Species › Europe, UK & Ireland · Saltwater › Atlantic Mackerel

Saltwater

Atlantic Mackerel

Scomber scombrus · Mackerel, Joey (small), Maquereau

Water temp
52–64°F
Peak season
May–Sep
Best light
Daytime
IGFA record
2 lb 10 oz (1.2 kg)
Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus.jpg)

Photo: Hans Hillewaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Atlantic mackerel are slim, iridescent green-blue fish with wavy black bars across the back and no swim bladder, which lets them race through the water column. They range the North Atlantic from Norway and Iceland to Morocco and the western Mediterranean, migrating inshore in huge shoals in late spring to feed on plankton, sandeels and fry before heading offshore to overwinter. They feed in daylight, often boiling at the surface. For anglers in Britain, Ireland, Norway and France they are the first fish of summer, the easiest to catch, the bait for everything else and a first-class meal grilled or smoked.

Typical size0.5–1.5 lb (0.25–0.7 kg); 10–16 in
Trophy2.5 lb+ (1.1 kg+)
Table fareExcellent — rich, oily flesh; eat the day it is caught or smoke it

Where & when

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Shoals arrive inshore in May as water passes 50°F (10°C) and stay through September; the south-west of England and Ireland see them earliest, Scotland and Norway a few weeks later.

Chesil Beach, United KingdomDeep shingle beach; classic summer featheringDingle Bay, IrelandPier and boat mackerel all summerOslofjord, NorwayHuge summer shoals close to the city

How to catch

Feathers or sabiki rigCast a string of 3–6 feathers or small sabiki flies with a 2–3 oz weight, let it sink, then retrieve in sharp jerks and pauses through the depth where fish show. Count the sink to find the shoal depth and repeat it.
Spinning with metalsFor sport, cast a 20–30 g slim metal or small spoon on light tackle and retrieve fast and erratically. Single fish fight far better than a full string of six, and float-fished strips of mackerel also pick off the bigger ones.

Gear

Rod8–10' light to medium spinning
Reel3000–4000 spinning
Line15–20 lb braid or 12 lb mono

Lures

Feathers / sabiki rigSlim metal lureSmall spoon

Baits

Mackerel stripSandeelFish strip under a float

Regulations

No licence is needed for recreational sea angling in England, Wales or Ireland, and mackerel carry a minimum size but no recreational bag limit in most areas; Norway allows free sea fishing but caps fish tourists may export. Rules vary by country.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 2 lb 10 oz (1.2 kg) — Kraakvaag Fjord, Norway, 1992 (Jörg Marquard). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

When do mackerel arrive on the UK coast?

Shoals usually show in Cornwall and south Devon in late April or May, reach the Channel and Welsh coasts by June and Scotland by July. They stay close inshore through September, then thin out as water cools in October. Calm, clear evenings with a flooding tide are the surest sessions.

Bite forecast — Atlantic Mackerel

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Atlantic Mackerel.

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