Mackerel
 

Hit the CCB chasing mackerel for the first time as captain.
Other than finding the fleet, how do you target an area for them?
Is there a science to it that I couldn't figure out?
I had a chum-basket which I'm not really sure did much other than have them hang around the boat once they found me
Could have been my imagination, but they did seem to frequent a certain area...??...I must have been crazy though because that fish is always on the move.
Fish/finder marked them when I was already on them, but never really helped me find them.
Please tell me I'm not crazy and that it's just plain luck in finding them...:jump1:
..and yes, the birds helped now and then when they were bustin up the bait. Also caught a couple with those ugly lampreys attached, ...that's amazing in itself. The dang lamprey was almost as long as the mack, how the hell can a lamprey catch AND attach itself to a swimming machine like a mackerel? Love to see that!!!

On the way out at high speed, watch the fish finder. If you mark a few small schools stop and try it. If you mark a big school you can get right on top of them .if you can't find them and dont have chum troll the rigs wayyyyy back until you find them and then stop once you get one. if you only get one, keep moving. If you have chum sometimes it can take 1\2 hour for them to find you.
I prefer to troll until I get one and then start chumming
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Funny you mention that (high speed tracking), I did try that but when I powered down and tried for them...seems like they took a left when I took a right, at least I'm glad I was doing something right, or at least trying. Thanks freak ~

I don't need grandma's secret recipe, but do you use for chum?
What do you find works best?
Corn, catfood and mushed fish/waste, frozen solid then placed in double-onion bags...hung in a minnow cage over the side, I'm in an 18' small operation here...am I on the right track?

Thanks
Gilly

Look at your chart plotter.
Find the humps, find the macs.
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The fleet, quite a sight!

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...1&d=1403605427

Gilly,
99% of the time I bump troll the "canyons" around the humps as Ronnie said. Cross over the humps or ledges. Study the charts for clues (we even have a place called Tinkers Ledge locally)and also notice where the lobstermen have carpet bombed an area. Two ounce diamond jig or weight on sabiki 2 to 3 boat lengths behind the boat. More often than not I will get them without marking. I carry a couple cans of cat food for the times I can't find them or to bring them in when I only get one or two. You will get your own spots by trolling over time, without having to follow the fleet.

I don't do high speed, after a while you learn spots where you will likely find them, (like Ronnie said) structure. I always look in deep water and slow troll around til they hit... then chum only if I have to. Seems once you start hitting them and some blood and scales go into the water, they hang around. We loaded up with over 60 in 15 minutes yesterday.

I caught the biggest mackerel I have ever seen. I took a picture it was so freaky. This sucka was like 18" long and FAT !!! At first I didn't think it was a mac.

It can be tough at times if your alone to keep the school at the boat....chumming helps.

Some advice which absolutely works........If 2 or 3 people are fishing sabikis someone ALWAYS stays in the water hooked up until one of the other guys has unhooked there macs and put the rig back in the water. You can really hold that school at the boat till you get your livewell full.

Here's what you do.
Make up some rigs consisting of a hook of your choice. 10-20 ft of line and some sort of float or bobber.
Tie the hook on one end of the leader and the float/bobber on the other end of the line.
Make up as many as you want.
Go looking for the macs.
Once you start getting them good quickly start attaching the lines to the macs and release the mac back into the school.
Release as many with the lines that you want.
Now follow the floats/brobbers and you will catch macs all day :-)
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A buddy of mine sacrifices a few sabiki rigs by cutting off the hooks. Hangs those 3 or 4 over the side and jigs the ones with hooks. The fake ones keep them around while they take what they need. Works awesome.
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By high speed I mean on the way to the ledges.
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Gave my dad a stellar day as we both managed to boat nearly 400.
Mackerel have always been a staple food in not only my family, but my wife's family as well. Needless to say, they all had a home before I even got home...:rotf2:....Pops was soooo happy he was phoning people all the way back to the ramp.

Only 8, made it to mia casa...:jump1:, and now they're "in... mah... bellie"

Going to give it another run tomorrow...thinking of trying the "Ronnie" method....tie off a bunch of lines to my rail and just wait for the bobbers to bob, should be fun....maybe I can crotchet a "throw-net"

I will definitely entertain some of the interesting concepts mentioned above. Still learning my electronics /etc...
Thank you gentelmen ~

don't put any mack back in the water that doesn't have a hook in it!
This one came on a bobber!
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y25...pszfiln1q3.jpg

Nice fish...congrats...:)