What Is The Best Time To Catch King Mackerel?

The kings usually arrive in late March when water temps reach 68 degrees and stay until mid-November. They are relatively easy to catch with some good techniques. They can be caught trolling or drifting. You can catch them on live, frozen baits and with a variety of lures.

What is the best bait for king mackerel?

Live bait fish work extremely well when fishing for king mackerel. Blue runners, sardines, herring, cigar minnows, and mullet are the top live bait fish. These bait fish are difficult to keep alive. Therefore, most anglers catch their bait fish the morning of the fishing trip using either a cast net or a Sibiki rig.

What month is best for mackerel?

May-June is the best time to catch mackerel, although they are caught all summer in numbers and larger specimens are sometimes caught in winter.

What time of day is best for Kingfish?

High tide and the first two hours of the run out, early morning and late afternoon is when you will find them really feeding. That’s also a good time to catch squid.

What is the best time of day to catch mackerel?

Regarding the time of day, as with many species, mackerel feed best at dawn or dusk. Their prey – small fish, sandeels, launce, shrimps, squid and so on – are also most active around these times.

How far offshore are king mackerel?

King Mackerel Description
They are found both inshore and offshore, out to a depth of about 600 feet (but more commonly in 50-150 feet).

Where do mackerel go in winter?

Mackerel is a migrating fish and it swims in large shoals near the surface. During the winter season, the fish live near the seabed off the southwest coast of Norway, and in this period they eat very little. This changes between April and May, when the mackerel swim to the central parts of the North Sea to spawn.

What tide is best for mackerel fishing?

An early spring high tide is the greatest time to go mackerel fishing. These are the tides that occur when the difference between high and low water is at its highest, and the flow of water is at its greatest intensity. When the tides are high, bait fish are pushed closer to shore, and mackerel follow them in.

What size hooks for mackerel?

There are numerous feather rigs, tinsel rigs, sabiki rigs, hokkai rigs and more available which are effective for mackerel. I favour tinsels, feathered sabikis and luminous hokkais. I tend to choose rigs with hook sizes ranging from size 4 up to a size 2/0.

What size hooks for kingfish?

Hook sizes are typically 7/0 to 12/0, depending on bait size. Livebait patterns are perfect for livebaiting, but any strong short-shank hook, including circle hooks, is fine. Overhead or good quality spinning reels with the line capacity and drag performance to handle kingfish can be used.

Where do kingfish hang out?

They like clean water and are likely to hang around structures and wrecks. You’ll also often find them under floating debris where they feed off bait fish.

Do kingfish like dirty water?

Kingfish absolutely adore a bit of current, especially when the water temperature is up above 20C. Clean blue water is also important, but by no means essential, as they will still feed in dirty green water, but water movement is essential.

Can I fish for mackerel at night?

A few species do not generally feed in the dark and they include wrasse, plaice, mullet and mackerel, although there are exceptions. Calm, clear nights are generally more productive than when the sea is rough and coloured because the fish often feed much closer to shore in daylight in such conditions.

Do you need weights for mackerel fishing?

Mackerel fishing with feathers
All you need is a sturdy rod, weights and some feather rigs. A set of feathers imitates a shoal of bait fish. A “pull and wind” retrieve gives the best action.

What is the best lure for kingfish?

The most effective for larger kingfish have been the Nomad Stick bait and popper range. The Nomad Riptide has amazing action and a reputable lure for a large range of pelagics. Sinking hard bodies are the go to when fish are not feeding or pushing bait to the surface.

What do king mackerel eat?

King mackerel are carnivores, feeding on fish, squid, and shrimp. They’re voracious feeders and have been observed leaping out of the water in pursuit of prey. Juvenile and larger pelagic fish feed on smaller king mackerel. Bottlenose dolphins and large fish, such as sharks and tunas, feed on adult king mackerel.

What should I use to troll for king mackerel?

There are several methods to lure and catch King mackerel, including straight trolling at seven to ten knots. You can deploy a variety of baits, but popular baits that bring plenty of fish are Spoons, Halco, and Clark.

How fast do you troll for king mackerel?

When trolling for kings with live bait, the best trolling speed is between 1-3 knots. Bumping the boat into and out of gear is a common technique for accomplishing this. Straight trolling at seven to ten knots is one strategy of attracting and catching King mackerel.

What size planer do I need for king mackerel?

Planers used for Kingfish start with a size one and go to size four. The number of the planer dictates a 10 foot increment, and so a number one would dive ten feet and a number two would dive twenty feet, etc. The leader of choice is 80lb monofilament leader. Kingfish are caught every year with these baits.

What size mackerel can you keep?

Mackerel are great to eat but remember that the minimum size to retain mackerel is 30cm, and while it can be easy to catch many mackerel in a session only take what will be eaten or used as bait.

Is Atlantic mackerel the same as king mackerel?

Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus)
Distribution: The Atlantic mackerel has a much narrower distribution than either the Spanish or king mackerels. These fish live primarily in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean, on both sides.