Recomended mono line to fish spanish mackerel

[Marko]

Okay, this will sound silly..

i have succeeded catch spanish mackerel by trolling and jigging but never succeeded with using live baits. => the ones without sinker/ lead.

until now i use 40 lbs braid with 6 footer fluorocarbon leader.. the captain insist that i must use monofilaments / fluorocarbon +- 20 - 25 lbs as in his spot there's many mackerel with 12 lbs- 20 lbs size. and he suggest i use a rod with enough stiffness and backbone to set the hook.

he insist that mono sinks faster and easier than braid.. making Your bait presentation in the "strike zone" much better.. when i go with this captain.. he usually have the most fish.. I supposed he was right


any recommendation on fishing line brand/ poundage.. for all the years i have gone fishing.. the one with live bait w/o sinker was the one i never succeeded.

Many Thanks!

[Nuvole]

I'll stick with what your capt's recommendation. They are the most experience fisherman in their fishing area.

If you are looking for more option, I normally a meter or so of 80lb solid wire as bait leader.

[Keta]

Spectra floats. 
If you can aford it I'd go with a much longer fluro topshot, 8-10m, and keep the Spectra.  If you were using hollow braid a 75cm-2m piece of thin lead wire can be put into the spectra to make it sink.

[Bunnlevel Sharker]

Well for "SPANISH" mackerel i use a 4000 size spinner, 8lb mono, and a 50lb mono leader or an ABU 7000 zipline style with 15lb 7strand or a scaled down king rig. For king macks i use 20lb+ line, with a wire leader size and weight depending on conditons, and 400+yds of line.

[Bryan Young]

Spectra floats?  no wonder,....    

I think there is a spectra line that is formulated to act like fluorcarbon line, and I also think it is supposed to be a little clearer.  Spiderwire Ultracast Fluoro Braid is one that comes to mind.

Me, I like spectra.  I can use 40# braid with a short top shot to allow the live bait to swim freer than mono so similar strength.

[SoCalAngler]

I know you are not in the USA but see if you can find/order some Izorline XXX, A.K.A. Izorline Triple X. It is a co-polymer, mono and flouro, which limp and has very little memory. For strait mono or long topshots of 50 plus yards this is what I use. If needed in a picky bite all a 6-7 foot piece of 100% flouro.

[conchydong]

Well for "SPANISH" mackerel i use a 4000 size spinner, 8lb mono, and a 50lb mono leader or an ABU 7000 zipline style with 15lb 7strand or a scaled down king rig. For king macks i use 20lb+ line, with a wire leader size and weight depending on conditons, and 400+yds of line.

Bunnlevel, I believe where Marko is from,  the "Spanish" Mackerel is really a narrow barred mackerel, similar to our King Mackerel in the Western Atlantic.


Marko, there are many ways to fish for the same fish. Many folks where I live use 15-20lb mono with a very light drag (3-4lbs) to fish for Kingfish (simlilar to your Spanish). As Bunnlevel stated, a small wire trace leader albrighted or connected with a small swivel to your mono is used to avoid cut offs. Small hooks are planted in the nose of a live bait and small treble hook (stingers) are used either planted in the back of the bait or free swinging. Very often the fish is snagged by the treble hooks in the soft skin and a light drag is used to finesse the King mackerel within gaffing range. Even if the fish is mouth hooked, steady pressure and a high speed reel to avoid any slack in the line will usually keep the hook in place. Even with live baits, most often down riggers or light sinkers are used to get the baits deeper in the water column where the fish generally are.

[wallacewt]

here you go marko,this is what conchy is talking about.the top rig was used to break the australian record for a spanish mackeral.40+kg,s at the time by a fella called peter goodenough in nsw.  im not a 100% sure but i think it was on 4kilo pre-test mono

[Marko]

wow.. thanks for the amazing information.. 

i'll see which one is suitable with my reel.s

Ciao

[Bunnlevel Sharker]

Spectra floats?  no wonder,....    

I think there is a spectra line that is formulated to act like fluorcarbon line, and I also think it is supposed to be a little clearer.  Spiderwire Ultracast Fluoro Braid is one that comes to mind.

Me, I like spectra.  I can use 40# braid with a short top shot to allow the live bait to swim freer than mono so similar strength.

I would stay away from spider wire, lots and lots of lost fish

[LI Guy]

In 20# range, my vote goes to Momoi Diamond Illusion mono. Great 20# mono.

[Marko]

In 20# range, my vote goes to Momoi Diamond Illusion mono. Great 20# mono.

as the momoi brand was not availabe here... i think i must get it from US market .. but i will try with what's available here

[Marko]

Aha.. After all the answer, looking on available lines in the office i finally spooled 16 lbs navis brand monofilament to one of my reels.

I have a sudden trip on the 12th of February- just two days after the Chinese New Year where old fisherman in Here says after the Chinese New is Mackerel season in Most Indonesia- so i took first chance after it.

after seeing weather forecast, tides forecast and weather satellite image - it's a go.

weather was perfect- baitfish was plenty and water was blue clear... doesn't take long to have the first bite. a friend using 30 lbs braid have the first bite.. but it was a missed call (missed).

after some minutes, another friend with 20 lbs mono got a had strike. he fought the fish for 15 minutes until his knees was shaking. we assumed it would be a mackerel, but damn it was a 14 pounder barracuda. no problem- we'll take it

after bottom live baiting had no success, i also put one set of tackle for free swimming live baiting and it just took 30 minutes to have my first mackerel strike since 2007 - it's an 8 pounder mackerel (when i restart fishing again - before it i was fishing on 12 years old of age with my fahter- it was year 1995/1996 )

I thanks god and put another bait on the hook.. bam another strike in 3 minutes and it's 6 pounder mackerel. after we get it on boat- yup i put another baitfish and when i just let the bait go with the current.. a mackerel bit it.. wow.. 3 fish in a row..

after that feeding frenzy, those squid got up and destroying our baitfish.  . and i just put a squid jig in another tackle.. and got 7 of them. around 400 gram each.

in total, that day we landed 7 mackerel, 1 barracuda, 7 squid and lots of baitfish.

really thanks for all the information..

Tight lines!

[Bryan Young]

Sounds awesome Marko.

[Marko]

Thanks Bryan,

the local fisherman just remind me yesterday that in the thousand islands sea -just north of Jakarta- The best Mackerel season would be month of august. Those 14 pounder mackerel will plenty available in our waters. can't wait to month 8.. but what the hell- i'll go fishing avery month when ever the weather allows me


anyway, i'm start to see pattern in the thousand island fishing ground which is :
dark moon phases - more potential for clear water, good current-especially it's one direction with the wind, plenty of baitfish and mackerel.
full moon phases - less mackerel but plenty of queen-fish, bottom fish, trevally, less baitfish, more potential for merky/unclear water and more possibilities for the water current to against the wind direction.

I wonder is this would be the same in other continent that dark moon and full moon phases would talk a lot in the fish species that highly active.

Thanks-Tight Lines