Fishing The Fly Scotland

Index => Rivers & Lochs => Topic started by: Hamish Young on 11/10/2016 at 09:01

Title: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 11/10/2016 at 09:01
With the trout season ended and Salmon best left to having a shag, I have turned to my other addiction of late - Pollock fishing with the fly.
I confess I am largely a fair weather fisher when it comes to having a go in the salt, partly this is down to an unwillingness to get unnecessarily wet and cold but also because there's few - if any - finer places to be than on the Scottish coastline when the weather is at its best.

Here's a few pics from this years adventures, not fish heavy as so far this year I've yet to have any big fish but loads up to 2lbs.

A West Coast Pollock, typical stamp of the fish kicking around at present.

(http://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/gallery/16-101016082823.jpeg)

I like small imitative patterns.....  :z13

(http://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/gallery/16-101016082654.jpeg)

Some of the essentials.....

(http://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/gallery/16-101016082203.jpeg)

Waiting on weather.....
(http://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/gallery/16-111016085042.jpeg)

Euan having a last cast.....
(http://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/gallery/16-111016085556.jpeg)

Like I said, there are few more beautiful places............

(http://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/gallery/16-111016085934.jpeg)

H  :z16
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 11/10/2016 at 17:27
Affa good fun I have to say!  :z4
Both spots were lovely but Loch Broom takes the win. About thirty minutes before we left it became really still - the water became mirrored and the stags could be heard roaring on the other side. I also heard wooshes of air from my left and a small pod of dolphins appeared and headed and tailed past me. They joined up with more and looped round for another pass before heading out to sea. Just magical  :z14
Add that to the three figures of fish that we caught and released, including my first three Wrasse, and you have the makings of a great day out. My right arm has just about recovered from chucking a DI7 #9 sink tip for 7 hours :z4
So next year when the salmon fishing is crap you will find me in the salt with a fly rod. You need more salt in your diet, not less!
Epic fun! :z16

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 14/10/2016 at 19:49
Had a couple of messages about these forays after Pollock so to answer some queries:

Pollock are a predator (the large eyes and mouth are a dead giveaway :!) and unlike some of its relations in the Cod family it will live and feed at all depths; so it's highly adaptable. Essentially they will eat pretty much anything but the main diet are other fish, they are effective bottom feeders and I've had one or two regurgitate crabs that they had earlier in the day. The biggest fish tend to be found in deep water - so that usually means out of the range of the shore fly fisher - but if you are blessed with the ability to cast well and have deep water close in and good kelp beds then it might a pound fish or something a whole lot bigger on that next cast. About 7lb is my best on the fly and as is always the way, I've dropped much bigger.

Pollock tend to be non-migratory and stay in broadly the same area all their lives. Although they will travel for feed (who doesn't :? :!) it's the colder months that will see them head for deeper water and more stable conditions, warm settled conditions will see them remain feeding inshore extending the shore fishers season. I'm pretty sure they spawn in December/January but water temperature is likely to be a key element.

For their size Pollock fight really well but when you remember that 99% of the Pollock you hook will dive for kelp beds it's important to get control quickly, so that has a bearing on the gear you should use. It's tempting to fish light, but you absolutely must be prepared to bully the fish out of the weeds so I would not recommend going much below a meaty #7wt. I tend to use either a 9' #9wt and more recently a 9' #12wt - mostly for shits and giggles as that #12wt casts a long, long, long way  :wink Oh yeah, I have had two Pollock head for the open sea and take me into my backing. Thought I'd hooked a submarine on both occasions and to be honest I only landed one of them, although I did get both to the shore and touched the leader - a catch for saltwater fly fishing - one was the 7lber and the other was its big brother  :z10

Fly lines - something that sinks like a brick coated in lead and concrete. Airflo make the most affordable options but the Rio Outbound remains a goodie.

Flies - whatever you like. Clousers etc work well. Experiment :! :!

H :z18
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Liam Stephen on 14/10/2016 at 22:34
Great info there Hamish, cheers!  :z16

I'm looking to get into the saltwater next year.

