Spanish mackerel rig

[Shane Dyer]

i am just starting out mackerel fishing trolling live baits slowly and not quite sure of the best way to rig live slimies.Any help on how to make rig and bait it would be appreciated.

[Horse]

I use about 4-6" of 44lb brown singlestrand to a 4/0 then another 4" or so to either a treble or another single (you can add another link with a treble of you want).
Pin the livey through the nose and lightly pin the stinger further back.
If you are in big fish country you may have to upgrade above 44lb wire

Cheers

Neil

[Shane Dyer]

Thanks horse,going by your avatar,you know what you are talking about.would you prefer the treble or single hook as you have described.Also what trolling speed have you had most success with?

[tailorboi99]

Shane, You could try "Briddling" it with rope.


Cheers Tom

[Horse]

I use a single but a lot of others use a treble. I troll as slow as the motor lets me and even stop for a moment if I am in a good spot

[frankgrimes]

I use a single but a lot of others use a treble. I troll as slow as the motor lets me and even stop for a moment if I am in a good spot

Do you use a downrigger at all.....or just use a little lead to get them down the water column?

[Horse]

I have fitted a downrigger for this season but have not had a chance to chase the Spaniards with it yet. Normally a bean or torpedo sinker a couple of feet away works OK.

[wayne18]

I recently read an artical on live baiting and one of the things it said was if you want your livie to swim down, cut the bottom corner (I think) off it's tail . Haven't tried it yet but it makes sense! This might be best for a free swimming livie instead of a trolled one. Another option for a downrigger is a teardrop sinker connected to the main line 10m up from the livie with an elastic band. More weight=more depth

Hope this helps both you and me!