# Mackerel Fishing in NJ Update 1/20/2011



## Sturgeon (Dec 2, 2008)

Got on board the Miss Belmar Princess with ~20 other eager anglers. Weather was fantastic for January or was it the calm before the storm? First drop, 5 tiny herring and mackerels. At least it wasn't a skunk, right? My hopes were high for the rest of the day.

We made several stops. Some spots definitely produced more than others. No one was able to fill their coolers, but no one went home empty handed either.

My friend got sea sick from the get go and ended up in the cabin the entire time. Well, not before catching 1 mackerel. Man...I felt so bad for him.

I ended up releasing 6 sharks, kept ~50 mackerels and 1 herring. This was my first time targeting mackerels and it was a lot of work.

Some people took the sharks home. I'm curious...are they decent table fare?

Tight lines!
Alan


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## Lickinfrogs (Mar 12, 2006)

I've heard they are delicious, but I've never tried them. I was told, growing up, that they urinated through their skin, and weren't any good. That kind of stuck with me, and I've been a little gunshy about trying them. They use them for fish and chips over in England. I think they were overfished there, and that's why they ended up on the endangered species list a few years back. I've also seen skate on the menus of a few pretty upscale restaurants in Philly. That's supposed to be delicious too. There is a website devoted to how to cook and clean "garbage fish"


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## kingfisher55 (May 5, 2010)

if you gut them soon as you catch them they are really good to eat, i skin mine like a catfish pill back the skin and cut the back bone out and you will have to fillets with no bones. i cut mine into nuggets and fry them up best fish you will eat,


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

kingfisher55 said:


> if you gut them soon as you catch them they are really good to eat, i skin mine like a catfish pill back the skin and cut the back bone out and you will have to fillets with no bones. i cut mine into nuggets and fry them up best fish you will eat,


Yep.


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## cducer (May 7, 2010)

like any fish, some are better than others. In Japan shark fin soup is a prized delicasy.... japanese viagra !! from what I have heard... never tried it

I have eaten "doggies" cooked like kingfisher55 says...


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## smacks fanatic (Oct 16, 2010)

mackerel are there?!?!? if they are not king/spanish macks, what kind are they?


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## Lickinfrogs (Mar 12, 2006)

atlantic macks


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

Lickinfrogs said:


> atlantic macks


Yep


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## Sturgeon (Dec 2, 2008)

Wow...they're delicious too!!!! I was really surprised.


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