Mackerel Fishing UK: How and Where to Catch Mackerel

How to identify a mackerel

A streamlined, torpedo-shaped fish with a blue-green back marked by dark, wavy tiger stripes and a bright silver-white belly. It has two well-separated dorsal fins, a row of small finlets running to a deeply forked tail, and smooth skin with tiny scales. Scad, often called horse mackerel, are caught in the same places but have a line of hard, bony plates along the lateral line and no tiger stripes. Chub mackerel, turning up more often in the south, have larger eyes and wavy dark spots or blotches on the lower flanks and belly, where Atlantic mackerel are plain.

Where it lives

Mackerel are found all around the UK coast in summer, moving inshore as the water warms and following shoals of whitebait, sandeel and sprat. They are caught from piers, harbour walls, breakwaters and deep-water rock marks, and from steep shingle beaches where deep water runs close in. Marks with tidal flow and clear water usually fish best. They tend to show earliest and stay longest in south-west England and the south coast, with shorter seasons further north and on the North Sea coast.

What it eats and the best baits

Mackerel feed on small fish such as sandeels, whitebait, sprats and young herring, plus shrimps and other plankton. Feathers and sabiki rigs imitate a small shoal of baitfish, and flashing spinners and metal lures copy a fleeing sandeel. A thin strip of mackerel belly fished under a float looks and smells like an injured baitfish, which is hard for a feeding mackerel to ignore.

Feathers
Sabiki rigs
Spinners
Metal lures
Mackerel strip
Sandeel

Best time of year

Jan – quieter
Feb – quieter
Mar – quieter
Apr – quieter
May – good
Jun – good
Jul – good
Aug – good
Sep – good
Oct – good
Nov – quieter
Dec – quieter

Typical best months for shore anglers in England and Wales. What's in season

How to catch mackerel

The classic method is a string of three to six feathers or a sabiki rig with a 2–4oz lead, cast out and retrieved in steady sweeps, working through the water from the bottom up until you find the shoal. A spinning rod of 9–11ft rated to 40–60g is ideal for casting metals of 20–40g, and makes the fight far more enjoyable than a beachcaster. Float fishing a mackerel strip on a size 4–1 hook, set two to ten feet deep, is a lovely way to catch them and also picks up garfish. Dawn and dusk are usually best, and a flooding tide around high water often brings shoals within range. Bites are unmistakable: the rod tip jags hard and you will often feel several fish hit the feathers at once. Mackerel run deep and fast when hooked, so keep a steady pressure on.

Size and bag rules

Area	Rule	Source
Eastern IFCA	Minimum size 30cm in the North Sea, 20cm elsewhere	Official page
Kent & Essex IFCA	Minimum size 30cm north of 51°N (North Sea), 20cm south of 51°N (eastern Channel)	Official page
North Eastern IFCA	Minimum size 30cm	Official page
North Western IFCA	Minimum size 20cm	Official page

Other areas (no confirmed number for this species yet): Northumberland IFCA, Sussex IFCA, Southern IFCA, Devon & Severn IFCA, Cornwall IFCA, Isles of Scilly IFCA, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland.

Rules last checked 23 October 2026. Rules change, especially for bass: always check the official source before keeping a fish. All sea fishing rules

Handling and release

Mackerel are delicate and do not survive long out of the water, so decide quickly whether you are keeping a fish. If you are returning it, use wet hands, unhook it with forceps while it stays on the rig or over the water, and put it back straight away. Take only what you need for the table or bait, and dispatch kept fish quickly and humanely.

Best shore marks for mackerel

All UK sea fishing marks

Where to catch mackerel in the UK

We don't have venues confirmed for mackerel yet. Browse all venues.

Where to fish in the UK · Fishing conditions today

Tackle for mackerel

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Mackerel guides

Mackerel fishing questions

When and where can I catch mackerel from the shore?

From around May to October, with the peak usually in mid to late summer. Fish from piers, harbour walls, breakwaters and rocks with deep water close in. Early morning and evening, especially on a rising tide, tend to be best. Watch for diving gulls and fizzing baitfish, as they often show where the shoals are.

Can you eat mackerel?

Yes, mackerel are excellent eating and full of healthy oils. They spoil quickly, though, so dispatch and gut them promptly, keep them cool in a bag or cool box, and eat them the same day or freeze them. Only keep what you will actually eat or use for bait, and check the size and bag rules for your area below.

How do I tell a mackerel from a scad?

Mackerel have dark wavy stripes on a blue-green back, smooth skin and small finlets near the tail. Scad, or horse mackerel, look plainer and greyer and have a row of hard, bony scales along the lateral line that you can feel when you run a finger towards the tail. Scad also have noticeably larger eyes.