More Mackerel

 I was pretty hyped after my first successful southern Rhode Island mackerel mission, honestly. They might not be big or impressive but I gravitate heavily to underutilized fisheries that I don't hear much about. I was fired up to get back after it. It wasn't long before I got another chance. This time, the weather was much more pleasant and the tide started out pretty good for the first area I'd wanted to fish, the spot that had showed promise but not produced on my previous trip. This time, with a higher tide and calmer conditions, not only was I able to fish it more effectively but I could regularly see fish come up and break.

Now, here's the funny thing: if I cast vaguely near a breaking mackerel, and I mean 40-60 feet away but at least in the same direction, I hooked up almost immediately. When I landed my flies right near a break or boil though I got nothing. That seemed pretty odd. Maybe it was entirely incidental, I don't know. 

For a while, the action was pretty steady. The Garth got there and I caught two more before it seemed to end. There was loads of bait around still, just no more breaking mackerel. 

I caught two more before it really ended, and we decided to go to another spot. We headed over to where I'd hammered the mackerel last time, and I did get one there but it was clear that not much was going on. We then hammered cunners for a while. 

The rest of the day was strange. We saw a seal chasing mackerel around, we tried and failed to catch tautog, we caught more cunners. It was warm and calm and weird... just a surreal December day, from start to finish. Catching mackerel in the winter in Southern New England will remain surreal to me for a while, I think.

Until next time, 

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

And stay safe and healthy.

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