Top 5 tricks for fooling Spanish mackerel

Spanish mackerel is a highly prized, year-round target in our northern tropical seas, although these days you do need to be aware of periodic closures for the species in Queensland waters. These toothy speedsters also make regular seasonal forays further south, riding the strong ocean currents well into temperate latitudes along both the east and west coasts at least as far as Sydney and Perth, especially in late summer and autumn.

Catching mackerel can vary from being almost too easy at times to very tricky on other occasions. It’s always worth remembering that these fast-swimming pelagic predators have extremely keen eyesight.

When they’re being fickle and finicky (which tends to be a more common occurrence towards the southernmost ends of their range), small subtleties and nuances in rigs and presentations can often spell the difference between donuts and fresh mackerel steaks.

Here are my five top tips for connecting with macks when they’re playing hard to get (which, I might add, also work extra well on wahoo, too)…

The so-called ‘change of light’ periods at dawn and dusk are prime times to target Spanish mackerel. Their well-developed eyes tend to adapt faster to changing light levels than those of their prey, giving them a hunting advantage at these times of day. Dull conditions also tend to make mackerel less wary and more likely to bite. In fact, through the Pacific islands, many locals primarily target mackerel at night!

While they’re popularly thought of as fast-swimming surface fish, Spanish mackerel actually spend a good deal of their time cruising relatively slowly at depths of anywhere from 10 to 30 metres and even more – often quite close to the seabed, especially in shallower, inshore areas. They will rise quickly from these depths to intercept baitfish schools before sinking down again. Presenting lures or baits at or just above their cruising levels can be highly effective. This may require the use of paravanes or downriggers.

While lures such as skirts, deep-diving minnows and lipless or bib-less crankbaits capable of handling higher trolling speeds are often highly effective on Spanish mackerel in northern waters, well-rigged baits tend to produce far more consistent results in southern seas. Baits such as garfish, pike, small bonito, tailor and wolf herring that have been carefully strung with multiple hooks and chin-weighted to swim upright at a reasonable pace can be absolutely deadly on the razor gang.

If you do choose to troll lures rather than baits, select models that will handle higher speeds without jumping clear of the water, tumbling and tangling. Trolling deeper-running lures at speeds between about 7 and 15 knots is generally most effective on mackerel and wahoo. If you switch to rigged baits, you can slow down a little.

Both mackerel and wahoo have teeth like scalpels that can sever even thick monofilament or braided lines in the blink of an eye. For this reason, a wire trace of some sort is almost essential when targeting them. However, long, bulky or highly visible wire traces will definitely deter these fish from biting and greatly reduce your strike rate. Use the shortest length of the finest wire you can possibly get away with, and choose a dull coloured, non-reflective wire (ideally single-strand), along with small, black swivels and rings. Minimise your hardware to maximise your bites!

Right now is a great time to be chasing mackerel and wahoo on many of our offshore grounds, both north and south. Try these five simple tricks and I can almost guarantee that your catch rate on these razor gang species will rise dramatically.

Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling is one of Australia’s best-known and most respected fishing communicators.