Beginner Tips

[moosecountry]

Originally Posted by GunnySniper

How fresh was your bait? If it had thawed for too long, mackeral tend to get mushy pretty fast. You've got to keep it iced in a cooler until ready for use.
Use the head, cut it a couple of inches back from the gill plate and hook it through the eyes. Trie a diagnal cut in the body so you can sew the hook through a couple of times, for a better hold on the hook. Hope this helps, get some tonight!

When you say "sew the hook through..." Do you mean to literally pass the hook through the flesh over and over again from back to front until you reach the eyes so there are multiple points of contact? Sounds like a good idea!

Tim

[steadagolf]

Originally Posted by moosecountry

When you say "sew the hook through..." Do you mean to literally pass the hook through the flesh over and over again from back to front until you reach the eyes so there are multiple points of contact? Sounds like a good idea!

Tim

Maybe that's part of why I haven't caught one yet - I start off through the eyes and work it back toward the gills. I'm interested to know how everyone else does it too.
Are you using a weight or letting the head drift?

[MaineLine]

Well I went out for my second day and tried my hand with some live eels...went in under the jaw and out an eye. Still no luck, but I've been trying different spots and methods, being persistent. I'll concur about mackerel, please elaborate on "sew the hook". Thanks!

[Roccus]

If your going to fish off a bridge, make yourself a bridge net, buy a large landing net and remove the netting, use electrical conduit and bend yourself a circle, the same diameter as the net you took apart,slide the netting onto the new circle and using a conduit connector complete the hoop, get 3 equal lengths of poly rope to make a bridal, to the bridal attach your main line, use at least 1/2" diameter rope, it will make the job of hauling the fish up to you eaiser and quicker, lower the net to the water and allow the fish to slide into the net, when you release the fish, put it in the "basket" and lower it to the water, if the fish doesnt swim off, swish the "basket" up and down unti the fish swims off on it's own... I've used this system many times, I've had littoral society tags returned to me from fish up to 15lbs, so the survival rate is good.....

[Roccus]

If your going to use frozen mackerel, try using strip baits, they have more eye apeal and br=ecause the hook is in the skin, stay on alot longer..

fillet each mackeral and cut the filet into strips, I like to make mine tapered, (narrow end goes into the hook) these baits will outfish traditinal chunks 3:1

[steadagolf]

Hope I'm not hijacking MaineLine's thread - but I wanted to ask a couple questions about the Mackeral strips - are you just hooking the tapered end and letting it kind of flow?
Also do you use any weights?
Sorry if I shouldn't be stepping into your thread.

[MaineLine]

No Problem man! The more questions, the more advice, hopefully means more fish!

[Roccus]

Yes, hook the strip throgh the tapered end... that keeps it flowing out in the current and from balling up on the hook....

depending on where I have determined where the fish are, I may fish them on a fish finder rig or float them on a balloon....

[fishstripers]

main land lots to learn here

[steadagolf]

Thanks! I'll trying cutting up some herring that way.
Last time I went out, I was in less than 20 ft of water with a sinker on and the crabs were the only things eating my bait

[MasterBaiter]

try maybe a float to keep the bait off the bottom a few inches, should keep the crabs off...worth a shot

[buddah]

An all access pass to scarboro beach is well worth the money.It fishes very well at all tides and the pass keeps the beach virtually empty,it comes with a gate key.You can fish all night and I personally wouldn't fish for stripers any other time.If your friends are into it also,you can split the money for the pass,it's not vehicle specific.What area of southern me. are you from?Another tip.........Get your mackeral from Vessel Services on commercial st. in Portland if you can't get it fresh.It's cheap and is flash frozen,holds up very well.It comes in flats for around 10 bucks and will last quite a few trips if you have a place to store it.Don't let the flat thaw out!Just take out what you need before each trip.A canoe in the marshes paddling an eel around is another great option.

[MaineLine]

I'm in Portland. I actually live a 5 minute walk from Martin's point, hence why I'm there all the time. I work in Scarborough though, so the idea about the beach is a good one. I often find myself with nothing to do between when I get out of work and when my girlfriend gets out of work, so I could head on down there. I haven't done any fishing down there, do you fish from the beach straight out, wade, or are there rocks to get onto and fish from? And how much is the all access pass?

[buddah]

The pass is around 60 bucks,if you get it this time of year make sure the ranger gives you next year as well,he did it for me.When you walk out to the beach ,go to your right and try to fish the shallow bar that comes in from shooting rock.The water will look kind of "confused" there,that's the easiest way to find it.The whole beach is good though.I got some beauties there last september.Mackeral have always worked well there.