 :z18
Liam
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Sandy Nelson on 15/10/2016 at 08:57
You And me both :z16

Still have the blank and the bits sitting ready to go, when i get the time. :X2

Sandy
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 15/10/2016 at 10:36
You And me both :z16

Still have the blank and the bits sitting ready to go, when i get the time. :X2

Sandy

Get your finger out, get it built and come play  :z7 :z13

H
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 15/10/2016 at 20:38
OK I am now a salt addict.
I am actively looking for the "right" reel and I have several things being watched on Ebay.
The "right" reel must be heavy enough to balance my sturdy Orvis #9, cheap enough to be scratched on the rocks, have room for a LOT of 30lb dacron backing and have a good enough brake to withstand a big Pollock. Not easy to find!

I am also looking for a salt fly box that can take larger flies but not cost a fortune and be small enough to go in a pocket. Also not easy to find as salty stuff is new and expensive. If you believe the press a £700 rod with a £500 reel is the only thing that can stop a sea fish - utter pollocks!

The flies are fairly easy to tie and your imagination can work better than Google or the established patterns. Dumbell flies are a real pain to cast and if they hit you they really are a pain. Hamish and I both made contact due to wind gusts and both incidents could have been worse so glasses are a must. I find lighter more mobile flies work for me, with bead chain eyes for a wee bit of weight but not enough to make casting a chore. I like smaller lighter flies, Hamish likes BIG weighty flies and we both scored so go with what you feel like.

I use a #9 Airflo DI7 tipped Sniper line with a extra super fast polyleader on it to smooth out the turnover. This tip is currently 10 feet but I am experimenting with 6 foot tips. Nylon needs to be strong but not visible under water. The 30lb stuff that I currently use is like a rope and turnover is not great. Seaguar Ace Hard is on the cards in 15 and 20lb spools, but it is £13 a go! Yikes! The good news is that you only need a metre or so at the  end of the polyleader so a spool should last a while.

Good, long forceps or pliers are also a must as some of these flies go a long way down the throat. Needless to say all the gear must be salt water resistant and when you are done, dump everything in fresh water after hosing it all down. We left our gear overnight in fresh water and there was no corrosion. Wipe down the fly line after it is washed and check for nicks and cuts. Shorelines can be brutal on fly lines.

After all that good clothing is next. Boots that don't slip on wet rocks, waterproofs, thermals and the ability to carry all that so you can remove layers as the day warms up. Ullapool went from 9 degrees to 17 degrees and the jacket, fleece and thermal that I needed in the morning were too much 3 hours later. I have gone with a good rucksack that doesn't interfere with casting. We also needed a lot of water as the salty air and strong sun dried us out.

A shoreline is like a river or loch - you need to find the right features, spot where the fish will feed and get your fly on to the target. The tackle is a bit heavier but the principals are the same.

It is really good fun and makes the fishing season 12 months long!

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Liam Stephen on 16/10/2016 at 00:02
You And me both :z16

Still have the blank and the bits sitting ready to go, when i get the time. :X2

Sandy

Or build it for a friend!  :wink :X2

Liam
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Sandy Nelson on 16/10/2016 at 08:38
Nice try :z16

Euan, I'm wth H on this, i use the bigger  Orvis Encounter IV when I'm in the salty stuff. It works well on the Sea-trout in the estuary as the drag seems to be the same as the rest of the Orris range, but the plastic body takes all sorts of damage. I doubt it could cope with Bonefish or Tuna but Pollack should be just fine, i've had Sea-trout to 5lb on the fly with mine  on the switch, without issue :z16 Plus its sensible money for something that has to deal with Rocks  :z18

Otherwise you might need longer arms  :z4 :z4 :z4

And H, i think this is  definite for one of next years trips, besides a jaunt up your way is Looooooooong overdue  :z14

Sandy
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Sandy Nelson on 16/10/2016 at 08:55
I reckon they might just like the Polar Candies in chartreuse, much easier to cast and sink well :z16

http://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3220.msg26450#msg26450

What do you think?

