Rather large mackeral...

[janiepopps]

Went fishing out of Looe on Sunday and did somewhat better than all the fellas on board (Dont gloat janie..... )

Anyways, amongst my catch was this beastly mackeral who weighed in at just over 2lbs and was 19 inches in length. Blackadder (the skipper) says its the largest mackeral landed on his boat although the biggest he has ever heard of was 29 inches in length!!!



Oh, and he tasted just fine.......



That was the last trip of the year and what a fab ending!!

[pothunter]

Nice one Jannie

I Love fish but must be the worlds worst fisherman I'm really envious.

If someone would do an idiots guide to fishing or even better a weekend I will be first to sign up.

Hope you enjoyed your meal.

Pothunter.

[Matt Weir]

I'm the same as yourself Pothunter, love to eat fish but rubbish at catching them, although I did pretty well off a jetty in Mallorca this year - for once! Nice catch Janie, I want Mackeral now

[janiepopps]

I only go out with a friend on his boat, it only costs a tenner and i have never come back empty handed (last trip I caught 48!!!)

If youre ever in Cornwall between easter & oct give me a shout and i'll pm you his number. He often gets people down for the day or a weekend specifically to take a haul home for the freezer - one guy on the boat this weekend was a chef all the way from Sussex!!

[pothunter]

Hi Jannie

Thanks for the offer I will put that in the dairy for 2008.

Pothunter.

[British Red]

Now thats a good looking fish...nice to see him get eaten too - good on yah JP

[falling rain]

Beauty Janie. A lovely fish.

I was down at Porthcurno (directly underneath the Minack theatre off the rocks) a few weeks ago and caught 7 Garfish on the float with mackeral strip bait, pollock and mackeral on a spinner. Had an excellent bit of sport with the Gars on light tackle. Pothunter I'd be glad to do a weekends tuition if enough people were interested.

[janiepopps]

Oooh, thats a great idea FR..

I forgot you were coming to Cornwall, did you have a good time?

[falling rain]

Yes thanks I had a lovely time and the weather was great. Went to the Seal sanctuary and an old tin mine while I was waiting for the tides and fished most days.

[janiepopps]

Sounds like heaven!

If I'd have been more organised it would have been great to meet up. Maybe next year....?!

[pothunter]

Hi Falling Rain

Thats a great offer when and where did you have in mind? I'll bring the BBQ.

Pothunter.

[Chris G]

Mmmm.. Mackeral with baked/microwaved with Branston pickel in the cavity. Now you're talking!!

Oh yes, Barrow in Furness is also great for sea fishing - last time I came back with a bin bag full!

Chris

[fishfish]

nice catch there mate,ive been a professional fishmonger for 20 years and havent seen a mackerel like that since 1990!

[falling rain]

Hi Falling Rain

Thats a great offer when and where did you have in mind? I'll bring the BBQ.

Pothunter.

Well I'm away to Scotland in November and am fairly busy up until Christmas with various stuff (only 10 weeks to go now or so ) To be honest it'd be best to leave it till March at the earliest but April or even better May. The Mackeral will have all but disappeared during the winter and will arrive back in April (March at the absolute earliest) Just after the Garfish (which are also known as 'Mackeral Scout' in some parts for that reason). Early Spring is notorious for being not the best time of year to fish, but dosn't mean you won't catch anything. Plaice will be show early if the winter hasn't been too bad. Whiting and Cod are winter staples for the shore fisherman which are both delicious of course. I'd imagine anyone who wasn't seriously into fishing IE beachcasting or boat wreck fishing would want to make do with a small float or spinning set-up which as it happens is ideal for most of the early summer visitors. (there's not really much to be caught on the float or spinning after Christmas time in the colder months) As mentioned Garfish, Bass, Mackeral, Wrasse, Pollock will all be back in late spring and that would be best species of fish to show you how to target so shall we arrange something for then?
The winter fishing from shore is really more for serious beachcasting and heavier set-ups. Fishing from the rocks can be very dangerous especially in winter. Estuary fishing for flounder can still be fun though.
I can arrange another boat trip after Christmas if enough people are interested, maybe out of Weymouth?

[janiepopps]

I may be interested in that FR, can you keep me updated please

Would a garfish be the long thin fish that chases a mackeral on a line? If so are they good eating?

cheers

[falling rain]

There's a picture here of a chap with a Garfish Janiepopps http://www.whitewatercharters.co.uk/...-garfish-l.jpg The ones I caught down your way from the rocks were a similar size
They do like mackeral strip for bait (thin strip of the white belly of the mackeral is best) and can chase mackeral as you're pulling the mackeral in.
They're sometimes known as Mackeral scout as they arrive ahead of the mackeral in the spring but this name has all but died out now.
Yes they're very good eating but they can give off a strange smell after being caught (which I don't know what the reason for is. Some kind of defence maybe) Also the flesh along the backbone can look greeny brown and not very appetising but this flesh turns white after cooking. The bones are also an almost fluroescent green and stay green after cooking. All these things sometimes put people off eating them but I can assure you they are quite safe and very nice to eat. Don't be put off by the smell (they don't always give it off) and look of the flesh on the backbone. The silver colour of the skin is startlingly silver.
They are great fun to catch on light tackle and put up a fair fight and often 'tail walk' across the top of the water after being hooked. Also they can thrash about if you're hauling them up rocks and throw the hook and get away. Floatfishing mackeral strip as described is best for these fish and set the hook just a couple of feet down as they're surface feeders. Don't strike straight away as soon as the float dissapears. Allow the bite to develop. That is wait a few seconds after the float goes under before you strike. This will give you a better chance of setting the hook. They've got very hard bony mouths and yes the beak is sharp and hurts if you stab yourself with it. Use forceps or pliers to remove the hook.
Hope that helps.
Yes I'll keep you updated Janie. I wasn't happy to have missed the last one and don't need much of an excuse to go fishing. I'll have a think and suggest something after Chrimbo

[ganstey]

I'd be really interested in doing some fishing spring next year. I played with fishing a bit when I was little, but don't ever remember catching anything. When I was in Sweden a few years ago we went out on a converted trawler for the day. On the way back we did some line fishing for mackerel, and I caught 8 in about 10 minutes. Fried in butter and shared amongst the group that evening they were the best fish I've ever had.

I'd like to learn how to prepare (gut) fish as well if anyone is willing to show me.

G

[GreenmanBushcraft]

Thats a fair size for a mackeral. I caught a few in Orkney this year, the taste is very different to those bought in the shops. Those I was with said they didn't like mackeral but even they like them straight from the sea.

Kris

[falling rain]

Don't like Mackeral are they NUTS?

I can go over that Gantsey. It's very easy and there are some different ways of doing it depending on which fish you are dealing with. IE flat fish, round fish. Mackeral taste their best if you bleed them. Just slash across the gills.
No worries Pothunter we'll sort everything nearer the time. We'll go over the best baits for each species and methods for catching IE spinning, plugs and lures, float fishing, baits, preference of sea terrain.

[ganstey]

Thanks FR, I'm looking forward to it.

G