Best mackerel lures

[bluebeard]

Not sure if this should be in this thread, but just a quick question for other mackerel fans.
What's the best lure/rig I should be using?

I know they have a reputation of biting down on anything, even bare hooks, but I blanked today while a guy beside me was steadily reeling them in.
Same distance casting, same spot...different results.
I know a lot of it is down to luck but he even managed to catch a cod on a set of black feathers!

Am I right in saying that they're mainly stuffing themselves with sprat?
I read somewhere that they try to drive to sprat against the shore to concentrate them for effective munching!

What's the killer tackle I should be looking out for??

[Richie07]

Not sure if this should be in this thread, but just a quick question for other mackerel fans.
What's the best lure/rig I should be using?

I know they have a reputation of biting down on anything, even bare hooks, but I blanked today while a guy beside me was steadily reeling them in.
Same distance casting, same spot...different results.
I know a lot of it is down to luck but he even managed to catch a cod on a set of black feathers!

Am I right in saying that they're mainly stuffing themselves with sprat?
I read somewhere that they try to drive to sprat against the shore to concentrate them for effective munching!

What's the killer tackle I should be looking out for??

Go as light with your gear as you can, I use 8lb braid and a small Dexter Wedge of Kilty, they are more fun on light gear. They will take almost any lure if there's a big feeding frenzy going on but if you have to search for them the two I mentioned work well, I'm sure there's good feathers too but I am not a bird man, feathers means big leads and I like it light.

[bluebeard]

Thanks for the advice guys!
It's weird that someone just a few feet away can be having such different luck, I guess that's fishing for you though.
Was fishing two hours before HT and one hour after off Devil's Rock in Howth.

I'm new to the sport and have a lot to learn.
I'm using an old beach caster with a 3oz weight.
I was looking for info on different rod types on the net and didn't come up with much info.
Was looking for the main difference between a 'spinning' rod and my beach caster.
The other guys are using smaller and lighter rods than me and have no problem casting the same distance.

Maybe I should invest in a new rod for this kind of fishing?
If anyone has any recommendations that would be great.
The guys in Southside Angling (Dublin) seem to have a pretty good selection.
Wouldn't want to spend a huge amount of money though.

[redzerologhlen]

The main mistake a lot of people make is they dont let the feathers sink. I caught 15 in Black head the other evening in half an hour and there was a few lads either side of me that caught nothing. As soon as their lead hit the water they were reeling in as fast as they could.

[syboit]

The main mistake a lot of people make is they dont let the feathers sink. I caught 15 in Black head the other evening in half an hour and there was a few lads either side of me that caught nothing. As soon as their lead hit the water they were reeling in as fast as they could.

yes, take your time reeling in, and take a few stops in between as redzero said to let the feathers sink a bit again.

As for which feathers/hokkai's to use, its hard to say. I've seen them sometimes just go for the silvery type hokkai's and other times coloured feathers, or as you said yourself anything flashy including bare hooks Suppose bring a few different types with you. And if your going light don't put on a 6 hook feather set.

[surf+angler]

hi. ive found the best are the tiny rubber shrimps. 5 or 6 on a line. cant think what there called. ive found there the best for mackerel.

[bluebeard]

Thanks for the advice guys!

Trying to convince myself that I need a new rod.
Would I pick up a decent spinning rod/reel in the €80-€100 region or would I need to splash out a bit more.

Would rather get a decent one now instead of getting a poor quality one and having to buy another in a year or two.
Is there a brand that's considered a safe bet for a medium range purchase?
Would like to get value for money and I'm totally clueless when it comes to equipment.

[mackfish]

I use a Shakespeare Alfha X pier/rock rod for mackeral fishing...it's a tough wee rod and easily pulls in a full house of macks...I got it new for €20...I have it for 3 years now and have no complaints...