Sandy
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 16/10/2016 at 09:16
Aye Sandy, they should work nicely.
I am working on a version of a Crazy Charlie and my "prototype"  :wink will probably need some kind of glue. I have never used anything that can be cured with UV but I can see a glue and torch kit being bought soon.
I do use Crystal Flash in blue for a lot of my salt flies as it looks great in the water and it shimmies during the retrieve. Arctic Fox works well as do bucktail tips. Stiff bucktail doesn't do it for me but the tips are ace.
Salt flies are a great thing - you can just go with what makes you happy.  :z4

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: stickleback on 16/10/2016 at 11:19
OK I am now a salt addict.
I am actively looking for the "right" reel and I have several things being watched on Ebay.
The "right" reel must be heavy enough to balance my sturdy Orvis #9, cheap enough to be scratched on the rocks, have room for a LOT of 30lb dacron backing and have a good enough brake to withstand a big Pollock. Not easy to find

 :z1

I've recently bought a Redington Behemoth for salt water fly fishing on my annual holiday to Florida.  I got it because it gets very good reviews about build, drag and capacity etc.  I haven't yet used it but certainly looks the business and think it will pair up nicely with my Lefty Kreh 9'  #8 TiCrX.  The bunch of you have whetted my appetite to try it out more locally - it should be a bit cheaper than going to Florida !
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Steven Sinclair on 16/10/2016 at 15:40
Is anyone fishing marks local to Aberdeenshire or is it mostly westcoast and the Highlands?

Cheers,

Steven
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 16/10/2016 at 15:41
The Behemoth is on my list along with the Airflo Sniper and Xceed. The problem I have is that the Orvis Access is tip heavy when I have my old Ryobi 357 magnesium on it so I need to bring the weight back a bit. That and I do like a bit of bling even if it is going to get dinged up. There is also something cool about a salmon sized reel on a trout sized rod - makes you look like you are after sharks! :z4 :z4 :z4

The Airflo reels are at really cheap prices these days - I could get a new Sniper in a 9/10 for £45!

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Jim Eddie on 16/10/2016 at 16:39
Is anyone fishing marks local to Aberdeenshire or is it mostly westcoast and the Highlands?

Cheers,

Steven

Not that many Steven, one decent one is off the  rocks at the lighthouse at Boddam,  Pollack and chance of a Bass in summer.

 :z18

Jim
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Steven Sinclair on 16/10/2016 at 17:17
Not that many Steven, one decent one is off the  rocks at the lighthouse at Boddam,  Pollack and chance of a Bass in summer.

Cheers Jim,

Was pretty much what I'd figured. I've had success with coalies and mackerel on the flea around stoney but little else. Mind you I haven't put all that much effort into it.

I may have to invest in a decent drysuit and take my kayak out for a blast.

Cheers,

Steven.

 :z18

Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 16/10/2016 at 17:28
Guys,
I found these maps at the Aberdeen Thistle sea anglers site.

http://www.aberdeenthistlesac.com/Pages/FormsandMaps.aspx

I am also investigatingmarks around Montrose. There are a couple of guys at my work that chuck bait into the North Sea so I will pick their brains on Monday.
The West coast is a little bit prettier though... :z4

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 17/10/2016 at 09:01
And H, i think this is  definite for one of next years trips, besides a jaunt up your way is Looooooooong overdue  :z14

Sandy

That it most definitely is  :X2
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 20/10/2016 at 15:18
Is anyone fishing marks local to Aberdeenshire or is it mostly westcoast and the Highlands?

Cheers,

Steven

I have had a word with some local knowledge chap and I have four locations south of Aberdeen. Check them out on Google or Bing maps.(Bing maps Birds eye view is really excellent and can be changed to OS for print outs)

Catterline Bay, North side.
Braiden Bay at Todhead Point lighthouse, just south of Catterline.
Downies below Portlethan, south of the road end, across the heather and down the cliff.
Portlethan Harbour, from the Bothy Mark north to the Deep Mark.There is also a "secret" beach just north of Portlethan with some nice outcrops.

All of the above are fly fishable with care and all of them have good kelp beds. Downies and Portlethan are not usually busy apparently. The other advice I got was to just try everything on all these marks. That and don't go alone just in case one of you goes splash.
I have seen photos and video of all of them and I am a little bit drooly with the prospect of big Pollock. I have started the fly tying already.

