With mackerel, one typically uses a sabiki rig, which has 4 or 5 small feathered hooks, plus a weight at the end, which in my case was a 2 oz salt water jig. Being about to catch 4, 5 or even 6 fish at one time in a kayak makes for an absolute blast!
My first catch of the day, was on the rig I had set up with some gaspereau, hoping to catch a dogfish shark. It hooked into a scallop shell with an old barnacle on it. That shell I brought home to Rowan who was pretty pleased. My next catch surprised me... a little smelt taking after the jig which was nearly the size of the smelt!
Finally I hit some mackerel, and was able to pull in 4 at a time. At one point I had on 5, but one dropped off. On the day I brought home something 16 mackerel, which isn't very many when they are really running, but on this day, when the fish were hard to find, I was satisfied.
Also, I managed to catch a couple pollock. Like smelt and mackerel, I had never caught pollock in a kayak before, so I was able to add 3 new species to my kayak fishing resume on one trip!
Not everyone caught fish on this day, but most of us did. Afterwards, 4 of us headed back out to Reversing Falls in the evening to try to turn some of the mackerel in to Stripers. All I accomplished on that trip was to lose a lure and several hooks from snagging up on bottom. Craig and I headed home around 11. Then at 1:30 AM, I got a text from Steve with a pic of him holding his first ever striper, a nice 28" fish! Way to go Steve!
It looks like we may do a repeat of this trip next weekend! I can't wait!