[StriperHyper]

I'm with ya Surg, not that I use mackerel a lot but when I do I use a larger, wide-gap circle hook and do pretty well. I go in through the back and push the hook out, turn the point 45 degrees inward and barely stick the point back in the chunk. This creates a cross brace almost on the mackerel and allows me to cast it a little better without fear of flinging it. I usually get a good hook-set on the fish with the barb barely turned back into my bait as well but like I said, I'm a worm guy as you know.

I was down the river below the dam the other night trying to drift worms in the current (to no avail) and there was a lot of bait around. Couldn't see if they were macks or alewives but whatever they were, they kept ripping me off. I was targeting stripers but attempted to pull up some live bait to live line, also to no avail.

tomlbby, don't always mistake those little taps for small fish. I agree that the majority of the time they are juvies/small slot fish but as I told my buddy last night, sometimes they produce quality bass. It was as if they heard me as my rod tap-tapped the slightest bit a half hour later, set the hook and landed this nice 35" slob that had to go 17-18 lbs if not heavier.....picture just doesn't do it justice. Good luck man, keep putting that time in and you too will be rewarded. I spent my whole vacation weeding through mid teen to mid 20 inch fish, finally got rewarded last night.