Use the size 4 for catching mackerel and sandeel’s

The shoals of mackerel have been very patchy this year and only the optimists have gone to sea banking on catching sufficient mackerel for enough bait to last the days fishing. Most boat fishing regulars have hedged their bets with a box of frozen squid or, if you are fortunate enough to live by the seaside, a stone or two of iced mackerel from the local fish market. Reasons for this shortage of mackerel range from overfishing, the terrible weather, to the algae bloom that has infested the channel this year. After seeing the satellite pictures of the channel my bet is on the algae and the consequent low oxygen levels.Iced mackerel are better than no mackerel, but it is true to say that they might well have been caught a day or two earlier and for bait they are not nearly as good as fresh caught fish. So, it will pay to make sure that your tackle and technique is at its best when it comes to catching one of our most universal baits.Tackle is simple, use a mid range 20 or 30 pound class outfit so that you can use at least an 8 ounce sinker. Always use a sinker heavy enough to take your lures almost straight down, if they are being taken way downtide, change your sinker for a heavier one.Mackerel feathers should be just a little longer than the hook, trim them with a pair of scissors if they are too long. In recent times many of us have found the Mustad fish skin Sabiki lures to be superb for catching mackerel. Use the size 4 for catching mackerel and sandeel’s.

Put your Sabikiís over the side, release the spool with just a little thumb drag to stop tangles and count down. I usually count to five, stop and work the lures up and down a few times, drop another count of five, stop and work the lures and so on till the fish are found. This way you are searching the water column in a thorough and methodical way. Once you have found the fish it is a simple matter of counting your lures down to the same depth again.