Mackerel Fishing Tips
I have a lot of respect for the Mackerel. Have a look at this article I wrote in 2007 about the Mackerel. They are a beautiful fish that taste good and are a great bait for sea anglers. They are powerful and can provide some great sport, but how do you catch them? read on for some Mackerel Fishing Tips…
How to catch Mackerel
There a a lot of different methods for fishing for Mackerel and it depends on your location and experience as to which method you should employ. The two many categories are:
- Shore fishing for Mackerel
- Boat fishing
Both of these platforms can be sub divided again depending on your requirements. If you want to catch a lot of Mackerel for bait, from a boat, feathering for mackerel is the fastest way to get results. However if you are on a boat and want some great sport fishing, then a spinning rod with a single lure or SWFF (saltwater fly fishing ) will provide you with some stunning sport, two tops Mackerel fishing tips..
Beginners to Mackerel fishing
Mackerel Fishing
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I believe that Mackerel fishing, offers the new angler a great deal of confidence when setting out in the sport of sea fishing. They are not hard to catch from safe areas, you learn how to cast and handle fish, as well as learning a little on the best conditions to catch fish - this knowledge can be applied to other species.
- Peir fishing - This allows you to fish in a decent depth of water, where fish such as Mackerel hold in the summer months. The structure you are fishing from is flat and easy to cast from. It is safe, as long as you fish in sensible conditions and choose a suitable area away from water craft . Use railings etc to prevent a fall!! If fishing with small children it might be worth purchasing buoyancy aids or a floatation suite. You can use a cheap fixed spool reel with a 10 - 12 foot rod suitable for casting 1 - 3 oz. 15 lb main line with 30lb shock leader or use 30lb line straight through.
- Beach / Rock fishing - Often harder to find a mark with deep water close by but still achievable. The location you will fish from will be un-stable and this can cause problems to newbies casting technique. The tackle used and rigs can be the same as above. Fishing from rocks or beaches is technically a little harder, so I would recommend a pier first!
The rigs you use differ depending on the Sport level you are looking for. Anything that uses multiple hooks for Mackerel fishing might take away from the fight. This is because the fish pull in different ways and you are fighting the dead weight not the individual fish! So the rigs are :
- Sliding float - Thread a cigar float onto your main line, with a bead above it and one below. Place a ball weight below this, enough to cock the float (make it stand up-right) another bead and then a swivel. The beads prevent abrasion! To the bottom of the swivel attach your trace, 3 foot of 10 lb line should do. Then attach your hook. Size 1/0 to 3/0 should do, here is a guide to fishing hook sizes . You then need to tie a top knot above the top bead. This prevents the float from riding up the line and the weight just going to the bottom of the sea! I would bait it with a strip of Sand eel or Squid and then get fishing. You can adjust the depth you fish at by sliding the knot up your line!!
- Feathers / lures - This is an easy set up. You by your chosen lures - I prefer the holographic silver type, but had great success for years on colored feathers. 3 to 4 lures on a string is plenty. Attach a swivel to your main line and tie the traces of mackerel lures onto your shock leader, not the loop end! Then attach your weight to the bottom loop and cast away!!!. You then let the lures stop on the sea bed and retrieve them by pumping the rod towards you then lower the rod tip and wind up the slack line. You can experiment the speed of the pumps under different conditions to see if this changes your catch rate. On broken ground, you want to retrieve fast to avoid any snags.
Advanced Mackerel fishing Shore and Boat
So you have been hauling Mackerel for years and are a good angler with a sound cast!!! Have you ever considered making more sport from your Mackerel fishing? A two pound Mackerel on matched gear will provide some great sport, the best being on SWFF tackle. Here are some “sporting” Mackerel fishing tips.
- Mackerel Traces - Rather than use a standard weight attach a perk from a boat or dexters wedge from the shore. You can get some interesting results!!
- Float fishing - Float fish a trace of Mackerel lures under your chosen cigar shaped float. You can cover a huge amount of water and a bit of bait (sand eel or squid) can increase rate. Gar fish love a bit of sand eel fillet!!
- SWFF Shore - Great sport. Choose hot sunny days with a good tidal range and use a floating line with a flashy lure. Fish hard, not forgetting to fish close to the shore line (I have seen Mackerel hunting in 18 inches of water!). You don’t want to use heavier than a weight 8 set up.
- SWFF Boat/kayak - If the Mackerel are high in the water column, then use a sinking tip line or dry line with a weighted lure. The lighter the rod the better. I used a brook rod, 7 ft and had amazing sport from my kayak!!. For early season fish you can employ a fast sinking line and wait for the knocks and sport when you hook a channel racer!!!!!
