MACKEREL FISHING
Mackerel may also be well classed with deep sea fishing, and I think it ranks only second to salmon and trout fishing, and Often excels either; nothing can be more exciting than the feeling produced while sailing through a scull of mackerel on a fine day, with an eight or ten knot breeze, while around you the screeching of the gulls, the whistling of the divers, and the occasional blowing of a porpoise, accompanied by the rushing whizzing noise of the boat as she cuts her way through the deep, now and then sending the spray flying up in the rays of a summer's sun, like a shower of brilliants. Should the fish take well, the number killed by each line is sometimes enor- mous; for the bait is taken almost as soon as it gets to the proper depth in the water, and you must regulate the length of line you fish with, to the depth at which the fish are work- ing. Sometimes you may be in the middle of a scull of mackerel when they will not take a bait, this generally occurs
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about the first of ebb; at that time the fish have glutted themselves with the herring fry, and the fry have become stationary at the bottom, you will then see the porpoises rolling sluggishly, being also satiated with the herring fry, the gulls lying asleep on the sea, and the divers and sea auks picking some stray feathers out of their plumage, that they fancied had impeded their way during their last performance under water, until the last of ebb all is still, however, in a short time afterwards when the flood tide has set in, the scene quickly changes, you hear one gull give a scream and take wing. This is the first sign that the fish have begun to work-the movement has commenced under water, by the Mackerel or Gurnard chasing the herring fry, aided most likely by a Por poise, who in his ravenous rush on his prey, has hunted them to the surface where numbers have been forced out of the water, by the pressure from the crowd beneath. All the divers swim and dive to where the signal came from. A flock of gulls having already joined in the cry, the work is generally commenced above by the plunge of a gannet, who has been watching from on high for his devoted prey. It is to be supposed that you have your cooking apparatus all ready, the new potatoes boiled, and the odour, of the frying pan soon reminds you that you can prey on fresh Mackerel, in com- pany with divers, gulls, and monsters of the deep The lines used for catching Mackerel, are called reel lines from the light wooden frame called a on which they are wound up, they are made of a good strong light line laid like whipcord, but not twisted so hard.
There is generally fifteen to twenty fathom of line on each reel; to the end of the strong line is attached a lead of suffi- cient weight to the line, when it is drawn fast through the water, the weight of the lead depends very much on the shape. A long lead, shaped like a sharp sterned boat decked over, with the sharp side underneath, and the flat deck like
side uppermost, which prevents it rising in the water, may be made of considerably less weight than a round lead, which offers a great obstruction in the water, and is consequently floated, when the boat is going fast, whereas, the former lead always cuts its way like a boat; there should be a light piece of wood running through the lead, which keeps the bait line from twisting round the lead; the annexed cut shows the shape of the reel, the leads and piece of wood mounted, the weight of the leads vary from one-and-a-half to two lb. weight, the deep waters require a heavier lead.
1. The reel for rolling line on.
2. The common hook with piece, or skelp of Mackerel on for bait.
3. and 5. The Limerick hooks tied on gut (5 a very killing tackle)
4. The leaden sinkers, of which, centre shape is recom mended.
6. The Mackerel shewing where skelp lies,
7. The Silver Eel, bait for Pollock or Glassen.
The light piece of round wood (or the whalebone rib of an umbrella, is a good substitute) attached to the lead should be three-quarters of an inch in circumference, and about eight inches long, very little more than one end of it over the lead; nearly as much as the line can be made last to.
The remainder of the wood projects over the other side of the lead, (it runs lengthways along the flat top of the long lead) and to it the snouding is made fast, with a spare end tied on to the reel line. This snouding should be of silk fishing line, two fathoms and-a-half long, and the finer the snouding, the more you will take. I have seen Mackerel taken of a fine day, with fine gear, when the Fishermen could not catch one with their coarse lines. Some years ago, while Mackerel fishing on a very fine clear day, that you could sec far down into the water.
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I saw the Mackerel follow the bait up from the bottom, just tasting the end of it. The idea immediately struck me of putting on a second hook without bait, and try if it would not come into play in such a case. I obtained a good piece of gut from one of the party, who had a fly hook with him, and we mounted the two hooks, tied on the same piece of gut, one of them about three inches in rear of the baited hook, the addi tional hook was smaller than the one baited; (in reel fishing, the hand is kept pulling the line up fast, and lowering it away constantly, which is just the motion of the Herring fry in the water) ; we saw the Mackerel run up to the bait hook, and as soon as the pull was given, we found him caught outside the gill by the second hook, we adopted two hooks from that day, and afterwards caught a good take of fish, when other boats in company with us were getting very few. The bait used in the Mackerel fishing is a piece cut off the side of the Mackerel near the tail, the size and form of a large horse leech, and they like a fresh bait; I would always tie the hook to a link of gut, and use Limerick hooks with fine tackle, you will take double the number you otherwise would with the common gear used by the fishermen; however, off the West of Ireland they use a piece of pipe shank (of a common tobacco pipe) strung upon the snouding, just above the white hook, and kill well with it. Noud or Grey Gurnet take the same bait, and are killed in the same manner, but will take a piece of Noud as bait, which Mackerel will scarcely look at. The Mackerel fishing gene- rally begins in Ireland about the end of June, and lasts until near the end of September; they are also taken in the same manner as Herrings are, by getting meshed in nets set for the purpose, of a larger mesh than herring nets; the smaller ones are sometimes taken in great numbers in the herring nets. They can be very well cured by splitting them clown the back, and along the bone with a sharp knife, taking the bone out and wiping them dry; when cleaned well, rub them in with
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the following ingredients:-1 oz. of salt petre, 1 lb. of brown sugar, a table-spoonful of pepper, and a stone of salt. This mixture will kipper a couple of score of Mackerel, then lay them on an even floor, with an even pressure of about two stone weight divided over them so as to press on the whole lot equally. When there is a very great take of Mackerel, two or three additional hooks may be added to the line.
