mackerel fishing questions for a newbie

[perch]

Hello guys and gals im planning a trip out in june to take my family on vacation. While we are there I would like to take my son either surf fishing or fishing off a pier around the anaheim area. I was wondering about fishing for mackerel they look like fun and possibly some fast fishing?

Can anyone help me out with some places to try and what kinds of tackle i should bring to catch some mackerel or barred surf perch or any other fish kinds of fish? we arent picky we just want to hopefully get into some fish catchem take a few quick pictures and let em go. any help would be great here or a private message if you dont want to post here. This will be my second time to ever salt water fish and would like to just try to find a few fish thank you and good luck fishing perch

[perch]

i sure hope i can get into some fish when i get there in june if there are any other fish that you think i should try to fish for please let me know thanks perch

[5150fishn]

Perch,
Mackerel fishing is usually either off the hook good or dead! I know you saw my report from a couple of weeks ago when we slayed a bunch of macks. But the following weekend I went back out and they were gone! I mean completely gone. You just never know. Try and figure out when you will have time during your trip to fish and then decide if you are going to surf fish or pier fish. They both have different strategies and you want to be the best prepared you can be for a successful outing.
I fish both pier and surf but I spend a lot of nights relaxing on the piers. Like I said before you don't need a fishing license on the pier but you do once you step on the sand. If you decide to hit the pier I will do my best to give you the best current info to help you out. If surf fishing is your choice then others like SWAT members and some other regular surf posters will be more qualified to help you out to up your odds.
As far as Mack's go, it doesn't get much simpler for them. A simple sabiki rig or small single hook tipped with squid will do the job IF they are around. Bring some larger hooks for some squid or chovies and you could get into some rays or sharks. Fish the Surfline with some camo sand worms for perch or croakers.
Best bet, make a plan then let us know so that the best suited anglers can point you in the right direction.

[smokehound]

Krocodile spoons are super fun for mackerel, because they're ridiculously aggressive and stupid. If you're lucky, you'll catch a few bonito (similar to tuna, they can get quite large). You dont have to use a tiny hook, the largest sized sabiki rigs are actually the best for mackerel, because you can toss huge chunks on.

Drop-shot can be extremely effective on piers, because it's well suited to fishing this way.. You can cast UNDER the pier this way, and get some fat calicos sometimes. Risky, and sometimes if you're not careful, you'll get wound up on a piling, or snagged, but if you do it right, you have a shot at a legal halibut, or again, a calico. Of course, you'll get plenty of macks this way too. Mackerel are stupid, they will hit anything.

[perch]

hey thanks alot guys I will keep doing some research and try to decide if im going to try the pier or surf fishing and let you guys know for sure. I did see your post 5150fishin on the mackerel and that looks fun and fast fishing like you said when they are around and thank you for the info.

Smokehound thank you for the info to. I have been using Krocodile lures for nearly 30 years and they have caught a ton of fish for me but i have never tried them in the ocean. I have alot of different colors. most of them are 1/4oz to 3/8oz i also have a few that are 1/2 5/8 3/4 and 1ounce to. I have a ton of plastics to that i would love to try to catch some fish on. thanks guys its much appreciated and if i can help you guys out some how please let me know im about 850- 900 miles from the ocean but i have caught alot of freshwater species of fish everything from panfish/ crappie bluegills perch etc. to small and largemouth bass to almost every kind of trout you can think of. the one lake above my house is nearly ice free now. we were ice fishing it up until easter sunday.
heres a few pictures of some decent fish i have caught since last november in the boat to ice fishing back to open water
rainbow trout
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh148/trfishin/cid_2014-02-18_09_13_zps174d49bf.jpg (http://s255.photobucket.com/user/trfishin/media/cid_2014-02-18_09_13_zps174d49bf.jpg.html)

largemouth bass ice fishing
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh148/trfishin/IMG_1102_zps1e958ee3.jpg (http://s255.photobucket.com/user/trfishin/media/IMG_1102_zps1e958ee3.jpg.html)

