Trolling for Spanish Mackerel the HARSH Reality for BEGINNERS

In this video, we go trolling for Spanish Mackerel past Cape Moreton and Hutchison Shoal/Reef. We stop at the FAD to try our luck at Mahi Mahi and then have a crack at some school mackerel at the beacons.
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[@selfsuffishingme]

G'day Fishos, the weather hasn't been the best lately, and on those days when it has been good, we've been unable to get out there. Fishing is so much harder than gardening! Thanks for your support, cheers :)

[@beaubritton3813]

Hi mark, I just noticed the sounder a few Times, looks like the gain & noise could be adjusted lower to give you more clarity both when trolling at speed & also at rest. There looked to be quite a bit of clutter that could stop you from locating individual fish in the water column or on the bottom while reef fishing. Cheers

[@Benny-uw4qv]

Hey mate, I fish the Cape and do pretty well. 1. Get out to the Cape on sunrise and troll hard bodies up and down Hutchins 15 to 20km. I only use Nomad deep divers and halco laser pro's. 2. Find bait, and keep going over it a few times. 3. Only use skirts when chasing marlin and dolphin fish. Mack's won't take them. 4. Also start to look at trolling dead baits, especially garfish. Keep it up, mate. I'm currently learning how to live from 4000m2 block up the coast and I'm slowly watching and learning from your vids. The least I could do is drop a few tips to help you out.

[@needmoreboost6369]

Further down the east coast some days skirts are all they’ll hit or anything else not rigged on wire!

[@iainhetherington4608]

Hey Mark couple more little things I didn’t mention, when you get the sounder running well take advantage of trolling and watch the sounder constantly for bottom structure with fish then mark the spots and go back to them after, the other thing was take the clears of on a hot day and let the air blow through you will feel heaps better Cheers again

[@bradrobinson8531]

Whole tailor make amazing mackerel baits Mark 👌

[@bjbowden9398]

Persistence is the key buds. A lot of great tips already so I won’t repeat them except, slow down a bit. It looked as though you were doing 10-12knts. Try 6-8.

[@BJT841]

Great vid. When trolling I find my best success traveling at between 6-8 knots, these fish can hunt at 30+knots. Rapala Xrap 15 in purple mackerel is my go to lure for spanish (they are getting harder to find but nomad do a simillar lure). If I get a strike but no hook up, I keep going I don't stop, the fish will likely have another go. You'll be able to tell if your lure is still swimming ok if the tip of your rod is still bobbing. I use my trolling time to find new reef, I mark it when I spot it and then fish it on the way home. My best marks have all been found this way. Thank you for your videos on both channels and good luck with the trolling.

[@Joey-vw1id]

I follow your garden channel and this is the first video of this channel I've watched and I have to say I like it. I'll be checking out more videos on this channel too! Great stuff Mark..

[@gregpetersen9790]

Hi Mark, Don’t know if this will help, but, I used to fish out of Noosa, so just up the road a bit. I would rarely troll but rather fish the bottom and also float baits out the back, sometimes pilchards, sometimes livies. Every time I’d stop a floating line or two would go out the back, I’d just leave them to sit while I fished the bottom. Even when live baiting, I’d put a line out the back. Sometimes I would cut styrofoam and attach it to the line so the bait would stay at the depth I wanted. If needed, I would move the foam to change the depth. The trick is working out what depth the Mackerel etc are cruising at. I always got a feed because I was fishing both the bottom & the top & everywhere in between. Hope this gives you some ideas. Good luck.

[@craigbarth409]

Hi. You should try Doug Burt's seminars to learn more about targeting the species you are fishing for. Cheers.

