Mackerel Reports '10 here......

still plenty of macks in killala bay,,,,got a full box yesterday boat fishing,,,had a cast today from the shore got ten,,they seem to be out in deeper water,could be this overcast thundery looking weather !!!!

wow man, one cast ten macks great goin

Poolbeg Sunday 10:00 - 25 anglers. 12:00 - 5 anglers. Do I need to say more?

i hear you man,its bleedin depressing especially with the weather weve had,theres very few sandeel or fry about either

Out in Helvick about 8 times over three weeks. 4 macs to show for it. Yesterday was the worst. 6.5 hours and nothing but a slight tanning of the neck.

about 20 "trying" for macs on wicklow harbour last night - none showed

never knew you could get perch in the sea there!

about 20 "trying" for macs on wicklow harbour last night - none showed

never knew you could get perch in the sea there!

What you talking about Willis?

Out in Helvick about 8 times over three weeks. 4 macs to show for it. Yesterday was the worst. 6.5 hours and nothing but a slight tanning of the neck.

Serious? That's incredible. When I lived down there, we always got macks easily in July and August, just a quarter of a mile straight out from the big rocks at the very end of Helvick Head. Seems to be some kind of tidal offset there.

As Polaris says, plenty of them up in North Mayo this year and they're a good size too, but we're nearly fed up with them at this stage...

1 mack n 1 hour east pier dun laoire

Any one getting any off wicklow harbour?

Saturday the 23 plenty of them being caught pier was full I got 16 and the foreigners were hopping of them few boats anchored just outside harbour wall were getting six at a time surprised it hasn't being mentioned on here get yourself down there sum evening before there all gone good size macks

4 hours in Helvick again yesterday. one guy got two pollack and that was it. Local trawler man said none to few macks about.

going to try again today and then I'm going back to golf!

Heard an item on Morning Ireland today about Iceland being overrun with macks this year when they usually have none. Are the main shoals pushing away to the North now? Global warming.....?

I usually fish for mackerel at the end of the west pier in Dun Laoghaire whilst perched atop the wall. A long high cast out of the wind into the deeper water helps (as always) - whipping the rod and flexing your knees is recomended rather than a running, one-legged, body-throw cast. A couple of hours either side of high tide is best although not exclusively. Don't let the seal intimidate you. Float fishing is fine well inside the harbour but they drift all over the place in the currents at the mouth.

The only major danger of getting caught on rocks is at the left (north) end of the wall where there is also a lot of weed. Just away from here is good for large pollack as well as mackerel. Just down to the right of the wall (just inside first min-harbour) is still fine for mackerel and better for not falling in. Further into the harbour is less good for mackerel but still fine for pollack.

My friend took six mackerel on one line just off the wall the other week-end. He noted that you need a long cast and to keep the 3oz weight deep. I noted that he was using my feathers. They were eight-hook (size 5) with black, red and silver. Theoretically, more hooks are better as they are more visible to the fish and you can catch more on one line. My attempt to cast with ten hooks ended two minutes later - it's probably better from a boat. I've caught large mackerel here with 3oz German sprats. Smaller Germans are harder to cast so I'm not sure if smaller mackerel would go for them as well. Tieing a German (sprat) to a line of feathers is brilliant for catching rocks, weed and the occasional fish.

The week-end before last (either Saturday or Sunday 17th/18th) about 100 mackerel were caught over the afternoon. There were a lot of people up there with a diverse array of attitudes and success. I was disappointed by the number of small and inedible fish that were taken including small pollack and gurnard, wrasse and a scorpion fish but this might be more of a cultural thing.

I haven't seen much caught on the outside of the pier which faces Howth. A ledge at the end, just down from the wall gets exposed at low tide from which you can cast to get mackerel and pollack but the rocks and weeds devour rigs. A few people fish with rag worm ledgers but I've never seem anything caught. By the yacht station on the last elbow, I've only caught pouting and dogfish (using rashers or mackerel).

Howth harbour is meant to be fair for mackerel but the only thing I caught there was the train (and I was lucky to get that).

i seen a bloke take in about a dozen in the space of an hour or two in killiney the other day

i seen a bloke take about a dozen within an hour or two in killiney the other day while i was walking the dog

i fished killiney yesterday evening
no macks pleanty of pollock though

howth 1 hr n a half tide n nothing loads try'n but no macks caught

i fished a charter boat up in donegal bout 5 weeks ago..put a post up on it..but there were macks every cast..its very bad down herr at the moment.....i blame brian cowen..shor ya have to blame some eejit

Got 3 off the rocks behind port oriel clogherhead. Seen two more caught but nothing else. Seems to be bad up there unless you have a boat.

Location: End of pier, Clogherhead, Co. Louth
Today 31/07/2010
Time 09:00-11:30 (Would have stayed longer but breakfast was ready).
Fished with Feathers
I had 4 mackerel. Others fishing around me caught more, double figures for some.
Small Pollock and whiting (very small ) took feathers too.

Fished there last week too, no mack's but lots of sand eel though.
Thats bait for me...

As many as you wanted yesterday from around Dalky Island. We had to stop targeting them as we had too many. Not sure if they could have been reached from the shore.

Launched at Kilbaha Co Clare at low tide yesterday as Kilkee was too choppy - got about 20 in 2 hours - poor enough return but they were all big ones

Mackeral invasion along the quays in youghal yesterday afternoon along with tonnes of very small sprat,same last night on a nearby beach even managed 2 on lug whilst chasing flatties.