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh148/trfishin/IMG_0859_zps7db72b19.jpg (http://s255.photobucket.com/user/trfishin/media/IMG_0859_zps7db72b19.jpg.html)

nice smallmouth week before last
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh148/trfishin/IMG_2071_zps2ca66e63.jpg (http://s255.photobucket.com/user/trfishin/media/IMG_2071_zps2ca66e63.jpg.html)
burbot / freshwater ling cod
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh148/trfishin/IMG_1364_zps62e3489a.jpg (http://s255.photobucket.com/user/trfishin/media/IMG_1364_zps62e3489a.jpg.html)
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh148/trfishin/IMG_1342_zpse926d06f.jpg (http://s255.photobucket.com/user/trfishin/media/IMG_1342_zpse926d06f.jpg.html)
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh148/trfishin/IMG_1356_zps9470ac95.jpg (http://s255.photobucket.com/user/trfishin/media/IMG_1356_zps9470ac95.jpg.html)

like i say i have caught alot of different species of fish but only a few halibut on a guided fishing trip i was able to go on in alaska with my wifes grandparents back in 1995. Now after seeing all the cool fish you guys catch in the saltwater and me seeing guys surf fishing the summer before last when we visited california for a trip to disneyland and a couple quick trips to the beach that trip and seeing guys surf fishing its really been making me want to drive all the way back out there do some more site seeing and get at least one day in doing some saltwater fishing.:Thumbs Up:

[smokehound]

Dude you'll love newport harbor. You can toss those ball jigheads and white grubs and you'll slay halis and baybass with em.

sounds like you're more than prepared already!

the same kastmasters you use for trout will murder the surfperch and croakers too. You'll actually nail the bigger yellowfin croaker with kastmasters.

[perch]

Hey thanks for the info smokehound I cant wait to get out there and give it a try. i have been making up some extra plastics and getting all my gear ready for hopefully a great trip

i use krocodile lures alot and have a couple castmasters. But what size would you recommend and colors of lures if plastics are producing? i have alot of 1/4 and 3/8oz with some bigger sizes to. thanks and good luck fishing

[smokehound]

It depends.. in the ocean, you've always got a chance at a big fish.

If the bonito are running around the pier, you can use BIG krocodiles and kastmasters, and you'll nail the bigger 5-10 lb'ers. A few short sub-legal cudas, and maybe even the occasional giant 20" mackerel.

Large lures= large fish.. If you wanna toss lures though, i strongly suggest the surf or harbors instead. The harbor is excellent for jigheads, or even T-rigging largemouth style.

With 3"+ grubs, and even the larger plastics like 4" brush-hogs, you can get into some monster baybass. And yes, halis DO slam brush-hogs! Here's a solid chunker spottie i caught a while back on a 4.5" brush-hog knockoff while fishing with "Vanillagurilla" at NPH a while back: I just T-rigged and chucked it right into a thick clump of kelp. It was sitting in water less than 1" deep, under a dock, and bolted out, slamming it hard.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/smokehound/IMG_20120507_070405.jpg

Sorry i dont mean to hijack, just saying you'd probably love the surf or harbors alot more! Go at a good low tide, and you can access literally miles of shoreline. If you toss the small perch grubs in the harbor, you'll catch a wide variety of fish, some of the monster black surfperch will slam them!

[Fishbones]

don't worry buddy, when you get out here i'll make sure to get you hooked up... and in some shorts..lol

[perch]

Hey smokehound thanks for the info i appreciate all the help i can get and love seeing all those cool fish you guys catch nice spottie

Alex i can't wait to get out there and go fishing but i can tell you one thing this redneck is WHITE The last time and well the first time I have ever been in shorts was in california the summer before last. On the beach people were running away and some were blinded by all that white:OMG!: You know you stick out like a sore thumb when people are looking and pointing at you and saying dam look at that fat white redneck you can tell he's not from around here
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh148/trfishin/2012-08-13_164804_zps9aae85cd.jpg (http://s255.photobucket.com/user/trfishin/media/2012-08-13_164804_zps9aae85cd.jpg.html)

Yup im nothing to look at for sure especially in shorts but I can fish
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh148/trfishin/bass/Image042-1.jpg (http://s255.photobucket.com/user/trfishin/media/bass/Image042-1.jpg.html)