Maybe we should have a day out sometime soon. I have a some things to do over the next two or three weekends but I still have some holidays to take before Christmas so a mid week Pollock foray might be in order. Who's up for it?

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Derek Roxborough on 20/10/2016 at 15:46
I have a Masterline Composite reel for Salt water, I have only used it abroad in the US using a 7wt Fisheagle spinfly rod I was using an Airflo 40+ inter, this worked well in the surf , I am hoping to get more done in the west this winter, when I was working as a fisherman we used to catch Pollach full of Roe in March/April, this was important as the roe fetched a premium price, we used to get Coaly that would go 3 to a 8 stone box ,that's all you would get in , easgach 1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 20/10/2016 at 18:34
That sounds ace! :z4
There are some places I have seen that I would love to be offshore and casting back in to the cliffs from a boat so I might have to look in to that next summer for a forum day out  :wink

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Derek Roxborough on 24/10/2016 at 15:00
had wander down to our local rocks, for a cast or two , I ended up with a small pollach on a size 12 Blue Zulu but out from me about 100yds. there  were shoals of fish skittering on the surface, I suspect small herring or sprats, funny though, there were no birds  any where , the pollach I caught was small about 4ins but it could have been that trophy fish  :cool: easgach 1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Mike Thornton on 24/10/2016 at 17:04
In the fishing ports of north east Scotland a Pollock is commonly known as a Lythe.   As a young teenager in the mid nineteen fifties it was common practice to fish for them from the north and south breakwaters at Fraserburgh  harbour.    A couple of Lythe helped to keep the wolf from the door.   Fish and tatties one day, and fish soup the next.
Dense fronds of kelp, known to us as "tangles",  grew along the sea walls.  Fishing was done using a heavy lead weight at the foot of  a gut trace, supporting half a dozen cod hooks tied with feathers .   The line was made from heavy cord which you scrounged from fishermen mending their nets on the pier.  Now comes the rod.   This was a stout bamboo pole which was obtained (scrounged again) from Maitlands furniture shop, who received them at the centre of rolls of flooring carpet.  These bamboo poles were about 12 feet long and this kept your hooks clear of the kelp. You simply worked the pole back and forth as you walked along the pier head, a few steps at a time.
  If a high tide occurred outwith school hours you would be sent to the shore to get a Lythe for the "denner".  Nae time for playin' fitba if there wis a decent tide.
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Steven Sinclair on 24/10/2016 at 22:03
I have had a word with some local knowledge chap and I have four locations south of Aberdeen. Check them out on Google or Bing maps.(Bing maps Birds eye view is really excellent and can be changed to OS for print outs)

Catterline Bay, North side.
Braiden Bay at Todhead Point lighthouse, just south of Catterline.
Downies below Portlethan, south of the road end, across the heather and down the cliff.
Portlethan Harbour, from the Bothy Mark north to the Deep Mark.There is also a "secret" beach just north of Portlethan with some nice outcrops.

All of the above are fly fishable with care and all of them have good kelp beds. Downies and Portlethan are not usually busy apparently. The other advice I got was to just try everything on all these marks. That and don't go alone just in case one of you goes splash.
I have seen photos and video of all of them and I am a little bit drooly with the prospect of big Pollock. I have started the fly tying already.

Maybe we should have a day out sometime soon. I have a some things to do over the next two or three weekends but I still have some holidays to take before Christmas so a mid week Pollock foray might be in order. Who's up for it?

 :z1

Beings as both Dad and I are Stonehaven based it would be rude not to.

I also have a Kayak that could be put to good use.

 :cool:

Steven.
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Steven Sinclair on 25/10/2016 at 22:49
I've decided to try and buck the trend and try both my 6# hot torpedo with a extra fast sinking head and cotton but tubes to keep weight and cost down.

