[Andy Finlay]

Quick but probably long question, I'm off to the Inchnadamph Hotel on the banks of Assynt for a few days at the end of the month for some brownie fishing. Now, we tend to stop fishing quite early in the evening (5pm) and was wondering, if I fancied nipping out for a few hours to give fly fishing from the rocks around lochinver a try, where would be best to go and what to use. I'm OK for rod etc but I could use some advice on where to go and what to stick on the end. Oh floating line or something else?

[Ben Dixon]

Hi Andy,

Anywhere around the coast where you have deep (20'+) water and kelp will produce pollock at the right point of the tide.  As a general guide, 2 hours before to 2 hours after high tide works best but this does vary by mark.  Fastest sinking line you can find for pollock, clousers, deceivers and other similar patterns will all work in sizes 6 - 2/0 with a stripped retrieve.  Keep stripping when you feel a take then lift into the fish, best with a 9wt rod in case you get into something big.  You'll get sea trout off the coast around Lochinver too, these tend to hang around in bays near river and stream estuaries and are best fished for with small bass patterns in my experience, take an intermediate and medium sink line and you shouldn't go far wrong.

Cheers

Ben

[Stuart Smith]

Hi the trout fishing should be good at the end if the month.what lochs r u going to be fishing?as for the sea fishing it's a bit early for pollock but u never know.good marks r the breakwater at lochinver harbour and achmelvich camp site.use a very fast sink line with big flies.clousers and sand eel patterns work.mite be some sea trout poking around.try to get the tide comming in mid to high

Stuart

[Andy Finlay]

Cheers for the reply, best I have is a 7wt but will give it a try, had to google clouser but see what they are now.

As for Lochs, plan is Ailsh, Veyatie and Fionn.

[Rob Brownfield]

If you do not have any saltwater lines, get onto Tacklebargins. They often have discound cold saltwater lines at a very good price. The Airflo cold saltwater striper line is bang on for Pollock (Di7 or Di5)..and being discounted means that when a Pollock takes your new line across a barnicle strewn outcrop, you do not cry so much

http://www.tacklebargains.co.uk/acatalog/Cold_Saltwater_Fly_Lines.html

The 40+ cold saltwater is great too, but you may struggle to get a 7 weight version.

I found last year that the Pollock were tuned into clousers with either a white belly and a red or brown back or with an orange belly and brown back. I am guessing they were taking them for small pollock maybe?

On the shallower marks near sand, then a white belly and green back worked...Sandeel maybe?