Mackerel Fishing Boat Trip With a Dog in Looe, Cornwall

A fun activity to do in Looe is to enjoy a mackerel fishing trip on a boat from the harbour. Ever since I was young, I’ve periodically taken part in mackerel and sea fishing while on holiday in Devon & Cornwall. I have also been out on a few longer sea and shark fishing trips with friends. The most memorable being from Ilfracombe in North Devon.

Dog Mackerel Fishing

Anyway, after seeing signs up on the harbourside in Looe for mackerel fishing trips. I decided the dog needed his first sea fishing trip while in Cornwall. He had been in boats before and was well-travelled, so knew he would be fine if the skipper was OK with a dog on board.

Booking a Sea Fishing Trip in Looe, Cornwall

To book the trip, we got a number off an advertising board on Looe harbourside. I opted for the Emma Louise boat because they were the first to answer the telephone. The Emma Louise boat advertised 2-hour trips with Dave, with all tackle included at a time that suited me.

Emma Louise Sign

Booking was painless. We selected time and date from the slots available and left our name. That was it, all booked. They instructed us to meet next to the sign just before departure time. The price for the trip was £20 per person and dogs travel for free. This was payable on the boat.

Typically, in most towns and villages in Cornwall, there are similar boards to book sea fishing trips on the day, depending on tide times and weather.

Emma Louise Boat

The boat is a small fishing boat with no covered area but was sturdy on this calm day. Rods and tackle were prepared, ready to fish straight away.

Emma Louise Fishing Looe

Dave was a friendly chap who had some good banter and was good at giving instruction to participants. Also, for help to unhook fish for those that couldn’t/wouldn’t.

The Boat Trip out to Sea

Looe From The Sea

The area we fished involved leaving Looe harbour and past the beach, then heading out to sea for 10-15 minutes. This was a stunning trip and got some great photos of the seaside town from the boat. The views from the sea were worth the entrance free.

Coastal Views

Mackerel Fishing on The Cornwall Coast

Once in the right area for mackerel, they turned the engines off and rods issued to all aboard with some basic instructions on depths to fish at. The technique is to pick a depth to lower the line too, then raise and drip the rod until you feel a bite. The hooks and lures mimic small fish that mackerel and sardines will devour, so the movement of the rod encourages fish to bite.

When you feel some extra movement or weight on the line, it was time to reel the fish in patiently. Mackerel is not the biggest species, so relatively easy to bring in with some patient reeling. It didn’t take long for members of the party to catch fish, sometimes three at once. We unhooked these and added to the bucket to share out at the end of the trip.

Bucket of Fish

After an enjoyable 1.5 hours with a rod in hand, I had caught 7 fish, and the trip was over. We turned around and headed back in.

On the return to Looe, we paid the fee and took the fish I wanted to leave with for my supper later that day. This was great fun, and the dog enjoyed the ride and taking in the view. Shockingly, he didn’t even bark at the moving fish as they came into the boat.

Apres Fishing

After the fun on this glorious day, I required a pint or two. So, after buying some ice to keep the fish cool, I headed to a few bars for some refreshing Korev, Cornish lager. Only a few, as I was keen to get back to Tencreek Campsite to get the barbeque on.

One job left was to pop into the delightful Quayside Fresh, a very nice farm shop in the town centre, to pick up accompaniments. I also picked up a bottle of spiced rum to fill up the famous hipflask while in town, a perfect accompaniment to fish.

Apres Fishing

Cleaning Mackerel & Other Fish

Before cooking the fish, they needed gutting and cleaning. For this, my new pocket knife came in handy. Slicing from the waste hole to the gills in one action exposed all the parts to remove before cooking. Then I rinsed the fish and bagged up, ready to take back to the barbeque.

Cooking Mackerel

Campsite Cooking

It is quite a primal feeling to cook something you have caught, harvested, or grown. I was so looking forward to cooking this catch. Ideas had been crossing my mind since unhooking the first mackerel to make the best meal out of it.

Soup Pan

The first dish involved removing the heads and tails from some fish. Then cooking a “pan” of soup for the starter. This included potatoes, carrots, onions and fresh dill. To finish, I added some Aspall Cider vinegar to give it the sour flavour of Romanian soups. This turned out well, and I enjoyed as a starter. This soup was on a par with the soups I had tried in the Danube Delta.

Fish Head Soup

For mains, I stuffed the fish with a blend of flavours, including crushed garlic, salt, pepper, chorizo and fennel root with a garnish of dill. I wrapped the stuffed fish in foil to cook gently for 15-20 mins, then devoured with salad.

Mackerel Feast

In the past, I have cooked them many times wrapped in soaking wet newspaper in the open flame of a campfire. This gives them more of a smoked flavour and is a straightforward way to cook them without a BBQ.

Dog Food From The Sea

Mackerel was in abundance, so I cooked a few without seasoning. When cooked, I stripped the meat off and checked for bones in the final dog food. This dish got the seal of approval, and the dog wolfed it down as usual.

Fresh Dog Food

Cornwall Mackerel Fishing Trip Review

Mackerel fishing was a fun day from start to finish and recommend to anyone who can or hasn’t fished before. The views from the boat are great, even if you don’t want to join in. The fresh fish to cook with after is a real treat too.

My only regret was not seeing the dolphins that sometimes come to say hello to the boats near Looe. Then again, the dog might have jumped in to play if they had appeared.

7 thoughts on “Mackerel Fishing Boat Trip With a Dog in Looe, Cornwall”

  1. I have never ever been fishing. You seem to be a master. I’m guting and preparing them too. That chorizo stuffed mackerel sounds so good. You may just have tempted me to lose my fishginity.

  2. This looks like such a fun day out and your photos are gorgeous. I’ve been on a few fishing trips on my travels and always have a great time – even if I am a bit squeamish about the unhooking!

  3. Looks like a fun trip and well done on catching a whole seven fish, RJ! Nice to have a long tradition of going out on sea to fish. That reef fishing trip from the past sounds exciting too.
    Pleased to see that you’re not being negligeable on the apres fish as so many others are these days.
    Wrapping the fish in wet newspaper is a technique I’ve not come across yet, but is something I might try. How cool the dog is a great eater and not too fussy.

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