particularly in a place like the canal?

Google
"mackerel tree rig"

If you want to load a bucket, use a mackerel tree on a medium heavy rod. Something that can cast 1-2 oz on the end of the tree and lift 4-5 macks out of the water.

If you want to have a ball, use a light freshwater rod and some small metal lures. Mackerel give a pretty good account of themselves on light gear ;)

cool beans.. thanks for the info

taking my sister out fishing this afternoon... thought id give it a go.

soo you can take a mackeral tree ring thing and cast it out from the rocks from the canal and reel it in with nothing on it and you'll catch mackeral?!?! sounds too easy

Pick up a mackeral rig from Red Top Today at the Canal. The Mackeral were at the Canal all morning, tons of boats and guys were there too.. All standing in one area at the end of the Jetty..:bgi:
Go tomorrow morning, there were absolutely no fish between 11AM and 3PM.. Put a folk in me.:poke: . Striper season is finally done.. Skunk twice now..:err: Will look into catching Togs, Mackeral and Flounder instead.. Good luck..

soo you can take a mackeral tree ring thing and cast it out from the rocks from the canal and reel it in with nothing on it and you'll catch mackeral?!?! sounds too easy
Stick a sinker or a 2-3 ounce diamond jig on the end so you can cast the rig out there. There is a "snap" at the end of the rig for attaching a small jig. A cod might bite on to the jig (hey, one can always hope).

Sabiki rigs, the bigger sized ones I don't know the number. Sabikis are killer but like stated earlier are more intended to load a bucket.

Off the pier I've mostly used a 6' freshwater rod throwing 1+1/4 ounce metal . hopkins,castmaster,diamond jig,deadly #^&#^&#^&#^&... They're in and out ,, never felt like throwing a tree all day .. Tin foil off your cigarrete pack on the hook works .. After you catch a mackerel you can bait fish them with a bobber and mackerel for bait . A strip of mackerel skin works great . In the ditch do it thier way... long rod with a tree

tube tree rigs hold up to hundreds of macs with something chrome on the bottom.
the cristal flash long hair sabikis work best but a dozen macs and there torn up.

gill net n dinamite

Owner makes a sabiki rig that uses heavier leader - catches really well and holds up alot better than the standard sabikis. The squid skirt model is a killer.

once again i am being an idot... people eat mac's right....:huh:

also i'm gonna but one of those things and try it friday...... i can try this from shore right?!

If I was on the shore I would cast a single small (read: tiny) kastmaster or a tiny dimond jig on a very light spin set up. Like Mike P said, they are actaully fun to fish for like this.
If the conditions are right (read no wind and reachable)...try a ~7 weight fly rod.

I know they are a good bait but I am telling you they make an excellent smoked fish...excellent tasting like this, very underrated.

All above will get you Mac's no problem!!

But if you want to eat them, Bring a cooler with ice in it, then when you reel in the fish, Cut the Head off and gut ASAP, even before recasting!!

Put of ice!! Then start casting for more. If you do this, you will have one awesome piece of meat for the grill, baking, or how ever you want it!!

I like to clean it, put into a tin foil pouch,, add Onion, peppers, lemon close pouch and cook on the grill :drool: Skin and bones just peel right off after you cook.

is there a size limit or a limit on the amount you keep???

Does not look like there are any limits on Macks.. See attached links for more info..
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/recreationalfishing/rec_index.htm

I might see ya there at the Canal Friday morning.. Will be wearing a red coat...just want to have some fun before the hard Winter sets-in... :shocked: :shocked:

Happy Thanksgiving everyone... :buds: :cheers:

hahaha i was just on there 20 seconds ago and printed it....

WHENI BUY ONE OF THEESE THINGS WHAT COLOR SHOULD I GET.... THE ONES WITH THE DIFERENT COORS " RED, GREEN, ORANGE ect."
or the grey ones with red tips????

I got my Mackeral Rigs from Red Top at the Canal. I got the one with several different colors.. Atleast that was what one of the guys I saw there using.. :eyes:

i just went out and i bought a 2 oz dimond jig wth red tail " made by hurrican" looks like this but red tail

http://img.shopping.com/cctool/PrdImg/images/pr/177X150/00/01/d7/63/41/30892865.JPG

and a mackerel tree rig that looks like this minus the thing on the right

http://www.seastriker.com/clarkspoon/clarkspoon_files/image024.jpg

soo put the two togather what to you think???

If you go with the traditional mackeral rigs (rather than sabiki) don't bother with the multi-color's. Get the clear tubes filled with silver mylar - they will outfish the multi-color 5 to 1.

This is more of a boat thing, but when I mac fish in the spring time for bait, I crush the barbs on the hooks. Not that I'm sporting, but by crushing the barbs they don't bleed much, the mouths don't get torn up, and I can get the rig back in the water faster.

When you get one on, give it a second before you reel in - they attack in packs.

A good ol' fashioned metal mackerel jig always does the trick for me. From a boat or yak, you can run a sabiki rig with the metal jig at the end.

For the canal, I like the little chrome plated diamond "mackeral jigs". I make my own "trees" using 4 or 5 dropper loops on 50 pound test clear mono, spaced about 8-10 inches apart, and the jigs add a little weight to the rig so it stays down a little better than tubes. Caught some 10-15 pound cod on these rigs too (make sure your drag isn't too tight).

I just go out to the K2R Buoy at Portsmouth in May. Drop in the multihook mackrel jig and let one one. Let him stay there and the others come check out the food supply. Pull in 4 to 6 at a time.

Got 200 in and hour and a half. Cheap bait but never tried to cook one yet! YET !

NewBoater

That looks ok. I won a pool on a party boat, many years ago, for the heaviest Mac onboard.:bl:

a nice little trick if your having trouble finding them, is put on a bigger sinker, and you can troll them around a bit.

i got no luck with the mac's..... i think there gone tooo

Still catching macs up here on the N. Shore :wavey: Not filling buckets but enough for lunch or to freeze up for spring bait. Tinkers up to about
1.5 lbs.