Mackerel baits

Before you think that I've gone daft in the head yes I do know that it's the shooting section, so read on.
I was fishing last Saturday and aside from cod, ling and pouting I caught a couple of mackerel, I saved them to use as bait for ling on the following day but the weather scupperd that plan and so I was left with two nice sized fish that hadn't been gutted and so were not fit to eat.
So last night I decided to use them for bait, this time to tempt a fox. I knew where I was heading and set up on top of an old concrete building about 5 foot high, nicely grass covered so it wasn't cold. The field that I was on was stubble and I placed the two fish 90 yards away from me in a dip, this was perfect as there are houses about and so I could ensure a good safe back stop by tempting foxy into a pre ordained section of the field.
I arrived just as dusk was taking hold and as the light faded into darkness I started to scan the field with the night vision, half an hour passed and I caught a glimpse of something moving along the opposit hedge line some 350 yards away, I watched it move along its length and then it turned and melted back into the trees, I'm sure that it was a fox but with houses behind it and their lights interfering with the nv I wasn't sure, also the mackerel were down wind so it was not going to get the scent. Another 30 minutes passed and then from my left I saw the unmistakeable silhouette of a fox, he was on the scent and I quickly fixed the nv onto the scope, looked to where I'd left my bait and he was there, I saw him sniff at them, walk around them and then as he bowed his head to pick one up I let the Howa do the rest, the report came back as I saw him drop on the spot, a perfect heart shot. He was a cracking dog fox, one of the biggest that I've ever shot, massive body bulk.
Photos
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Nice read mate.

he looks in good nic, ready for the mating season. They really seam to bulk up with us at this time of year.

Bit to far from the cost to get fresh mackerel


Jonathon
 
i was a commercial fisherman for many years and often use fish so nyou aint mad if you are that makes two of us i got an old liquidizer in my huntig shed
i often use it to mix up a fishy liquid to lay scent trails to a bait station and have had much sucess over the years any of the oily fish works well and
charlie likes fish
 
Not only for Charlie, when keepering used to use fish oil on traps in the summer months when bait became maggot infested to quickly, worked well on stoats and weasels , just oiled the trap plate with it.
 
Before you think that I've gone daft in the head yes I do know that it's the shooting section, so read on.
I was fishing last Saturday and aside from cod, ling and pouting I caught a couple of mackerel, I saved them to use as bait for ling on the following day but the weather scupperd that plan and so I was left with two nice sized fish that hadn't been gutted and so were not fit to eat.
So last night I decided to use them for bait, this time to tempt a fox. I knew where I was heading and set up on top of an old concrete building about 5 foot high, nicely grass covered so it wasn't cold. The field that I was on was stubble and I placed the two fish 90 yards away from me in a dip, this was perfect as there are houses about and so I could ensure a good safe back stop by tempting foxy into a pre ordained section of the field.
I arrived just as dusk was taking hold and as the light faded into darkness I started to scan the field with the night vision, half an hour passed and I caught a glimpse of something moving along the opposit hedge line some 350 yards away, I watched it move along its length and then it turned and melted back into the trees, I'm sure that it was a fox but with houses behind it and their lights interfering with the nv I wasn't sure, also the mackerel were down wind so it was not going to get the scent. Another 30 minutes passed and then from my left I saw the unmistakeable silhouette of a fox, he was on the scent and I quickly fixed the nv onto the scope, looked to where I'd left my bait and he was there, I saw him sniff at them, walk around them and then as he bowed his head to pick one up I let the Howa do the rest, the report came back as I saw him drop on the spot, a perfect heart shot. He was a cracking dog fox, one of the biggest that I've ever shot, massive body bulk.
Photos

Those mackerel still look fresher than what you see in tescos!! Good effort on the foxes! I was told a similar trick by tartinjock using sardines.. not worked as yet though.

Hows the fishing been?
 
Fishing has been poor mate to be honest, as to being fresher than Tesco's, well yes they do, all the other supermarkets too!
 
Yeah it makes me sad when you look at the quality of fish in supermarkets, i suppose its easy to get picky when you have had super fresh fish.. Hows the stalking going?

Ive been using the lowlander jacket recently.. cant fault it!
 
Stalking has been slow too, seeing enough does but no bucks, off to Sweden soon so hopefully get into the fallow and pigs. Cur big smile on face!
the Lowlander jackets are good aren't they, some other garments on there way too apparently!
 
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