Page 74 - Bush 'n Beach Fishing magazine

Early morning is mackie time – the author and Luke Beqir with a couple of little macks taken on the troll.
Targeting spanish mackerel in the Torres Strait
ORRES Strait waters con- a decent fish will feed a family for nect to the Coral Sea in the weeks.
east, the Great Barrier Reef The average-sized fish we come
Cape York & Torres Strait
by MATT POTTER
to the south, and the Arafura Sea across measures one metre, which
and Gulf of Carpentaria to the west. According to a stock assessment by Australian Fisheries Manage- ment Authority on spanish mack- erel in 2015, genetic results suggest Queensland spanish mackerel exist ‘as localised assemblages’ and that Torres Strait mackerel are separate stocks to the east coast and Gulf of Carpentaria.
large scale migrations along the east and west coasts of Australia linked to warm water currents, in the Tor- res Strait spanish mackerel are a viable target species year round.
is well above the legal size of 75cm. Though larger specimens are com- mon, and we have managed to land a few very solid fish of up to 154cm over the years, at that size they could be potential carriers of cig- uatera poisoning so were therefore released.
While they tend to be seasonal fish in certain parts of the country, with
Being both a highly prized table and sportfish, spanish make a much sought after pelagic. Spaniards tick many boxes – because they can be caught using a range of techniques, they grow big, look impressive, know how to get a reel singing and
Queensland has a possession limit of spanish mackerel of three per person or six fish per boat with two or more people on board. With this in mind, there is really no need to bag out, be- cause a couple of fish will yield plenty of tasty fillets to feed the crew and families. I usually aim to put a couple of mackerel in the box early and then go searching for new ground to chase a few reef species.
Chris Larosa and Jaz Ford were stoked to land this nice mackie trolling a Rapala X-Rap Magnum.
Page 74 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, June 2020
Spanish mackerel are visual hunt- ers, so relatively clear water is need- ed if you want to successfully target these fish. While this isn’t an is- sue around the central and eastern Torres Strait Islands, water clarity can present a challenge. Particular- ly around Thursday Island during new and full moons, when strong currents roar through the Adolphus Channel resulting in cloudier water. The outcome is that during these periods the fish push wider to clean- er waters.
* continued P75 www.bnb shing.com.au