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
Techniques
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.
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.
Tackle
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.
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.
Baits
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.
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.
Note: King Mackerel
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.