As for what rigs to use...I always take a selection of different colours with me and a few different colour of spinner, mostly SureCatch minnows. I try to have a maximum of 3 hooks on a rig as I think having more is just overkill and I find that casting a line of 6 hooks is awkward and clumsy, especially if there's not much room from the rocks.
Just try each rig for about 15-20 mins, let them sink for a while and vary the speed of retrieve. You'll soon find out what's working on that day as it varies from day to day!!..

[lad123]

Silver or white feathers work for me. If you are using 6 feathers u can avoid awkward casting by tying the weight in the middle of the feathers. Beachcasters can bve heavy to use ... u would get a great rod and reel for that kind of money 2-4 oz lead will do the trick ... red feathers are best 4 the pollock

[bluebeard]

Think I'll head to a tackle shop on my lunch break tomorrow, see what sort of spinning rods they have.
Will also stock up on different colour feathers and maybe some of those surecatch minnows.

I was told they're mainly munching away on sprat.
Those sidewinder sprat lures look pretty deadly, anyone tried them out?

[baitdigger]

Go for the smallest feathers you can find, black or white usually work, cut them down to a string of three and a light lead. you will lose some on the small hooks but it is usually more than made up for for the number of hits you get. There will be no tail-nipping or plucks. Just remember that the small feathers will usually be tied on lighter line so reinforce the loop where you attach the lead to help with the shock and keep a nice smooth casting action.
Redzer is right if you cant see them boiling on the surface and there are no gannets crashing in, they could be sucking sandeel from the floor. If it is clean ground dont be afraid to drag the lead and feathers along the bottom very slowly

[shortcircuit]

The big thing is once you feel them bite, don't reel in. If there's one there there's bound to be a load more. leave them shake away for thirty seconds to a minute. when you reel in you will have filled up your string.

[ste c]

there is no best anything when it comes to mackeral apart from anything shiny and as said already when you cast let your weight hit the bottom then retrieve when you feel them pulling hold the tension for a few seconds as there could be more knocking about then reel in,sometimes that can happen some1 can be catching right next to you and you might not be getting a nibble its just a case of 1 of them things sometimes

[dunner]

http://youtu.be/l44m7l_hjqA

[Pyreneenguy]

Something I laughed at, at first, but really increased catches: paint your weights with bright silver spray-paint. The flash from the sinking weight attracts the fish to the feathers.

[AB132]

Like in previous posts, when they're in they'll go for jst about anything, but when they were scarce earlier this summer I found that red feathers caught a few when all else caught nothing.

What rod to buy.... If you're just going to be macky bashing any oul rod will do with an big string of feathers, but rigs with five six and seven feathers on can get badly tangled if you get the full house and they all mash into each other. Also you got friendly seals up there you got to race in against, they wait for people to catch mackerel and then try to strip them off on the way in.... had it me self recently where two of them went for my line, reared up right in front of me on the boat and scared the s***e out of me!

For a bit more fun buy a light to medium spinning rod, can still fish for mackerel with a stripped down rig - three hooks like someone suggested and a 1or 2oz weight, and like someone else mentioned let it sink a bit, nearly all the mackerel I've caught around Howth and Ireland's Eye this year have been down low. You can also use it for pollock and wrasse around the same place, and there could be a few other bits and pieces swimming around if you try for them.

Cheers.

[donal domeney]

Something I laughed at, at first, but really increased catches: paint your weights with bright silver spray-paint. The flash from the sinking weight attracts the fish to the feathers.

If the water is a bit coloured silver feathers and the Dexter wedge as a weight works well.

https://www.google.ie/search?q=dexter+w ... 52&bih=608

[fishonit]

any shimano spinner rod (i got 50-100gram) will never let u down, loaded with power pro and as big a reel as will fit the rod so u can reel in fast to get away from seals., it totally ruins the buzz of fishing when them poxy seals are around, cant play the fish and thats half the crack. great all around setup for any fishing, super for bashing macs

[jackie533]

finding them is the bit they take anything