THE MIGHTY MACKEREL
During the summer months, thousands of anglers will adorn the coastline around the UK, blasting out sets of feathers on heavy rods to catch mackerel. While this is a very effective technique for catching large quantities, wielding a beachcaster for hours on end is tiring and will provide little sport. However, by scaling down the tackle you use, a mackerel can put a serious bend in your rod.
As a relatively easy-to-catch species, often available in vast numbers, mackerel are overlooked by many anglers and only targeted by those who either want them to eat or use as bait. However, for me, mackerel can provide Britain’s equivalent to tuna fishing, albeit slightly scaled-down. But, if mackerel were much harder to catch, surely they would be one of the most prized fish in our waters?
The mackerel is indeed a close relative of the tuna, both being members of the Scombridae family. Mackerel are a highly migratory species, moving north during the winter and then returning back along many of our shores during summer. Although they can be caught throughout the year in some parts of
