Mackerel Fishing Gear

Spanish Mackerel are frequently found on many inshore reef's systems around SEQ. While it's not uncommon to catch them year-round, summer typically sees a large influx of fish while the cooler months often produce a better class. Mackies congregate around bomie's and reefs with large bait aggregations in the 10-50m's of water.

Use 30-50lb leader and wire if you have to. Troll large 110mm-190mm hard bodied lures. When trolling, use at least two different lures, a shallow runner and a deeper diver. This covers more of the water column and helps you find where the fish are sitting.

Trolling hard bodied lures around likely reefs is a popular way to target Spaniards. Rigging divers with wire is a great option for those not wanting to be bitten off. Both single and multistrand wire will do the job however multistrand can make a hum noise when trolled at high speed. Use light tackle trolling gear in the 15-24kg class.

Fishing live baits or trolling dead baits around known mackerel holding areas is another effective technique. Baits such as slimey mackerel, yakka's, bonito, pike and tailor can be fished under a balloon, lightly weighted or slowly trolled behind the boat. Popular live bait rigging methods include a single hook placed through the nose of the bait with a stinger treble lightly pinned near the tail. If trolling dead baits, a chin weight rig will allow the bait to swim without spinning and stay beneath the surface. You can also use a pilchard on a set of three ganged hooks, 30-50lb leader or wire if you want to. Use a rolling swivel and a light sinker, enough to slowly float down the burley trail.

Spanish mackerel can also be targeted by vertically spinning metal lures around bait schools. A well-tuned fish finder should mark mackerel as singular or schools of large arches sitting mid water. Once located, metal spinners can be free-spooled to the bottom and spun back at various speeds. 4000-6000 spinning reels spooled with 20-30lb braid and 6-12kg rods should put brakes on most fish.