fandango Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 Has any body been catching mackerel, and in what numbers and location,,,, they are very thin on the ground in my area and have not really put a appearance in all year,, talked with a few guys from scrabster down to north Cornwall and it seems to be the same " shortage of mackerel" though there is plenty of bait fish for them................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatFreddysCat Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 They're in short supply off the Sussex coast as well this year. Had very few, and mostly in ones and twos, no big shoals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hedd-wyn Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 Pretty poor round here as well, think 25 off the shore was my best this year. Last year was equally as abysmal. I've actually caught more bass this year than I have mackerel, something's not right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 Same here in n ireland. One lobster man told me that his catches have decreased year on year. He reckons seine netting is the problem and that tons are landed in african ports! Dont know if thats correct or myth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strangford wildfowler Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 Same here in n ireland. One lobster man told me that his catches have decreased year on year. He reckons seine netting is the problem and that tons are landed in african ports! Dont know if thats correct or myth? Where you fishing dr d as strangford lough is terrible this year due to the fact of trawlers at the mouth of the lough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 Early doors there were some good catches then they disappeared, can`t see it being netting that is doing it as they are so prolific. Deeper water and shrimp was one reason. There were plenty of herring about this year in Cornwall and I would suspect that if the netting was scooping the mackerel then there would also be a dearth of herring too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepasty Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 we've got huge shoals of white bait and in turn mackerel here in SW Cornwall, been here since end of July, the sea is boiling with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 we've got huge shoals of white bait and in turn mackerel here in SW Cornwall, been here since end of July, the sea is boiling with them. Yep, the same here. Another member holidaying in Budleigh Salteron saw it. Since he told me, I've spoken with a mate and apparently no one from the town has ever seen anything like it to the same extent before. One couple grabbed each end of a large beach towel, waded in a couple of feet, dunked the towel and then had to struggle back out as they'd filled it with whitebait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 (edited) I've just started sea fishing. Fished off rocks today for 3 hours up to high tide. Caught nowt. Was watching other anglers too. Nobody caught. That's three outings for damn all. Not even a single mackerel or Pollack. That was South Co. Down - Strangford could be right. Think I'll leave it for a while now until things pick up. Edited August 15, 2014 by Big Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RED BEARD Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 Been fishing at westbay in dorset this week and not seen any caught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogie Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 Plenty Mackerel at Hope Cove in S Devon today - 30 in about ten minutes. Then spent the next 2 hours trying to catch a bass but they were much more elusive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepasty Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 had the same last weekend, hit the mackerel for bait then went out on some wrecks & reef...got nothing but the bottom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fandango Posted August 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2014 Really bad up here,, probably the worst I can remember for lack of mackerel,,, maybe they will come late,,, who knows, must be affecting the food chain though as there are quite a few mammals fish and birds that depend on the summer supply of these fish. No smoking mackerel for me this year ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted August 17, 2014 Report Share Posted August 17, 2014 Its ridiculous. I will just have to keep shooting all these pigeons instead. lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted August 17, 2014 Report Share Posted August 17, 2014 (edited) Well, that was manic. The silt off Budleigh S. that had been there earlier in the week had pushed off and after tea yesterday a quick trip over to see showed the mackerel were still there. Nipped home to get the spinning tackle, got halfway back, had a thought so nipped home again for the fly rod. X casts on spinners = x fish. Swap to the fly and x casts = (x-1) fish. I had wondered if the bit about the beach towel/whitebait earlier in the thread was an exaggeration, but it wasn't. BS is a steep terraced large pebble beach so at certain stages of the tide it gets quite deep within a couple of feet from the shore. Several times last night the first yard or two from the water's edge turned grey as they were pushed in by the mackerel. Edit: word changed to make sense. Edited August 17, 2014 by wymberley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the pelt man Posted August 17, 2014 Report Share Posted August 17, 2014 Plenty of Mac's out of Littlehampton yesterday, then two Bass caught, Rays, Conger, Dogs and Bream. Great trip with Stealth Stalker PELTY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Joe Posted August 17, 2014 Report Share Posted August 17, 2014 Anyone up the Northumberland Coast catching mackerel..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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