Im also keen to have a play with my switch I'm sure it would launch a shooting head a mile double handed overhead.
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 25/10/2016 at 23:02
Steven,
The HT would be good but the switch might be a bit tricky. I my limited salt experience spey and rolls aren't needed much and big overheads can be better with a short single so there is no real advantage in the switch. What you do need is the ability to lift (haul)a big Pollock from deep inside the kelp up to somewhere that you can play it. Most of the time my Orvis #9 is like bringing a .44 to a smallbore club but every now and again you will need the power. My Airflo DI7 tip Sniper line also needs the oomph to get it out, sometimes with a limited backcast, ten feet above the water.
Hamish uses a #12.....  :z13
If I am teaching my granny to suck eggs forgive me.

 :z1




Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Steven Sinclair on 26/10/2016 at 00:38
Steven,
The HT would be good but the switch might be a bit tricky. I my limited salt experience spey and rolls aren't needed much and big overheads can be better with a short single so there is no real advantage in the switch. What you do need is the ability to lift (haul)a big Pollock from deep inside the kelp up to somewhere that you can play it. Most of the time my Orvis #9 is like bringing a .44 to a smallbore club but every now and again you will need the power. My Airflo DI7 tip Sniper line also needs the oomph to get it out, sometimes with a limited backcast, ten feet above the water.
Hamish uses a #12.....  :z13
If I am teaching my granny to suck eggs forgive me.

 :z1

It's cool 😎 I have a fair idea of what I am up against. I've had salmon. Giant gourami, Asian cat fish to 14kg and giant snakehead to 7.5 on it. I've made it. Personal mission to see just how many species I can land on it.

I've a 9# helios if I need to start doing it properly
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Derek Roxborough on 26/10/2016 at 12:50
OOOer missus! I do all my fishing with a 5wt   :X2  easker1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Marc Fauvet on 26/10/2016 at 13:12
I my limited salt experience spey and rolls aren't needed much and big overheads can be better with a short single so there is no real advantage in the switch.
your 'limited experience in the salt' shines here mate !  :z4 :z4 :z4
double-handers are just longer fly rods with another handle. sure, they're typically viewed as rods made for rolls and Speys but they're just dumb rods that don't know what they're supposed to do....
as such aerial casts with a DHer go much further (longer rod where the caster's force is applied with two hands instead of just one) and with more ease (no false casting, strip in to the back of the head, pick up, one BC and boom !)

all this to explain why DHers in the salt are the norm for striper fishing and a lot of other shoreline salt fishing around the globe. you guys are casting on rocks and they're generally wading but the presentation/distance/flies/targeted fish size requirements are about the same. something to think about  :wink

as an aside, i'm wondering why you guys aren't using stripping baskets ?

cheers,
marc
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 26/10/2016 at 16:09
Quote
no false casting, strip in to the back of the head, pick up, one BC and boom !
Marc, that is exactly what my 9' #9 does  :z12
My Sniper line has a short heavy head and it really flies out. My comments about switch rods are based on where I have fished so far and I really can't see how a #6 or #7 11.5' rod which is designed primarily for rivers is what I need on a rocky shore line with BIG flies. I always thought that a switch rod was meant to overhead and spey with a line designed to do both so when you are on a rocky out crop and can only overhead cast why would an extra 2.5' and a lighter line be a benefit? I really can't agree that overheads with a DH rod go further, but then it is probably 20 years since I tried something that daft.
The other reason that I prefer a #9 is that it handles a big Clouser fairly easily, something that a #6 might not. Also at Rhea Point near Ullapool I was drawing the line right in to the loop with just the Polyleader outside the ring as the Pollock were following right in to where I was standing, and being hooked there too. A DH would be a right pain to get back out from that situation.
Climbing down some of the cliffs I know near Lochinver would probably end in tears to with a long rod.
Hey, if anyone wants to try it go right ahead and I'll be there to cheer you on. I just think it would be a chore on several different levels.

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Derek Roxborough on 26/10/2016 at 19:15
when I was an inshore fisherman I used to catch pollach with a small  fly  made of red game hackles, about a size 4 or 6,I noticed these pollach were feeding on large sea slaters, I was catching for creel bait,and the flies/lures were sort of sea slaterish, I have no need to buy any more rods so I use my 5wt with an Airflo 40+5/6 inter,  I can get a decent line out with it,  to each his own, I have used this over on the west coast of the US fishing from the beach where my son lives, there is a chance of catching steelhead there, I use a size 6 SS hook for my sea flies,  :cool:  easgach 1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 26/10/2016 at 19:49
Thanks for that Easgach.
I have had a couple of ideas ratting around my head for a couple of days for a less flashy fly and you have now added to the thought process.
Did you find that Pollock would come up to the top three feet of water to take a fly? I was always under the impression that I had to get really deep to get the big Pollock.