- Spinning - A dexters wedge on light spinning gear will catch you lots of Mackerel, Bass and Pollock in the right locations. Fish all the depths and fish hard. Use balanced tackle and enjoy the fight…
The Mackerel is a much underrated fish. Its tastes great cooked on th BBQ. Get out there and approach your sea fishing with a new out look. Let us know here how you get on, or other tips by commenting on this post about Mackerel fishing tips.
For great deals and to catch more Mackerel have a look at The Best Mackerel Lures you can get
March 6, 2025 at 15:54
Hi!
My wife has just bought me a brand new fishing rod, Reel and somethink called a “pilker” for my birthday as i have said i’d like to get back into fishing, like when i was a little boy! Any ideas if this Pilker is any good for catching fish from a peir? or should i get some feathers?
Thanks - Ps, you have a great little blog!
March 7, 2025 at 20:56
Looking at the lure it would certainly has potential. I would use it on high tides, fished close to the wall at dusk on warm summer evenings. I think for pier fishing you cant go wrong with sliding floats or the modern equivalent to feathers - tinsels and similar have a look here http://astore.amazon.co.uk/fishing-blog-21/detail/B0039YXTN4
December 22, 2024 at 02:47
hello,
i used to go mack fishing when i was younger using a single minnow spinner and caught my fair share! but earlier this year a few pals and i took up the fishing again because it is not that expensive and its a good day out!
we fish for macks still using a single spinner and with rigs..i have found that using a set of black feathers is good for catching them….we found this out by using a set of coloured feathers and seeing that we caught with the black one on most occasions..
my method for catching macks of a pier with good deep water is to reel out until i feel the weight touch the bottom, then to jerk the rod up and down, reel in a bit, jerk it up and down a few tims more, then reel it up until i can see the lure and drop it quickly back to the bottom, this may result in a few foul hooks but on the majority of times, the mack will strike for it. this way will also yield a few pollock!
macks like to chase lures, they are a quick fissh, so if casting out with a spinner, i find that reeling in quite quick will be more successful than reeling and stopping. After casting out far, wait for about 10-15 seconds before reeling in, as this gives the lure time to sink a bit..
If using a rig or feathers, do not be too hasty to pull in as soon as you feel that you have a fish on, in my way of thinking,…wheres theres one fish on, theres more about! .. if you reel in straight away, it will disturb any nearby fish and they will relocate!
i find that the best times to fish for mack is 2 hours before high tide and up to 3 hours after! the places i fish(im in Donegal, which is up north west of ireland) offer up a lot of mack if you learn your gear! if it is a sunny day with blue skies, then id use bright, shiny rigs which will reflect any light, and macks will chase anyting bright!..if its a dark over cast day, ill use darker rigs and feathers!..
if you fish from a pier, dont stay in the same location for too long, be variable as the fish will move around because fo the disturbance of your taqckle in the water..if you are fishing off the rocks, beware of seaweed and kelp as they will cause you to lose some gear and it could be your day over if you dont have many spare, dont cast in the same place too many times, again, vary it!
enjoy and tight lines!
December 22, 2024 at 15:11
That is a great piece of advice, thank you very much. PS I love your email address!!
December 29, 2024 at 17:39
thanks…that is about the extent of my knowledge! i have one question, its a stupid question but if i dont ask i wont know!…what time of year do the mackerel be plentiful, and do you reckon they come to our shore first or the uk?..i cant wait to get back out!..i know im in the wrong thread for this, but is there any point heading out this time of year for pollock?..
thanks
December 29, 2024 at 18:48
You can head off shore for Pollock, nothing close in at the moment worth talking about. I wait until the first Swallows until I start hitting summer shore species hard! My rule of thumb…
November 13, 2025 at 18:52
Lovely little web page. I love Mackerel fishing and the best fishing for me is in Scotland. The shoals have been getting bigger in recent years. One method I love using is fishing at low tide in the evening on the Isle of Bute. It takes a bit of practice! The weather conditions have to be dead calm, no wind, rain and with the sun at your back! You need to have a good understanding of the layout of the rocks and seaweeds etc. Sometimes it almosts resembles fly fish! The mackerel strike the lures on the surface of the water! Shrimp type lures used in the evenings giving the best results. Normally catch 10 -15 in 30 minutes. Tight lines!
November 14, 2025 at 19:42
That sounds fantastic sport in a lovely setting. My hawk I flew (I flew hawks for almost 20 years) was called bute after that lovely area.
I am glad to hear the shoals are increasing in size, huge from the great fish fight will be delighted!
