Atlantic Mackerel: season, lures and limits

We picked these fish for Virginia Beach and the Chesapeake Bay mouth, VA, the region closest to Columbus, Ohio, based on the approximate location of your internet connection (IP geolocation, looked up on our own server). It is about 436 miles away; FishOS covers the coast from Maine to Florida and the Gulf of America, and adds regions as they are checked. Pick another region if that is not where you fish.

Fishing region

FishOS has not charted atlantic mackerel in Virginia Beach and the Chesapeake Bay mouth, VA. The regions where it is charted are below.

Season by region

Long Island	JFMAMJJASOND
Maine	JFMAMJJASOND
New Hampshire	JFMAMJJASOND
North Shore MA	JFMAMJJASOND
Cape Cod	JFMAMJJASOND

Where to find them

Winter: party boats out of Brooklyn and the South Shore in 50 to 150 ft. Spring: some years schools pass through the Sound (Mt. Sinai, Old Field) in late May.

Schools in open water; rarely in casting range.

What to look for

Marks on the sounder or birds over small bait; once found, a school can fill a rig.

What to throw

Silver casting spoon (Clarkspoon or Drone style)1/2 to 1 oz, No. 0 to 1 / 2.5 to 3.5 in. Burn it. Fast, steady, just under the surface.

Metal casting jig (diamond, Hopkins or Stingsilver style)1 to 2 oz, 3 to 4 in. Fast steady retrieve for mackerel; let it sink and rip it up for blues; jig near bottom for weakfish.

Leader

Common mistakes

Chasing them on surface plugs (small tins and tube rigs work better)

Landing

Swing them in.

Handling

Multi-hook rigs tangle when several fish are on

Unhook over a bucket; keep hooks clear of hands.

Keep or release

Used as live or chunk bait for striped bass and bluefish, and some anglers smoke them (The Fisherman). Check the New York and federal rules.

Recipes for atlantic mackerel

Typical: unknown. Large: unknown.

Limits

FishOS has not checked the VA limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission before you keep a fish.

Sources

NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NE-141: EFH source document, Atlantic mackerel (1999) (Official source)
The Fisherman: Winter Mackerel Like the Good Ol' Days (Gonzalez, 2019) (Angler knowledge)
The Fisherman: Editor's Log, Boston Macs Are Back! (Broderick, 2024) (Angler knowledge)

All the fish of Virginia Beach

Atlantic Mackerel