Mackerel 2021

The mackerel season is totally blurred last few years. I'd expect them now but would roll the dice and say maybe another month or so.... was catching them until late October a few years back

pullandbang wrote: »

I spent the last wo days fishing from the kayak off the Wexford Coast. Four of us out Saturday and three of us yesterday. One mackerel between us. Mind you I did have two on the line but one unhooked himself at the side of the kayak. They were a fine size too!

They probably saw that green plastic float you sit on and darted!

Was chatting to a lad in Achill the weekend, had caught about 25 one day and 5 the next! Nice size too!

malinheader wrote: »

I was informed today that line caught mackerel cannot be landed today by a fella on my local pier is this correct or is he mistaken.

For commercial fishing the majority of the quotas were given to the bigger trawlers and they've already exhausted them. Don't think this affects recreational anglers though.

There is no limit on recreational anglers with regards mackerel.
Usually 400 tons of mackerel quota was reserved for the "hook and line" fishery. This usually does the whole country. However the limit per trip was increased to 750kg and therefore the fishery became more viable. Also jigging machines take a lot of the hard work out of this fishing. The 400 ton inshore quota was taken up rapidly (Mainly by boats off Mayo, so I'm told.) There has been no transfer of quota from the big pelagic fishery (The national quota is around 61,000 tons) so the boats that fish for mackerel later in the year off the south coast cannot now fish as the hook and line fishery is currently closed.

Jim from Cork wrote: »

There is no limit on recreational anglers with regards mackerel.
Usually 400 tons of mackerel quota was reserved for the "hook and line" fishery. This usually does the whole country. However the limit per trip was increased to 750kg and therefore the fishery became more viable. Also jigging machines take a lot of the hard work out of this fishing. The 400 ton inshore quota was taken up rapidly (Mainly by boats off Mayo, so I'm told.) There has been no transfer of quota from the big pelagic fishery (The national quota is around 61,000 tons) so the boats that fish for mackerel later in the year off the south coast cannot now fish as the hook and line fishery is currently closed.

Scary when you think of 400 tons taken from the sea just from recreational fishing alone.

This gives some idea. It is not a artisanal as you'd think!

https://youtu.be/No_nxfU9AtY

https://youtu.be/Iep78ScjFIY

Big ones trolling in Donegal last weekend.

I have a few hours free on Saturday, where would be the nearest place to Dublin that has a reasonable chance of mackerel being present?

Spent two hours fishing on the Prom in Galway around high tide with spinners and feathers and not a smell of a mack. The water temp is more than enough and there were plenty of spray around, what’s missing?

Is there a safe spot in Malahide that I could bring my 6 year old?

2 hours before high tide in Salthill today. Loads of sand eels but no macks:(

In on east coast

Have been on the rocks in Salthill the past few days just before high tide, not a smell of a mackerel. Loads of sand eels about, some sprat but no macks.

Fished HT at the docks the last 2 days, not a sniff, but one lad said he had 10 the previous evening 2 hours before high.

I hear ya, sometimes it's just to put you on the wrong scent too. Think this lad was for real, older man who was genuinely delighted with his catch. The shoals do move around a lot so maybe he just got lucky.