| Mackerel |
| The Scombridae family consists
of about 45 species and includes the many species of mackerel, as well
as tuna, bonito, and wahoo. The typical scombrid is a fast-swimming
predator with a beautifully streamlined, spindle-shaped body and large,
deeply forked or lunate (crescent-shaped) tail. Many scombrids are able
to fold some of their fins into slots in their bodies to make them more
streamlined and enable them to swim faster. The buefin tuna, for example
withdraw its pectoral, pelvic, and first dorsal fins in this way when
traveling at speed. |
| FISHING
NOTES |
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Techniques |
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Fish for small species, such as the
Atlantic and chub or locally known as kembong, using feathered lures or
apollo (chain of hooks on single line). The larger species such as
tenggiri are usually taken on artificial (Rapala Magnum is the best for
this) or natural baits, fished from a drifting boat or trolled. |
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Tackle |
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For the small mackerels here definitely we
use none other than apollo with koyan (hand reel), a team of 6 to 20
lures with 1/0 hooks, and a 104 g (4 oz) bomb sinker. For the larger
mackerel species, use a medium spinning rod with fixed-spool reel or a
5.4 kg (12 lb) mono line with a wire leader, and size 2/0 hooks. Here in
Malaysia, people use heavier tackle especially when do trolling.
Tenggiri is very seasonal in Malaysian water and normally landed by
trolling. |
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Baits |
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For small fish, use feather or plastic
mackerel lures. For larger species, try jigs, spinners, and plugs
(fished either alone or in conjunction with a shrimp or a thin strip of
any common baitfish), and cut or whole baitfish such as mullet, balao or
kembong. |
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| Note: King Mackerel |
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This is one of the largest mackerel and
perhaps the most popular with anglers, who appreciate it for its size,
the strong fight it puts up, and its tasty flesh, It averages only about
4.54 kg (10 lb) but it can grow much larger and individuals weighing
around 45.4 kg (100 lb) have been netted by commercial fishermen. The
fish in these schools are in the 3 to 11 kg (7 to 25 lb) range; larger
fish tend to be more solitary. |
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