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The lighter the line used to make a set of mackerel gear, the better the set will fish.
However, lighter sets are not as robust and so will not handle fish stripping equipment or continued heavy fishing for very long.

It is therefore a compromise between fishing effectiveness and durability.

For handlining or hand wind gurdies, 60lb on 80lb sets are fine. 
So long as care is taken when manually shaking the fish from the hooks, our sets will regularly out-fish and out-last other gear.
Customers tell us they regularly catch over 120 stone of mackerel on a single (60lb on 80lb) set before losing any hooks.

Winding the fish through stripping equipment can put the set under a lot of strain, so to ensure an effective working life of the set we recommend the 80lb on 100lb as a minimum.

For hydraulic gurdies and jigging machines we recommend the 100lb on 150lb sets as a minimum to cope with the stresses and strains placed on the gear by the powered motors.

When fishing is light, when fish are thinly spread, particularly in the summer months, the lightest gear will always fish the best.
The fish at this time are often worth more money as there are fewer being caught and landed.
At these times it can prove effective to use multiple light sets rather than a single heavy set, because of the increased fishing effectiveness of the lighter gear.
At these times especially, each sets soon pays for itself and will continue to catch well.
When you think about the cost of our sets in relation to the local market price, the first fish that each hook catches will pay for it.
You are in profit thereon after.

When the fishing is heavy, then in all honesty, little finesse is required.
What is needed is a set that will last, so heavy monofilament sets are most catch effective.
We can custom make heavier gear to your requirements via special order. Please get in touch with details.

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It is not always the case that more is best.
When handlining, it comes down to skill and personal preference. A less experienced man fishing with a set (60lb on 80lb) of 20 hooks would spend more time untangling the line than actually fishing, so would actually catch more with a set of 10 hooks.

When fishing in shallow water, long mackerel sets are not ideal as the top hooks might only just (or not even!) reach the water, so will never fish effectively.

If the fish are feeding right down on the bottom, then you will only ever catch them on the bottom half of the set, again, the top hooks rarely fish effectively.

In all the above situations it can prove more cost effective to use shorter sets of gear

For fishermen using the traditional gurdy, outrigger and fish stripper set up (see Deck Equip page), the length of mackerel set chosen is dictated by the beam of the boat where the equipment is installed, and the length of the outrigger being used.

If the beam (B) is doubled and the length of the outrigger (L) is added, the maximum length of the mackerel set which can be used (M) can be simply calculated as follows : -

                                                                                            M = Bx2+L

All of our standard mackerel sets are tied with the hooks spaced 27cm apart, so a 10 hook set is 270cm or 2.7m from top hook to bottom hook.

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Our mackerel sets are good, but they do not last forever.
The life of the set will largely depend upon how heavy the fishing is, and the amount of stresses and strains it is placed under.
While handline fishermen report catching 120+ stone of mackerel on a single set of gear over a few days, a heavier set may catch the same weight in a few hours fishing.

Working the hooks repeatedly through fish stripping bars will, over time, wear the hooks out.
Close examination reveals the tips of the hooks are bent over, which dramatically reduces the efficiency of the set.
This can occur even when no fish are being caught. 
Regular checks on the gear should be made and the set should be replaced when it occurs.

 The life of the set can be dramatically increased by taking care when shaking fish or winding fish through stripping equipment.

The Duratin coated hooks will last for a long time prior to use without rusting.

We ask all our customers to act responsibly when disposing of worn out mackerel sets.
Please do not dump them at sea, and do wrap them well if disposing of in a bin ashore.

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When line fishing for mackerel, it is important to choose the right weight - one which is heavy enough to keep the line tight, and prevent the fish swimming up and tangling the line.
When manually working the line, a heavy weight soon becomes tiring so a balance needs to be met.

The size of weight is dictated by the number of hooks being fished, depth of water, and to some extent, the size of the fish being caught.

We recommend a minimum weight of 1lb for handlining, up to 10lb for ultra heavy jigging machine set ups with many more hooks.

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