If you are just targeting macks a size 6 or 4 size subiki should be just fine. Then tip the hooks with squid or mackerel. If they are thick use a heavier weight. If you don’t then you might get one of the worst tangles known to man.
What is the best Sabiki rig for mackerel?
The Mustad Sabiki Rig is perfect for catching bait, but also targeting bigger fish, all depending on the hook size and location. The Mustad Sabiki rig is perfect for catching small Snappers, Mulloway, Flathead, Mullet, Sardines, Mackerel, Herring or Threadfin.
What size hook is best for mackerel?
What size hooks for mackerel? The most common sized hook for mackerel is a size 1O, but these are considered too large by many. There is a Japanese alternative to traditionally sized mackerel feathers which is far superior, called Sabiki feathers.
What size sabiki rig should I use?
Best Sabiki Hook Size Chart
As a general rule of thumb, you’ll want to start small, around hook size #6 to #8. Keep in mind that baitfish are well… baitfish. They’re meant to be small so that large fish will attack them.
What weight should a Sabiki rig be?
Sabiki Weights are a modified version of a trolling weight with only a single brass eye for easy attachment to a sabiki rig when bait fishing. Along the Gulf Coast the most popular sizes are: 1, 1 1/2, 2, and 3 oz. depending on current.
How fast should you troll for mackerel?
The secret to more effective Mackerel trolling is speed. If you want to catch more Mackerel on lures, troll faster. While 6 knots is okay, 7, 8, 9 or 10 knots is even better. The faster you can troll, the more likely you are to get connected.
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.
What depth do you fish mackerel?
Mackerel generally remain at the same depth which is between 8ft to 20ft. They also generally stay quite close to cliffs and walls. If you’re fishing from a pier then you will probably only need to be casting out between 5 to 30 yards.
What size hooks for king mackerel?
Starting with a single 2/0 lead hook, add trailing segments wired to No. 4 treble hooks. Some anglers will “peg” all stingers on a big-bait rig, as this keeps the hooks right near the strike zone.
Do you put bait on a sabiki rig?
You can catch fish without bait on the hooks, but it is more effective to put decent baits on them. The shiny metal pieces that are constant in most Sabiki rigs are sufficient to trigger a bite from a baitfish.
Do you bait a sabiki?
A 3000 series reel spooled with 10 LB test paired with a 7ft extra fast reel. Now that you have learned to tie a sabiki rig it is time to catch some bait. Light gear is vital. As stated earlier, you can use this rig with or without cut pieces of bait.
How many hooks are on a sabiki rig?
A sabiki or flasher rig is typically fished off boats, piers, jetties, or any structure over the water. Sabikis consist of any number (usually between 6 and 10) of small hooks, each one on individual dropper lines which are a few inches long.
Can you cast a sabiki rod?
Many times they will come out no problem, but with a weight on the end, a cast might break you off if a hook drags a bit on the way out. With the spinning rod we, obviously, have the entire sabiki outside the top guide when we cast.
Do sabiki rigs work in freshwater?
I had a client land a 6-pound flathead on the jigging spoon under the Sabiki. I’m telling you, this rig will catch anything that relates to bait in freshwater,” the 58-year-old guide says.
What lure is best for mackerel?
Small soft plastic lures also work well. Mackerel will nail these in the top 20 ft or so of water. Effective lures include the Fiiish Black Minnow 70, Savage Gear Sandeels in the mini 10 cm or small 12.5 cm sizes and many others that imitate small baitfish such as sandeels and sprats.
What is the best way to catch mackerel?
Using a beachcaster or bass rod and daylights or feathers is a very effective way to catch mackerel, and if a shoal is cast into it is possible to catch a mackerel on every lure. However, there is little sport in this method. Most anglers use lighter bass or spinning rods if they are fishing for mackerel for sport.
What’s the best way to fish for mackerel?
With the boat drifting and the motor turned off (it might spook the mackerel otherwise), use a string of Sabiki Bait Lures together with a pear-shaped lead weight attached at the lower end of the string. Lower this slowly, jigging it up and down as you do so, until you feel a fish strike.
What pound leader is mackerel?
Fluorocarbon leaders that range from 25 to 50 pound test line have become common for Spanish mackerel fishing. Because most Spanish mackerel will be in the 2 to 3 pound range, you will most likely only need 8 to 12 pound test line as your main line, which is why the leader is so important.
How far behind the boat should I troll?
20 feet to 150 feet
Proper distance for most boats will be anywhere from 20 feet to 150 feet behind your boat. Whether you have inboard diesel or outboard gas engines, your power dictates the distance you troll your baits and lures.
Is it better to troll upstream or downstream?
For all those reasons, trolling downstream is the best way to get at them. By going downhill, you can crank up the trolling speed — which allows you to cover more water and, thus, find the fish more quickly.
What Colour lures do mackerel like?
Another study, investigating the effect of 10 different coloured lures on hooking rates of spotted mackerel, Scomber australasicus, found that red lures had the highest hooking rate and were of greatest visibility to the fish (Hsieh et al., 2001) .