School mackerel tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Tri Ton

Birthday boy Bailey scored a very nice golden trevally. A nice queenfish for Clint.

I hope everyone is doing the best they can after the inclement weather.

It has been a rough start to the year for southeast Queensland and parts of NSW.

Good to see people banding together to get things done in times of need.

I hope Mother Nature has sorted herself out and we can settle back into life again.

The fishing has tried to sort itself out, though I won’t be fishing in close very often in early March with the dirty water running.

I expect there should still be a few tuna and trusty mackerel to keep us entertained.

Frequently, people who see us at harbour ask about school mackerel or schoolies.

Many don’t realise there is a difference between the spotted and the school species.

They presume we are catching all mackerel under birds, and that simply is not the case.

Catching school mackerel is quite simple really.

The easiest method is trolling.

School mackerel are often found near structure and bait.

Choose a lure you can troll deep.

You will be surprised how big a lure they will eat.

A nice queenfish for Clint.

You can also try small lures on paravanes or downriggers, but a plain old deep diver from 1015cm will do the job.

Though make sure you find fish first.

I prefer to spin lures – usually metal and often very cheap ones.

Some jigging can be effective, but an erratic retrieve will often result in many bite offs.

Erratic jigging styles retrieves will cause schoolies to miss the lure, often ending in a cut leader.

Lure loss can be bad enough, even with a fast and constant retrieve.

School mackerel attack with swipes and lunges, often as a group, which exacerbates the lure loss rate.

You may also find you’re foul hooking them too – another sign they are swiping at the lures.

This system can catch other species as well.

Again, make sure the fish are present before you invest too much time trying to catch them.

And also make sure you are in the strike zone.

Catching other fish among school mackerel is one of the many reasons I enjoy targeting them.

So many days are started or saved by mackerel, and occasionally a few other species join in.

Similarly, they might eat a fast lure, but they might also prefer a different approach.

You simply have to work through the styles to see what’s working best.

And you might end up putting that exclamation mark on the day without travelling any further or doing anything too differently.

Doing the basics correctly and learning how to interpret the electronics are a big part of it.

Fish we often catch around school mackerel in these waters are trevally, queenfish, tuna and of course other species of mackerel.

Because of this, we often use fairly sturdy gear to catch the humble little schoolies.

I tend to use a light drag setting for these fish, to help keep them attached during their bursts of speed.

If a larger fish is hooked as by-catch, we change the drag settings if required, to aid in landing the fish quickly.

Typically, a 6-10kg stick with hi-speed reel in the 5000-size range is great. Use 20-30lb braid and 40lb leader to mitigate bite offs.

When catching other species among school mackerel, be prepared for lure loss – something to weigh up when some vibes and slow jigs can be around the $20.00 mark.

It can be hard to keep the lure exactly in the zone of the bigger species, but if you move that lure too much, it’s likely to attract the attention a smaller nimbler fish with sharp teeth.

I guess someone needs to keep the tackle shops afloat!

A fat broad-bar mackerel caught when Jamie was targeting school mackerel.