[@travisjennings1832]

Without reading all comments, and based on mackie fishing on the other side of Australia, we used to troll in the 15 to 20m depths. Looking for structure on the bottom and bait. We generally used the Rapala or Halco shallow divers down to 2m early, then the deep divers down to 8m later in the day. From shore to fads would be in 100+ metres, so your window of mackie fishing was quite small. When you hook one, count to 10 before going into neutral for a double hookup

[@mhfishing.]

trolling is a different game all together. I only troll occasionally as I consider it more of a spectator sport than id like, it can let you sound new ground for a couple hours and add to your secret rocks collection. ill be down that way fishing morton in a couple weeks. might see you out there my friend. tight lines.

[@weibie]

Any experience can be good if you tuck it under your belt for later. I really enjoy seeing these fishing videos (James, I laughed so hard at you dad sleeping because it reminded me so much of my husband on long drives, thank you lol). I have a couple of questions. On average, how long are you out on the water? It looks like so much fun even if you're not catching. How do you guys preserve fish that can't be eaten in a day or two? I know you all have some incredible days when you're out on the water, I was curious if they are dried, canned (or bottled as some call it), frozen, or whatever it is you do? Thank you for making another fantabulous video for all of us!

[@RStout59]

It's called fishing, not catching, for a reason. During the heat of the year, early is better. They slow down considerably as the sun gets higher. 👍

[@naomibutler9887]

Hi Mark, that place I mentioned is Stanage Bay 😊

[@iainhetherington4608]

If it’s any consolation I drove out 30 kms the other day for a snapper and a sergeant baker (grinner) so we all get those days, and I agree with the other guys too fast especially if you are missing strikes, another comment was right as well if nothing is happening up top send those live bait to the bottom near a reef , and also turn the sensitivity down on your sounder there is too much clutter going on, to do this turn it up to start so the screen has fuzz all over then slowly turn it down until the water column is clear and you can only see the fish arch’s and bait balls and weed growing on the bottom and a few other bits and bob’s floating in the water column One other thing you can do to help your learning curve is take the boys on a charter and watch what the guy taking you out does Persevere matey you will find your way Good luck Cheers from down south

[@pranicmegan]

Where I live near the outback in NSW we have days over 40 regularly in summer ... we have no aircon .... we survive by wetting our clothes and wearing them wet. Maybe you should try that out on the water? Dunk your shirts in the drink every so often. You'd be surprised how well that works.

[@michaelpeslow2839]

I do that as well but use fresh water. The salt dry's and takes skin off

[@georgeclegg668]

I think we were out on the same day. You did better than us, we lost $70 worth of trolling gear

[@angusdoyle3415]

Hi mate, try trolling hutchies in the 30-40m zone, I've got a handful of wahoo and spanish the last few weeks, also find the bait 1st and then troll

[@selfsuffishingme]

I'll give it a go! Cheers 🍻

[@simonstone3336]

Great work men better than working 😂

[@dillberry99]

some average fishing here, to stop bait jigs from bird nesting, hold the line and guide it to the bottom, bait will hit on the drop, once felt hold line and keep tension, and wind.

[@billhatcher2984]

Regardless you will learn from a guide if there is a certain kind of fish they can put you on them if they are in season

[@shelbytops]

Ha ha stay away feom the lycra shirts for summer i rekon Mark FADs are hit and miss Been out and baged out in 15min some days Most days nothing just keep at it brother great stuff

[@moleyfishing8688]

Hey mate try berly and drifting past the fads.

[@cav3104]

Haha I just realised you where mark from self sufficient me 😅

[@colettephilcox231]

I'm not sure how fast your moving but when I've trolled on fresh water we've always gone way slower then what it looks like you guys were going at. I don't have any salt water experience so I hope this helps next time.

[@XanderTube360]

Fish aggregating device by the way

[@markdeacon6742]

5 to 6 knots trolling around drop off's in 17 to 30 Meyers, use hogsheads with wolffies or gar, or laser pro in qantas colours, white or pink, always did me a treat. Pelagic not palegic! Lol makkies chase and hit hard and are toothy critters so use wire trace

[@billhatcher2984]

If you want to catch dolphin you should get the binoculars out and find anything that is floating even small things and cast to it

[@billhatcher2984]

Find some floating structure kelp or even man made stuffs cooler or anything dolphin follow that stuff

[@jesse4r5]

He mark. Im a big time fisherman and gardener as well. I have historically buried most of my fish scraps into the garden but after thinking about it i have become worried about mercury contamination inside the soil. Do you worry about this? Thanks.

