Then the government stopped casting ring nets, and spotted mackerel seasons became very unpredictable, with very short seasons. On the positive side, however, the shoal mackerel fishery compensated for this. Schoolies have made the bay their home, and you can catch it almost all year round. Professional fishermen have been hanging out on pelagics since almost the beginning of time, catching Spanish mackerel, tuna, icefish and other coveted species. When I lived in Victoria decades ago, Couta fishing was big business, and I still remember the pros dragging big Smith jigs with two hooks and catching thousands of fish. Back when there were tiers, the school mackerel season was different. These fish were only a winter/spring option, with a season that lasted from June to October. The rest of the time, we chased spotted mackerel from the surface. I use aerial coils for trolling, with rods of 10-12kg.
I usually ran two at the back of the boat – one about 20m back and one 30m back (I`ve even seen professional fishermen catch mackerel in the engine wash). Having your bait at different distances will help in two ways. First, you can see how deep they are, and second, you won`t lose as much equipment because your lines are less likely to cross when you catch a fish. You really don`t want cross-lines, because mackerel`s razor-sharp teeth always tend to find the other trolling line, and that`s where your expensive trailboard goes. I started fishing for mackerel in Moreton Bay about 40 years ago, and we fished for years around the ring nets that caught tons of mackerel every year. They were true gentlemen and I must say that I miss them. Surprisingly, despite the professionals, we recreational fishermen still caught as many mackerel as we wanted – the schools were so thick. If you want to catch schoolchildren this way, the first thing you need to do is find a high-quality trailing board. We use the 50cm and 60cm Yamashita boards, and the Delta brand boards and orange tuna boards also work. More and more local businesses are starting to stock boards lagging behind, so they shouldn`t be too hard to find. by Brad McKendrick • Heavy surface shots, powerful tracks, high speed and premium food make Spanish mackerel one of our most popular pelagic impacts. Is it any wonder that so many fishermen work .
Schoolchildren are about the size of spotted mackerel and, to the untrained eye, the two species can look alike. However, school mackerel has larger and fewer spots, which are often poorly defined in adults. These bronze-gray spots are randomly distributed and can extend to the belly of the fish. Spotted mackerel, on the other hand, has smaller, more numerous spots that usually extend no farther than two-thirds on the fish`s side. Another difference is that the first dorsal fin of a school mackerel is black with some white areas, while the dorsal fin of a spotted mackerel is blue when it emerges from the water. Trolling can also work very well for spotted mackerel, especially on days when the spots are not aggressively eating on the surface. If you`re traveling at 5-6 knots and looking for surface bait balls to cast, and you have the trolling boards, you can catch a place where you least expect it. I hope this article helps you get fresh fish on the table after your next trip to the bay. Since I started my weekly reports online, I`ve received literally hundreds of emails from readers who have tried this method and caught schoolchildren for the first time, as well as very happy kids catching their first big fish. It`s great to see. The old method of catching school mackerel in Moreton Bay was to drop anchor or drift where you thought they were, or where you saw the professionals aiming at them, and throw a pillory and wait.
We have had some success, but nothing like the consistency of the professionals, which we see methodically going up and down and pulling one student after another. We found out they were paravaning and decided to give it a try. School mackerel can grow up to one meter, but is most often caught at about 35-80 cm. At the time of writing, the legal minimum height for Queensland schoolchildren is 50cm and they have a property limit of 10. You can view the conditions here. Many fishermen who read my weekly reports from Moreton Bay see all my photos of schools caught hanging out and ask how and where they can be caught using this method. I am asked how to tie the line to the board and spoon, what fishing equipment I use, the season, the tides and schedules. So far, I`ve only emailed people with advice or replied on the forum, but decided to write a full article to cover everything.