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The Best Way to Troll for Mackerel

Mackerel are most easily caught along the east coast of the United States from April to November. They can also be caught in the Gulf of Mexico during these months. Most fishermen have luck trolling by motoring small boats at least 20 feet out into the ocean. A strong incoming tide, an inshore wind, and an oncoming cold front are all factors that will increase the likelihood of a successful mackerel catch.

Things You'll Need

Three fishing rods
Planer
Live bait
Lure
Seawitch rig
Fishing boat

Instructions

- 1
  
  Yellow, bright green and purple are the best lure colors for mackerel.
  
  Prepare your rods. Bait the first rod with a planer. This will cut through the water as your troll, causing waves to attract mackerel attention by looking like food movements. Bait the second rod with live bait behind a seawitch. The seawitch will attract visual attention and the bait will lure the fish's other senses. Bait the third rod with a large trolling lure to convince the mackerel that food is bountiful near your rods.
- 2
  Find your fish. Don't start trolling until you're sure that there's a population beneath you. You will sometimes see the school of fish swimming below. If you can't, look for birds dipping down into the water or standing on a small surface island. They will usually be there for the fish. Set your location around wrecks or reefs where mackerel are typically found. The fish like to swim around the nooks and crannies of these makeshift habitats.
- 3
  Troll two of your lines 30 feet behind your boat at a slow speed. Set the third line with the colorful lure at just 10 feet behind the boat to attract mackerel interested in the movement of the boat itself. When a mackerel takes the bait, allow the fish to run. Set the hook with two slight jerks of the rod upward in a sweeping motion. Mackerel respond best when you reel them in with a reel, jerk, reel, jerk method. It saps their strength and keeps them hooked for the duration.

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