Mackerel reports '09 here.....

plenty in belfast lough atm. had around 40 in just over an hour today around greys point/helens bay

betra beach westport full of them,we had forty tonight,and two lads had a scatter last night,looks like there in at last time to get the bait freezer full!!

In howth yesterday on the low rocks loads of mackerel on high tide none before that.

was in bethra beach westport again last night,55 in 3/4 hour,had to stop fishing for them bait freezer is filling up

got 9 in clifden bay yesterday and first full string of the year

Macks around Louth are rather scarce. On Saturday, I tried Clogherhead and blanked: one local who fishes there every year and collects them for his freezer said he had only caught 7 so far this year! I was there two weeks previously and caught 4 in a couple of hours, but didn't get a chance to try again since I was away in the fjords of Norway in the intervening time (wish we had fishing here like there).

From the boat on Sunday, we had to work really hard to get a handful - probably caught around 20 between 4 of us all day. At least that was enough for bait for the no-show tope and the no-show conger.

Macks Galore in Portnoo.

Never seen them boiling before, but I have seen it now on two occassions from the kayak. Been told they are feeding on the Krill.

I was in Fenit, Kerry last week. Mackeral fishing at the pier was desperate, i.e not a bite. Driving down the pier you never saw so many miserable lookiing faces in your life. I asked at the Beach Shop and the fella there said its been like that for the past two years, and he blames it on the large number of whales in the area (okay, that I don't mind) and the trawlers (that, I mind A LOT!).

In previous years when I fished there you could always count on a few stringfuls on the incoming tide and you;d have to get there early for space. As one aul'fella said to me, there were times you could practically dip a bucket in and pull them up.

Anyone got any good macky spots in the area from Tralee up to Banna? We're going down the last week of Auguat.

Was in North Sligo/donegal border town 13/8 and hit a shoal of macks about 5 rod lengths off shore they were so small I changed tack, but I did notice that the fishingg boats on their 2 hour trips were also landing macks of similar size for the tourists

lets hope we get a better size before the run ends

Warren

We drifted down along the shore from Greenore on Saturday from around 5PM to 8PM, and turned up a single solitary lonely mackerel.

I wasn't out Sunday, but the others caught zero macks in Carlingford Lough, out to the mouth of the lough.

It's getting worse by the day: I now have absolutely no bait in the freezer!

Howth east pier last night-3 mackeral/1 pollock just on high water,guy beside me had the same.no birds working the water atall.

Went for a walk in Malahide this evening, along the beach/estuary. I was trying to see if you can dig for lugworm there (which I don't think you can as I didn't see any markings from them).

Anyway, the tide was coming in, and the seagulls were making an awful racket and diving into the estuary.
I had the rod/bag in the car, so I thought I'd give it a go.
Threw on a spinner, think it's called a German Sprat. Hooked a lovely sized mackerel after half an hour.
Few minutes later got another bang while reeling back but didn't hook it.
Threw on a set of feathers and took another three mackerel in an hour. Two decent sized, one smaller.
Tide was still on the way in but I had to leave.

Briefly chatted to a fella who had set up a bait rod and was also using a spinning rod and lure for Bass.

Hello everyone,
Is there a scarcity of mackerel or is everyone out catching them?
Will someone let me know if there are mackerel showing at high tide in Cork are at the moment, pretty please.
(Pat, have you had a chance between catching specimen bass (more power to you!) to notice if anyone's catching macks in Cobh?)

Blackie

No sign of Macks in Cork as yet. Been out quite a few times to Cobh but no one seems to be catching any of them. They are being caught off the boats near the Old Head of Kinsale.

i had a few last week in fountainstown way up past the path at low water on feathers, and small pollack every 2nd cast(biggest around 2lbs). forgot to put new line on the reel and got a snag after a few casts so only had about 40 yards of line to put out . might have filled a bag if i got out a little bit further as a guy 30 yards up from me had a good few. lots of lidl rods at the end of the path on my way back and dont think any of them had even 1 .
very deep water there. didnt matter what stage of the tide for them here last year but not the safest for kids.

Hello everyone,
Is there a scarcity of mackerel or is everyone out catching them?
Will someone let me know if there are mackerel showing at high tide in Cork are at the moment, pretty please.
(Pat, have you had a chance between catching specimen Bass (more power to you!) to notice if anyone's catching macks in Cobh?)

Blackie

I'll have a look tonight and let you know.

I caught them quite near the shore at East Ferry earlier in the week, so they are around.

Hey lads.

Spent 3 and half hours on Dun laoghaire west pier today and caught 1 mack; also caught a few of those undersized pollock which I threw back.

fished rocks near Coliemore park today for 4 hours and got 10 mackerel. Guy beside me caught around 16..........

Plenty of mackerel being caught off Brandon Pier in Kerry at high tide over the past few days, lots of people hauling in full houses and plenty of bird activity but best of all when you've had your fill of mackerel you can walk across to Murphy's pub for a well earned pint.

Hi guy's

Fished colimore rocks today around 1300 managed to land two but poxy seals took a full set of feathers with four macks on . Hopefully the seal dosnt get hurt by the hooks. A couple of other guy also lost fish to the seals on the retrieve.The buggers were bobbing up about ten yards out from the rocks.