]

cheers robbo i didnt know alot of that

[Terry H]

Rob.

Do you literally wind as fast as you can?

I ask because I've heard this about using slugs a lot, especially for tuna. I very rarely get any hits when I'm cranking a slug back as fast as possible. I usually have to slow it down a lot to get any hits. IE I try and wind just fast enough for them to start dancing around when they come back in - I'm sure you know what I mean if you look at a slug coming back at various speeds.

[shortie]

yep i winde as fast as i can

[Terry H]

is that just for mackeral or tuna, kingies, trevally as well?

[dhess]

Maybe your just a very fast winder?

Never caught a mackerel on a slug, but with tuna I find different speeds work on different days.

I probably hook the most when I land the slug in the block hole and don't have to wind at all.

[Terry H]

Haha, yea just wondering that myself dhess:P But when you say as fast as possible.. that's pretty quick:P

When you fire it off into the middle of a big feeding school, you dont have to wind very far to get a hit lol

[noname]

tezz, i do this for makies and tuna, faster the better, with a 5.8 geared reel. it can be tricky at times fishing for them, this is what i would advise for those who want to start targetting these speedsters, but you will pick up things that work for ya along the way, but yeah try whatever you think will help with a hookup.

tip. if you feel the fish going nuts midfight, just click the bail arm over, say for 10 sec and clip back, he might just have a durr dmmmm on his tail.

[kriso]

hahaha nice tip

[wesfish]

i have caught quite a few mackeral on the end of the shipping channel beacons, on soft plastics and slugs and pillies, also the inner beacon a bit over half way to tangalooma and all the beacons from tanga to out from bulwer, the technique i use for plastics is 1/4ounce tt jig heads and flick baits in pillie colour or green, sink it to the bottom jig it hard 3 times or more lifting it off the bottom and let it hit the bottom pause for 3-5secs then wind flat out to the top, i have been spooled heaps and bitten off heaps , but have landed 5 schoolies up to 1 mtr this way i also do the same with the slug, with pilchards i float them out the back in the currant on a set of gangs, but have also got them bottom bashing with a paternosta , when their on their on. they will take just about any thing,, when looking for mackeral feeding under birds look for slashing in the water , with the big longtail tuna you will see them come clear of the water or heaps of big tails coming out of the water, pretty much the same for mack tuna, i have found that a sudden change in motor noise puts the tuna down, such as on the plane then you stop and shut motor down , if no one else is onto the schools i find that a 2 person team works well , one skipper and one fisherman ready with a slug, then drive the boat at a good pace straight at the school and dont change pace i have found they stay up longer and you get 1 or 2 good casts at them while right on top of them , this is done while on the plane , if there is a hook up i stop of course!!

[Hopeless]

I trolled a bit yesterday for a while with no luck. A mate caught a couple a few days ago. Was no bird activity. Came across them on the sounder. I find over towards Straddie towards one mile not to bad thou for finding them.

[Needmoretime]

Yer I have also heard of a few being caught in all the usual haunts.

Re speed for winding I have always worked on the basis that too fast is never fast enough for spotties. Never really tried to target Tuna so it may be a different theory.

Good tips re the feeding up wind, don't drive through schools etc. It can get a bit chaotic out there on a nice day when the mackeral are smashing bait fish and have seen a few instances of mackeral rage when people have not played by these sort of rules.

People who have been following a school, positioned themselves up wind etc, waited for them to gt there and then someone drives through the school.

The soft plastics are also a lot of fun for them for something different and can work esp when there are anor 50 people around throwing slugs at them.

Cheers and lets hope for a good season.

NMT

[benno573]

we used to get them off gladstone on slugs and nothing else. and your fastest wind is never too fast for mackeral. letting the lures sink is a good idea except if you can see them sitting on the surface then start winding straight away. the only fish i vary my speed of retrieve for is tailor, otherwise only one way to tackle it and that's flat out.

[kriso]

what pound main line and leader should be used chasing these guys. also will 10-17lb rod with 3000 sol be okay?

[benno573]

mate anything 6lb up is ok for spotties in the bay. i usually use 10 or 15lb main just in case a big big sucker comes along but have caught them on as light as 6. leader i find 40lb is ok, if i lose too many i just up it to 60lb. try and avoid wire like the plague, they hate it. if live baiting for them i generally go for 30lb main line and a 60lb leader from the get-go as you often encounter other stuff as well as mackeral. yellowtail kingies are pretty common and rat cobia hang around the beacons as well.

for spinning/floating pillies your 10-17lb rod with a sol is more than fine mate, i have caught them on a 2-4kg ugly stick by mistake so anything is possible!

[noname]

for the sole purpose for fishing mackrel, i have a 10 foot spinning rod with 15/20 lb mono, just so the line doesn't break when casting, big casts. i believe there is only 1 reel for mackrel, and thats a tss4, by shimano, old, ugly, rough to the feel, good drag, can get heaps of line on 1. you just cant hurt them. .

starting to show my age now,lol.

[Cowfish13]

wesfish wrote:

i have caught quite a few mackeral on the end of the shipping channel beacons, on soft plastics and slugs and pillies, also the inner beacon a bit over half way to tangalooma and all the beacons from tanga to out from bulwer, the technique i use for plastics is 1/4ounce tt jig heads and flick baits in pillie colour or green, sink it to the bottom jig it hard 3 times or more lifting it off the bottom and let it hit the bottom pause for 3-5secs then wind flat out to the top, i have been spooled heaps and bitten off heaps , but have landed 5 schoolies up to 1 mtr this way i also do the same with the slug, with pilchards i float them out the back in the currant on a set of gangs, but have also got them bottom bashing with a paternosta , when their on their on. they will take just about any thing,, when looking for mackeral feeding under birds look for slashing in the water , with the big longtail tuna you will see them come clear of the water or heaps of big tails coming out of the water, pretty much the same for mack tuna, i have found that a sudden change in motor noise puts the tuna down, such as on the plane then you stop and shut motor down , if no one else is onto the schools i find that a 2 person team works well , one skipper and one fisherman ready with a slug, then drive the boat at a good pace straight at the school and dont change pace i have found they stay up longer and you get 1 or 2 good casts at them while right on top of them , this is done while on the plane , if there is a hook up i stop of course!!

Cheers for the great info! We'll try that out next time when the wind allows

[Needmoretime]

I agree TSS4 is the best mackeral reel.

Like everyone else has said anything from 6lb up will do but 10-15lb seems to the norm in case you encounter something bigger

cheers

NMT