Mackerel are great sport. Much over looked by UK anglers. They deserve great respect,
November 1, 2025 at 14:51
Great fishing tips! I caught my first mackerel this summer and they are delicious on the BBQ. I even tried some raw as sushi! Just cut some thin strips, dip them in soy sauce and add a dab of horseraddish and there you have it- absolutely delicious.
July 10, 2025 at 21:27
hi, im off to broadhaven/little haven in a couple of weeks. any tips will be greatly recived.
thanks
June 12, 2025 at 09:08
I have been mackerel fishing once and we used feathers. I now live in Portugal and would like to take it up more seriously. I hope to do it from a boat with feathers but have no idea about fishing. Can someone tell me the type of rod I will need and reel. Anything else I should think about? Also will the season be the same as the uk?
thanks very much
June 14, 2025 at 08:55
I don’t know much about fishing in that area… There are a lot more species open to you and the chance of some great fishing.
I dont think you would go far wrong with 12/20lb or 20/30 class rod and a large beach casting reel Say a Slosh or TLD 10. This is a bit heavy for just Mackerel, but could be used for some of the more interesting species found in these warmer waters.
The other factor when boat fishing is tide…. If you have a strong tide then you need more weight to get gear down….. hence heavier more capable tackle.
try and fish as light as possible, balancing your tackle to your species is important. You could use a spinning rods and reel if you have small tides. This will provide great sport!!!
Hope this helps a bit.
June 8, 2025 at 22:07
I usually go makeral fishing in sundeland first to times we went we cort a bunch but now they are not catching from the roker pear we go down at first lite but still nothing for the past 8 times we have been any ideas
June 9, 2025 at 20:36
What is the weather like, the hotter and sunnier the better. I don’t know the area, but maybe someone else can help out!!
July 16, 2025 at 23:12
catching mackerel…………. check your tide times, if your off the pier i would suugest to fish 2 hours before and 2 hours after high tide for success. roker pier is a decent mark, try shields pier.
good luck
July 19, 2025 at 13:58
I always start at a new mark 2 hours before and 1 hour after…..
April 28, 2025 at 18:55
me and my mate went out today from penzance purely to catch mackeral we didnt go out to far just out across to the mount and back had a few small pollock but not one mackeral any ideas
April 30, 2025 at 10:28
Interesting…. Still a bit early in shallow water. Do you have a depth sounder on the boat?? Look for deep gullies the shoals might be running in. Else go out further to deeper water.
August 3, 2025 at 12:25
what sort of depth should i be boat fishing for mackerel
August 3, 2025 at 14:17
The hotter the higher they are, as a general rule.
Start at the bottom, jerk the lures there for 3-5 mins, then reel in 2-3 turns and try again until you find the level they are in. From then on go to the same level and you will catch!
April 26, 2025 at 07:54
Thank you for sharing this nice article, Mackerel is a beautiful fish and tastes great too.
August 23, 2025 at 08:54
Off mackeral fishing today at Porthkerris, not been for about 7 years, can’t wait!
August 4, 2025 at 17:03
Mackerel are beautiful fish! This is very great information.thanks for a nice article
July 28, 2025 at 02:18
wow! i like this fish very mush.
taste is very delicious,hahahah,^-^
July 17, 2025 at 10:47
nice tips, but where could I find this fish?
March 21, 2025 at 18:40
hi, i’m 13 and i went to dartmouth in may last year to fish for mackerel. i wasn’t very succcessful. at first i just used a spinner off the pier, but then i heard about feathering and i tried it out. i had 4 feathers and i put a spinner at the end as a weight. is that allright?
i only got 1 fish with the spinner and 1 with the feathers, but i saw 10 year-olds catching 3 at a time next to me! any tips?
March 13, 2025 at 22:24
Mackerel are beautiful fish! This is great information. Thank you for sharing this article.
December 5, 2024 at 21:45
What an informative article! I wish I had read this a year ago when I was in Canada.
December 6, 2024 at 18:27
Thank you for the feedback there. Have you been fishing long? What species do you target? What gear do you use??
December 4, 2024 at 19:25
I’m off mackerel fishing! Good overview here. Thanks
December 6, 2024 at 18:28
Enjoy/ Remember to balance your sea fishing tackle to the species and environment!!
October 1, 2025 at 21:58
Makes me want to get out there right now - good stuff!
September 15, 2025 at 17:29
Really great article! I’d like to try some mackerel fishing as well - it’s been too long since I’ve fished.
September 11, 2025 at 06:49
Mackerel fishing is great, thanks for a nice article
September 4, 2025 at 14:30
I’d like to try some Mackerel fishing.
August 26, 2025 at 10:18
Read about Popper lures
at my hub
August 23, 2025 at 00:20
I have always enjoyed fishing for mackerel in the summer off piers. Great fishing!