Mackerels in Kattegat
Each year a number of mackerel are caught in the waters off Randers Fjord and Djursland. The large majority are caught in nets but many more mackerel could be caught on rod and reel if anglers targeted these fisk more specifically.
Fishing for mackerel peaks in August where most mackerels have reached Danish waters. Usually they hang out in deeper waters where they can be reached exclusively by boat. Only rarely do they get close enough to be caught from the shoreline.
Very often these mackerels feed in deep water where you need at least a Dipsy Diver to bring your lure down. If you have access to a downrigger so much the better. Then you will have no problems getting down deep where the fish lurk – even using light tackle fit for this the strongest of all fighters in Danish waters!
Autumn seatrout on the move
In August large numbers of sea trout start migrating towards the rivers where they are to spawn later in the year. This migration primarily takes place on dark nights but even overcast days may see some fish migrating. The worse the weather the better the fishing!
During the latter half of August water temperatures peak along the coast. This may sound good if you are a tourist wanting to swim in the ocean. But if you have to live all your life under water, this is bad news indeed. Unless of course you are a bluegreen algae and thus thrive in warm water!
With increasing temperatures the oxygen content of the water decreases. This is critical to many fish species that are forced to move towards areas with strong currents bringing in cold water rich in oxygen. Thus fish migrate from protected shallow bays towards the deeper open ocean.
Fishermen should follow this migration, focusing specifically on dark overcast and windy days where fish are most active. Djursland offers good numbers of suitable spots for productive shoreline fishing in August. Look for points protruding into the open ocean and try to catch a high tide that brings in colder water. This will greatly increase your chances of succes.
Perch on the porch
The light nights are definitely over but decreasing day lengths make the eels embark upon their long and dangerous spawning migration back to their ocean of birth, the Sea of Sargasso.
August is also a time where hungry perch are having a ball chasing this year’s fish fry that have ventured outside the protective cover of the water vegetation. Here they have been hiding all day and summer in the shelter of the long weed stems.
But when darkness arrives they venture outside this cover to feed in open, unprotected water, and here many a fry ends its short life in the huge mouth of a hungry perch…
East Jutland has many good perch lakes to offer both local and visiting fishermen. Most of them are located in the Danish Lake District around Silkeborg where almost all lakes hold good populations of tasty perch, some weighing in at over two pounds!
Hot rivers on wait
Decreasing day lengths also put mature sea trout on the move towards their rivers of birth – quite opposite the eels that now migrate from their freshwater feeding grounds to their saltwater spawning sites.
August is the warmest month of the year and this can be felt both over and under water. On hot and calm August days the rivers show very few signs of life. It seems as if they are surviving more than actually being alive. But when darkness arrives, fish show up in many places. They roll or even jump showing fishermen on the banks that they are indeed there – ready to be caught.
But you have to stay awake during the night to catch fish in the heat of August – unless of course August comes up with wet, cold and windy days. Conditions that lure fresh salmon and seatrout into the rivers. August weather like that is much awaited along the banks of the mighty River Guden!
© 2023 Steen Ulnits
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