Black Sea Fishing Русский

Horse mackerel

The Black Sea horse mackerel is a schooling fish that brings anglers to the coast every autumn. It is easy to catch, and a bucketful in an evening is quite realistic.

Latin name
Trachurus mediterraneus ponticus
Size
usually 12–20 cm, large ones up to 25–30 cm
Habitat
open water, from the surface down to 30–50 m
Best season
August — October
Main rig
sabiki (multi-hook feather rig)

Appearance

A slender silver body with a greenish-blue back. The key feature is a row of hard bony scutes along the lateral line that you can feel with a finger. The tail is deeply forked; the fish is fast and strong for its size.

Where to look

Horse mackerel roam in schools following small fish and plankton. In summer and autumn they come close to shore, especially in the morning and evening. Good spots are pier heads and breakwater ends, bay entrances and jetties with night lights: the light gathers fry, and the mackerel follow. From a boat, schools are found at 10–30 m using sonar, diving gulls and other anglers as guides.

When they bite

The best bite is at dawn and in the last two or three hours before dark. On overcast days they may feed all day. After a big storm the water is murky and the fish move off — wait a day or two. The first fish arrive in June, the peak is from late August to October, and in a warm autumn fishing continues into November.

How to catch them

Sabiki rig

The classic Black Sea method: a string of 5–10 small hooks on short droppers dressed with feathers, coloured tubing or tinsel, with a sinker at the end. Lower it to the right depth and jig it rhythmically — the fish take the flashing hooks for fry. Several fish on one lift is common.

Float rod

From a jetty you can also use a float with a small piece of shrimp, fish or squid. Start at 1.5–2 m and go deeper if there are no bites.

Light spinning

A light spinning rod with small lures (micro jigs, 5–10 g spoons) is great fun, especially when a school is chasing fry near the surface.

Tips