stubborn mackerel

[bigshrek]

went out of the lighthouse on sat morning to about 15-18 foot of water to be meet by massive schools of bait getting abused by ladys, macks, and who knows what else. Threw all sorts of lures at these bait pods. we tried the middle of the pods with no hits. tried to lead the pods with no hits. tried the back edge of the pods with no bites. me and my friend chased these pods for 2+ hours with only two small ladyfish to show for it. We threw pins,live shrimp under popping cork,gulp shrimp,gulp swimming mullet, top waters, silver spoons,and they just would not eat anything. The macks we saw had to be 30+ inches and it really stunk that we couldnt get any. Any one have any idea of what those fish would have hit in that scenario? One thing is that since it was rough out there it was hard to see what type of bait was in the bait pod so knowing that might have helped out but besides that im stumped.

[Salty Gator]

Maybe they were feeding on something small like glass minnows. When they are keyed in on a certain size bait, it seems that's all they will hit. I have used a 2" piece of the tail off a 5" jerk shad once when they wouldn't hit anything else, did well. I would think a small gotcha would work in that case. Good luck

[silverking]

I've always had the best luck with silver casting spoons and jigs like the Kastmaster or 1/4-ounce diamond jigs. Gotcha lures work sometimes, too. The Spanish and blues are typically working glass minnows and small sardines, so you really have to "match the hatch." They like a fast retrieve as well and I rig the spoons/jigs with a trace of 30-pound single strand bronze wire leader. Use a Haywire twist to attach the lure direct to one end and add a swivel to the other end (with the Haywire again) to tie to your main line.

I rig several and store them in zip lock bags. When the macks are really going crazy, they'll sometimes hit the swivel and cut you off so having spares that you can tie on quickly keeps you in the action. Also, the bait will sound if it's spooked, so get relatively close, shut down the engine and drift into casting range.

For some real fun, tie on a Clouser minnow or epoxy glass minnow fly on a 7- to 8-weight fly outfit and hang on.

[bigshrek]

thanks for the replies guys. I have heard that mackerel like small baits so i guess i will need to add some smaller lures to my tackle box and hopefully get my drag singing unlike saturday.

[Sir reel]

You may have tried this... but sometimes the predators are below the bait pods and you need to get below in order to get them to bite.

[roadtrip]

I had the same thing happen to me and then I discovered STORM swim baits. Pick the smallest ones. The paddle tail action gets them. They have sorry hooks and the macs are rough on the soft plastic so buy plenty.

[leonreno]

I like to use the Clarkspoon squid spoon in size 00. Tie it to 50 lb mono leader and attach it to either a trolling weight (1 to 2 oz) or to a casting bubble that can be filled with water. Then cast it as far as you can and reel it as fast as you can. A high speed reel is a must, usually a spinning reel is best. You can not reel it to fast and when you get a hit and miss don't slow down, keep it going and they usually will fight over it. If they are feeding below the surface use the trolling weight and when you cast it let it settle to the bottom first then reel it as fast as you can.

Also the smallest Gotcha lure can work well also worked in a jerking motion while reeling it in.

Clarkspoon Squid spoon: http://www.seastriker.com/clarkspoon/cl ... nsquid.htm

Trolling weight: http://www.seastriker.com/clarkspoon/cl ... sinker.htm

Bubble rig (I use the spoon instead of a straw, its more durable) http://fishingdestinguide.com/BUBBLERIGS.html

[EddieJoe]

I've always had the best luck with silver casting spoons and jigs like the Kastmaster or 1/4-ounce diamond jigs. Gotcha lures work sometimes, too. The Spanish and blues are typically working glass minnows and small sardines, so you really have to "match the hatch." They like a fast retrieve as well and I rig the spoons/jigs with a trace of 30-pound single strand bronze wire leader. Use a Haywire twist to attach the lure direct to one end and add a swivel to the other end (with the Haywire again) to tie to your main line.

I rig several and store them in zip lock bags. When the macks are really going crazy, they'll sometimes hit the swivel and cut you off so having spares that you can tie on quickly keeps you in the action. Also, the bait will sound if it's spooked, so get relatively close, shut down the engine and drift into casting range.

For some real fun, tie on a Clouser minnow or epoxy glass minnow fly on a 7- to 8-weight fly outfit and hang on.

Good advice, IMO. The bait is usually really small, and the little Kastmaster or 00 spoons will work, if retrieved real fast and if the lure is thrown right into the boil. The ultimate in frustration is to follow a school of Little Tunny that are banging up a ball of "rain minnows", throwing lots of stuff at them and getting not a nibble. The usual problem is too big of a lure, not retrieved fast enough. Same thing happened to me at K-tower once, only the predators were big AJ, all feeding on tiny minnows. They would hit nothing bigger than a tiny spoon, thrown right into the big splashes. Problem was that those big AJ would take me into the tower with the outfits that could toss the little spoons so I got cutoff every time, eventually. It's part of what makes fishing so much fun. Lots of challenges.

EJ

[bigshrek]

ill have to try those lures out. I have heard of the k tower but not sure how far it is offshore or were it really is ? and thanks again for the advice!