Top Tips for catching & cooking mackerel

Mackerel are a really fun fish to catch! When you hit a school of them, get ready for non-stop action! They’re an easy fish to fill up your freezer with. 

Some of my earliest memories of being on the water, were fishing for Mackerel with my dad, grand-father and brothers. We would fill buckets in no time then gut / fillet them on the wharf before we delivered them to all our neighbours, letting them sharein the bounty. Often times, we would cook ours over the fire, but now I like to put my trusty camp stove to good use... 

- I prefer the mackerel lures with red feathers (3 - 4 on each line) and a sinker on the bottom. Red is my go-to colour in ocean fishing. 

- Find a location that works for you. I have my special spots that I’ve been fishing at from a young age. I troll around on my boat until I hit a school of them and then it's game on.  My fav waters are off Argyle, Nova Scotia.  

- If you’re fishing from a wharf or stationary boat, be sure to jig your rod every so often.

- Maybe this is superstitious, but I have always shined my sinker with a pocket knife, the extra shine seems to attract them. 

- Play around with depth. It’s always different with the tides and water levels but I usually have the best luck not far from the surface. 

- Bigger doesn’t always mean better, the smaller Mackerel taste better if you ask me!

Words & Images by Alyssa LeBlanc