What is the best speed to troll for mackerel?
The secret to more effective Mackerel trolling is speed. If you want to catch more Mackerel on lures, troll faster. While 6 knots is okay, 7, 8, 9 or 10 knots is even better. The faster you can troll, the more likely you are to get connected.
What is the best tide to catch mackerel?
spring high tide
The best tide for mackerel fishing is a spring high tide. These are tides when the difference between high water and low water is at its greatest, and the flow of water is strongest. Big tides push bait fish closer into shore and mackerel follow them in.
How fast do you troll live bait?
ideally about 2 knots is great. Live baits can be trolled on a rod and reel directly behind the boat or you can utilise a downrigger if you have one.
Do you use a sinker with live bait?
Use a split-shot rig with a sinker.
To keep the live bait at an appropriate depth and control the line for the kind of fish you want to catch, it’s usually common to rig your line up with a split-shot sinker to weight things down.
What line do I need for mackerel fishing?
Use 15 lb monofilament line or better still 15 lb braid. Then it is a case of tying on your rig or lure. Heavier gear can be used but you will not feel so much of the fight. Mackerel are fairly ferocious predators, especially when in a school.
How do you fish mackerel feathers from the shore?
Cast your feathers out. Allow them to sink to the bottom and then by holding your rod high, wind in until the feathers are a few feet off the sea bed. Then by jigging the rod in an upward and downward motion while retrieving your feathers, will see your feathers flutter through the water columns like fleeing baitfish.
What depth do you troll for mackerel?
I find that Spanish mackerel prefer depths of around 30 metres, although I have caught them in depths as shallow as 9 metres and as deep as 60. If you can find drop offs, or structure in 20-30 metres to 30-40 metres, it will pay to target these areas if there are no bait schools around.
Can mackerel be catch at low tide?
Registered. If it’s low tide then try the harbour entrances you’ll have to be there over slack water otherwise you’ll get sucked in, but at low the shoals start to move up river, Langstone or Chi are all good, watch out for the boats though, and the beachcasters.
Do mackerel come in with the tide?
There is the chance of a full string of fish on nearly every cast – especially on a rising tide. “The most effective way of catching mackerel here is to use a string of lures or feathers.
Is it better fishing at high tide or low tide?
An incoming tide, or rising tide, is considered one of the best fishing tide times. Water that enters an estuary area from the ocean can have a lower temperature, contain more oxygen, and have better clarity than the water that exists in the estuary during low tide or slack water periods.
What fish can you catch with mackerel?
Small Mackerel Baits: Very small strips of mackerel around 1 – 2cm (¼ – ½ inch) long can be used to catch mini species, while larger strips of ranging from 3 – 6cm (1 – 2 inches) can be used for general sea fishing for species such as pouting, whiting, school bass, dogfish and flatfish species.
What size hooks for live bait?
For live-bait fishing, I recommend thin wire hooks. This style penetrates your bait more easily and damages it less, thus allowing it to move freely on the hook and stay alive longer than when using heavy-weight hooks. Most live-bait hooks for inshore salt waters range from size 1/0 to 8/0.
How far behind the boat should I troll?
Every boat is different and you should make your boat your own study. Proper distance for most boats will be anywhere from 20 feet to 150 feet behind your boat. Whether you have inboard diesel or outboard gas engines, your power dictates the distance you troll your baits and lures.
Should you troll with or against the current?
When in an area with current, troll crosscurrent as opposed to with and/or against the current. Going crosscurrent, you don’t have to worry about how the current is affecting your lure’s or bait’s speed through the water. Plus, fish generally swim into the current.
How much line should you let out when trolling?
Downriggers. Downriggers allow for extra long length between the downrigger ball and the lure. Let out 50 feet of line and clip into the release. If that’s not enough distance to prevent your lake’s wary walleyes from seeing the ball…then let out 150 feet of line!
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