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ARNHEMLAND BARRAMUNDI NATURE LODGE

The combination of a glistening metal bib, the ability to dive to depths of three metres or more, a hard action that handles fast trolling speeds, and a spectacular colour range have been the downfall of mackerel and other pelagic species across Northern Australia for going on three decades.

There are other lures that catch mackerel consistently – including locally-manufactured MacMagnets, Classic 160s, Reidy’s Big Boss and Halco Lasers – but there can’t be too many serious mackerel anglers without a handful of different-sized Rapala CDs in their bluewater tackle box.

There are two colour styles which seem to account for the bulk of mackerel catches up our way: the red head with white body, or “Qantas” colour, and anything that is predominately chromed and again with a bit of red.

There is absolutely no doubt that the best times to be trolling for mackerel are during the first and last couple of hours of daylight.

That is particularly the case if the mackerel are scarce, or not on the job.

At other times, when the schools are large and the macks are more competitive, they will bite all day.

Headlands adjacent to bays and river mouths, as well as offshore ledges and rocky pinnacles, are common mackerel habitat and always worth a shot.

Look for bait schools on the surface; and below the surface as indicated by your depth sounder.

Troll around these at a brisk pace – say, 6 knots or more – and mark any spot that you want to spend time trolling over.

Naturally, if you hook a mackerel, you should mark it on the GPS immediately.

As with baitfishing for Spanish mackerel, a wire trace of minimum 30 kg is essential.

The same outfits I mentioned last week for baitfishing at anchor are also perfect for trolling for mackerel.

Light-to-medium game or jig rods are perfect for mackerel fishing, with the latest G.Loomis Pro-Blue series rods being at the top of the range, with the high-quality Shimano T-Curves coming in at a more affordable price.

Both threadline and overhead geared reels are suitable for macks, and they should be capable of holding at least 300 metres of 15 kg braid or monofilament line.

Shimano Tekota 500 and 600 reels are ideal.

Remember to sharpen your hooks as a mackerel’s jaw is pretty hard, and set your reel drag to “strike”.

Once hooked, a mackerel will usually blast off – perhaps making two or three similar runs – before fighting doggedly around the boat.

Be very careful gaffing and pulling your big mack aboard as they have razor-sharp teeth and they tend to thrash about.

It’s best to calm your mackerel down with a sharp blow or two from a “Priest” – usually a piece of pipe or a wooden club.

Bleed your mackerel by cutting its throat and you’ll definitely improve the quality of the flesh.

Fillet it and get the fillets on ice quickly.

Remember also your bag limits of five macks in possession; more than enough to feed family and friends.

If you don’t get out on the macks this weekend, there are still plenty of great options in calmer waters.

The jewies have been on the bite for awhile now, and the afternoon tides are good for Darwin ’s artificial reefs, both in the harbour and off Lee Point .

On the barra scene, it will be hard to go past the Daly River which, despite the cold and the lateness of the year, is fishing as good as it ever has.

Expect excellent water clarity down the Daly this weekend.

Closer to home, West Arm turned on some classic estuary barra fishing last weekend, but that was during significant tidal movement.