Where They Live. Spanish mackerel is found off the Atlantic coast of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Distribution. The mackerel is found in the north east Atlantic from Norway to Morocco and the Canaries, and in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. In the north west Atlantic it occurs from Labrador to North Carolina.

Mackerel has been part of this rich seafaring history. It has even appeared in archaeological excavations at Kaupang near Larvik, suggesting that Vikings also enjoyed the delicious taste of Norwegian mackerel! Priest Peder Claussøn Friis (1500s) references mackerel in his book “Norges beskrivelse”.

Mackerel are migratory and come to the UK in spring and early summer, when they will feed actively and then migrate to warmer seas in the autumn months to spawn, during which time they will feed little.

Mackerel is an important food fish that is consumed worldwide. As an oily fish, it is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. The flesh of mackerel spoils quickly, especially in the tropics, and can cause scombroid food poisoning.

We found that mackerel caught on barbless hooks and never handled, just dropped into keep tanks or nets, survived quite well if allowed to swim freely, but holding a mackerel caused enough damage to eventually kill it, sometimes two days later.

Unlike most other fish, Mackerel have a very sensitive skin membrane which degrades as soon as it’s been touched. Even a little stroke will result in a slow painful death (about 30 hours later on average).

Mackerel are seasonal fish and usually arrive in our waters around late spring and leave early autumn… BUT… For the last two years, the mackerel have been arriving late September and staying through to January/February.

May-June is the best time to catch mackerel, although they are caught all summer in numbers and larger specimens are sometimes caught in winter.

This changes between April and May, when the mackerel swim to the central parts of the North Sea to spawn. In the summer months, we’ll also spot spawning mackerel in our fjords. At this time of year, you’re likely to see anglers on the piers (young and old), trying to catch the delicious fish for their supper.

A few species do not generally feed in the dark and they include wrasse, plaice, mullet and mackerel, although there are exceptions. Calm, clear nights are generally more productive than when the sea is rough and coloured because the fish often feed much closer to shore in daylight in such conditions.

Diamon jigs work especially well once you have found a bait ball of herring or mullet. Cast your diamond jig into the bait ball, let it sink, then beginning jigging it. You’ll have a mackerel on in no time!

When to catch Mackerel are definitely a summer fish. The season fluctuates from year to year, but generally speaking when the sea temperature begins to rise towards the end of May, shoals will appear inshore. The season peaks in July, August and September, then tapers off again towards the end of the year.

LED light bulbs do not give off these harmful ultra violet rays and do not emit a significant amount of heat. For this reason, mosquitoes will not generally swarm an LED light as there is nothing present to attract them to that particular light source.

Do LED lights attract silverfish? No. Silverfish have a nocturnal lifestyle and only like dark rooms. They are afraid of the light.

Are spiders attracted to LED lights? Yes. Although spiders do not like light, they are attracted by them because those lamps attract other bugs.