Spearfishing Spanish Mackerel Tutorial | ADRENO

Spanish Mackerel are hard fighters and a challenging catch, they are a dream fish for any new spearo. Adreno's Wayne Judge explains it isn't too difficult and how to spear one.

Body language is the most common mistake. If you make yourself too obvious by looking too hard and long, quickly pulling your gun or chasing them, they’ll run. If you are patient you can slowly approach from behind and occasionally they will turn to give you a shot. It’s most important for them to come to you. Pretending to look away, showing disinterest and making the fish curious might entice them to check you out.

Mackerel can be found just about anywhere, in deep and shallow waters. Like other fish, you’re more likely to find them where smaller baitfish are around. Baitfish often feed around food that collects at points where currents meet a barrier such as bombies or headlands. Like other pelagic fish you can also use burley and flashers. Flashers can also be useful in distracting the fish from your presence.

Spanish mackerel are best shot in behind the gills for a spine shot or at the mid-body between the rear fins. The latter can be risky if the fish fights as this can attract sharks and make your chances of landing the fish a whole lot more difficult.

With such a hard fighting fish you need to know how to handle yourself once you’ve made the shot. Often they will run and take 30 or 40 metres of line. It’s best to let them tire and not apply too much pressure to the line as the soft flesh of the mackerel might allow your spear to pull through the fish. Let your speargun go down when using a float (which we recommend) and swim towards the fish to collect it. Always be mindful of the teeth once you have the fish up, because they are extra sharp. Hold at the gills and wrap your legs around the body when you’ve caught a larger fish to dispatch them with your dive knife.

Adreno Spearfishing website:
www.spearfishing.com.au