Summer Species, and the Mackerel are in! Beach Angling August 2022
Summer Species - Beach Angling August 2022
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Mackerel Fishing late August :)
There have been regular reports of great mackerel fishing from local beaches through the last two weeks of August with anglers sometimes reporting large shoals, close to the shoreline and excited scenes on busy beaches, especially at Langney Point :) This has been mainly during the day, over high water, when the sea is clear. Mackerel fishing brings great results, and so is a great way to get children try out sea angling.
Mackerel are at their best when cooked and consumed fresh and so are a favourite this time of year at garden and beach barbeques. Regular anglers also take the opportunity to fill up the freezer with mackerel for bait. A general rule is only catch what you are intending to take home - eat, freeze or give away.
A word about Mackerel Fishing
Mackerel are summer visitors to UK waters who traditionally arrive off the British coastline in huge predatory shoals, not moving back to deeper waters until shorter Autumn days. When the mackerel are properly 'in', shoals can be targetted from the shore with great sucess by casting feathers and spinners.
Mackerel sometimes hunt close to the shore herding their prey into shallow water and wrecking a few minutes of carnage before dropping swiftly into deeper water to regroup before the next attack! Mackerel are celebrated for their taste, speed and power and their main summer prey includes sand eels, herring, sprats and whirebait, which make the sea's surface 'fizz'! This surface activity also acts as a magnet for flocks of opportunistic seagulls which hammer the baitfish from the skies, advertising the presence of mackerel shoals to anglers on the lookout!
26th August 2022
