Spring Mackerel Fishing in Cape Cod Bay

Mackerel fishing is a fun way to catch food for smoking or as bait for giant early spring Stripers. If you are looking for a constant action type fishery to keep younger or newer fisherman interested, this is the one.

In the spring, Mackerel can be one of the most plentiful and abundant fish in Cape Cod Bay.  Spring mackerel are a primary target  of the first round of big stripers that come through the Cape Cod Canal into Cape Cod Bay. Of all the bait fishes used for striped bass, they freeze the best for use later as bait, but work way better when they are fished fresh as chunks or live lined whole. At certain points in the year, it can be the best bait for bluefish, striped bass and bluefin tuna. 

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Some people prize mackerel as food. Smoked mackerel can remove alot of the fishy oil taste that some people find off putting if cooked conventionally. The typical season for Mackerel in the bay is usually early April through November...sometimes even December in warmer years.  

Most of the guys here in the shop do a ton of early season mackerel fishing in the spring and summer...here is what they use and how they fish for them.

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Where in Cape Cod Bay are the Mackerel?

Although the Nantucket Sound side of the Cape gets a healthy share of mackerel in the spring, most of our guys and customers focus their mackerel fishing efforts in Cape Cod Bay. In the early season , the mackerel can be close to shore in 10-15 feet of water, but as the temps heat up and more stripers pour into the Bay, you might find them in water as deep as 40-50 feet.As soon as water temps reach summertime levels, the mackerel will move into 50-80 feet of water or move out offshore.

 

However, the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal and the canal itself can hold decent amounts of Mackerel.

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Locating Mackerel

Like most fishing, the easiest way to find mackerel is with decent electronics. But, if you don't have that tool, all is not lost.

The birds will usually tip you off as to where larger schools of mackerel are hanging out. Because of certain bottom topography and the currents they create, there are some traditionally good jumping off spots to locate them if no activity is visible.

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This won't be an " x marks the spot" discussion, just some general areas that usually hold mackerel in the spring time.

The first buoys outside the various harbors are good starting places...mackerel are a school fish and can be found in large groups. If you find one, you will usually find a bunch.

If the weather cooperates, you can usually locate mackerel disturbing the surface water,... even with no accompanying bird activity. Of course, a group of stripers tearing through the school is the easiest way to locate them.

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How Goose Pro Staff catches Mackerel

Far and away the most popular way to catch mackerel are Sabiki rigs. If you aren't interested in catching multiples at a time, any small silver or gold spoon or swimming lure will suffice.

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Sabiki rigs typically are rigged with 6-12 what look like little trout flies complete  with feathers, beads and some element of sparkle or shine.

When you find an area you think might have some mackerel, drop the sabiki and lightly jig it to impart some injured baitfish action. One you feel the tell tale tap of a mack, keep jigging it as others in the school will quickly also latch on.

 

Like any multiple hook rig, Sabiki's are prone to tangling. The guys in the shop prefer the Mighty Fish custom Sabiki because it is tied with heavier guage mono...easier to deal with the inevitable tangling.

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The depths you will find macks at will vary from tide to tide, so make sure the bottom spoon you use is sufficiently heavy enough to get your rig right down to their level without too much scoping.

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If the macks you find are in a cooperative mood, you can fill up every hook on the sabiki rig with a mackerel. Make sure that when you find these periods of great Mackerel fishing, that you only take what you can actually use. When they are on, it's easy to fill a cooler full of macks, but that isn't super for the resource.

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Mackerel are awesome baits for stripers, bluefish and tuna ...especially live lined in the spring and early summer.Catching a bunch is a good "warm up" for your fishing trip...especially for those on board that have short fishing attention spans. When you get on them, it's all action.

 

Many people consider them delicious smoked. We will go over the smoking process in a future blog post.

If you have any questions about how to get started with Mackerel fishing this spring, stop by the shop or drop us a line at info@themightyfish.com. The guys in the shop are happy to get you catching your fill of Macks!

 

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