Atlantic Mackerel Fishing Charters

A small cousin of the tuna, the mackerel is a torpedo with green and blue tiger stripes on the back and a silver belly. Shoals chase sandeels and fry high in the water, and a string of feathers dropped through them can come back with a fish on every hook. They are rich, oily and very good grilled the same evening, and crews cut them into strips for bass, conger, tope and rays.

Kestrel Warrior runs two hour shared trips from East Sussex at 08:30 for up to 10, and one of its catch reports is a sunny day jigging for mackerel out of Eastbourne. Hussler in Ramsgate counts mackerel among its popular targets, taking up to 6 on 3, 4 or 6 hour trips from 08:00 at any state of the tide, with tackle, live bait and lures supplied.

Mackerel on a Maltese trip

Two Maltese boats list Atlantic mackerel, but both are set up for amberjack, tuna and reef fish. The Mediterranean also holds the chub mackerel, a near twin with dusky spots on the lower flanks, so a mackerel there may be either. Mister Fish Charters in Marsascala takes up to 4 on 3 or 4 hour trips from 09:00. On Aquaholic, Captain Paul, a commercial fisherman from St. Paul's Bay, asks what you hope to catch and tells you straight what to expect, on private trips of four to eight hours from 09:00 for up to 12.