[@selfsuffishingme]

G'day Jesse, I'm pretty confident that mercury build up in excess or dangerous levels won't be an issue because it's unlikely to concentrate due to the elements and more likely to be distributed and diluted through the soil. I've spoken extensively with people in the fertiliser industry specifically compost made from fish waste and mercury levels are not an issue. So, I'm not worried about digging my own fish waste into the garden - it's all good! Cheers :)

[@jesse4r5]

@@selfsuffishingme excellent, thanks!

[@rogermckenzie2711]

Look on the bright side, if you had caught one it would have been expensive! 😀

[@texassaltwaterlife4374]

Try using a trolling reel not a spinning reel and i dont know what ur speed was during trolling but it seemed to be a bit fast when u stop to get bait throw a floater out a bait on hook with no weight thats how i get my mahi mahi

[@pplusbthrust]

It was the heat, the humidity, the sun, the barometer, the tide, maybe all the above. Anyway the skunk angel strikes again.

[@billhatcher2984]

You will get better are there any guides that you can hire if so hire one for a day and have a Garmin in your pocket and. Press remember on the numbers where you catch fish then you can go back to those numbers and catch fish it's worth the investment

[@erieshoresprepping]

Learn the habits and techniques of catching your target species. Watch videos of how to catch dolphin, baits used, trolling speed etc. If at all possible pay for a charter , watch how they setup trolling rigs, lures, use monofilament or braided line. Their advice will pay for itself if they are pros. Ask a lot of questions, fishermen love to share. And lastly, it’s called fishing not catching 😂 good luck,

[@billhatcher2984]

Who is the sleeping beauty

[@mickanderson3593]

Pelagic mate, not Pelegic

[@avatarofpapermagic]

If you're staying in the one spot try using berley mate. Make a berley bag you can hang off the back of the boat. I'd also ask the local Tackle Shop of you can get any spots, and if you do good give him a shout out on the channel? Maybe they will be keen to give you a spot if it means some business heads their way

[@billhatcher2984]

I can't tell for Shure but it looks like you are going way too fast

[@rohantherockwiththerocketh7871]

Bit of a shame you guys left without any fish for the table, I wanted to see a few nice sized fish. Have a ripper mate!

[@stripes_nz3688]

Troll way slower - 6 knots

[@anthonyhaigh4173]

Would you like me to take you outside to catch snapper and pearl perch? You can either join me, follow me, or come with me.

[@selfsuffishingme]

I appreciate your kind offer Anthony. Perhaps one day we can meet at the ramp and get out there - honestly, we need all the help we can get! Cheers :)

[@billhatcher2984]

Just don't let the captain see you doing that or you won't have a good day hee won't put you on good numbers if he sees you coping his numbers he will put you on shit if he knows

[@deedee3568]

Spaniards chase bait fish! Find the bait fish!

[@johnbolton9483]

All you need is a chrome Gotcha lure to catch all the Spanish you want.

[@deedee3568]

Too fast!

[@justinread4381]

I see the potblem, make the boys stand closer to the razor and get rid of that bum fluff lol.

[@kerm8829]

ahhaha "potblem" 🤣you might be a boy yourself with that spelling of yours

[@deedee3568]

You are going too fast. 8 knots max.

[@deedee3568]

If you are going after big Spaniards - your gear is too light! Plus I think you are too far South.

[@deedee3568]

Please don't take Dolphin fish they are so beautiful. My pro fishing husband always put them back...to pretty to kill!

[@ijustlovequality5337]

They are one of the fastest growing fish, making them a very sustainable fish to catch and great eating.

[@geoffbrumpton8544]

Square hook like the Pro’s use 🫣🍻