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Marc Fauvet on 27/10/2016 at 10:41
Marc, that is exactly what my 9' #9 does  :z12
ok, but you're talking about girly 90' casts. i'm talking about 150' or more with less physical effort than the girly 90'er  :wink :z7 :z4

anyhow, i'll continue. not to be telling you or anyone what to do  :z16 but just to get some info out for the group.

"I always thought that a switch rod was meant to overhead and spey with a line designed to do both so when you are on a rocky out crop and can only overhead cast why would an extra 2.5' and a lighter line be a benefit?"
nobody serious (meaning, someone who really knows what they're talking about as opposed to those who play the Telephone Game) ever said that the same line would perform equally well for both both aerial and Speys. they can't, end of story. that's what extra spools and extra lines are for !  :cool:
an experienced caster will get away with just about any line but optimum peformance won't happen with the same line.

"The other reason that I prefer a #9 is that it handles a big Clouser fairly easily, something that a #6 might not."
yup, pretty obvious and couldn't agree more  :z16 a heavier fly will be a LOT easier to cast with a heavier line to pull it. it's just common sense.

since most here will relate to fresh water examples better, a good example of this is Skagit shooting head gear that very easily casts
very big and very heavy flies and super-fast sink tips. they shine at this because that's what they're designed to do.
take that same very big and heavy fly and attach it to a Skandi line and things won't go well at all...

and yes, longer rods will always outdistance shorter rods. when was the last time you saw a 9' beachcaster or carping gear rod ?

cheers,
marc
 
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 27/10/2016 at 11:41
Marc,
Fair points BUT I still don't fancy trying to get a switch rod to lift the 30' head of a DI7 and fire it back out 150', or trying to get a DI7 back out from being retrieved right to the loop, especially a shooting head. This is a pain when you are in a river with the current helping you. With my single hander I can control the line being fed back out to the sweet spot better.

None of these casts are being made from in the water or from the beach. All the water is deep from right in front of me so the DI7 head is going down like a stone, much faster than a 10' tip. It might only be going out 100' but it is getting into the target zone really fast. Skagits are either floating or inter tipped and need a 10' polyleader on them, so only the very last section sinks. The fly might be 150' away from the angler but how long would it take for that fly to get down to where it matters? And while a floating running line gets battered about by surface wave action my inter running line is cutting down in to the deep with a really nice retrieve angle to boot.
I can see how a DH in the surf with a floating or inter line in water less than 10'could be a real help but not really where I fish. By the same reasoning we should all be using them from boat or bank for Rainbows but I have yet to see one at Rutland. :z4 :z7 :z4

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Marc Fauvet on 27/10/2016 at 12:29
like i wrote "not to be telling you or anyone what to do  :z16 but just to get some info out for the group."  :z16
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Derek Roxborough on 27/10/2016 at 16:23
Not Fishing in particularly deep water ( 15ft) so the fish come up , but I fish an intermediate all the time and it sinks enough to get it down to fish, and the slightly heavier hook helps, going to more this winter, I need to work on a long handled net, I used to have a drop net but it went walkabout, easgach 1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 27/10/2016 at 18:01
Thanks Easgach.
Definitely food for thought.  :z16

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 28/10/2016 at 09:51
Interesting stuff Euan and Marc  :z16

As it happens its entirely possible I am in negotiations with someone very local to me about him "donating" an 11'2" Switch rod for experimental purposes in the salt :wink
Whilst I am reasonably content with the casts I can achieve with any of the equipment I currently have for use in the salt, I know I can cast much further than I can currently achieve with a 9' #12wt (around 35 with ease and 40 plus when really thinking about it). As achieving greater distance is highly desirable I know that as I'm pretty much at the comfortable limit of what my current gear can achieve it's time to think about something else, no point in pushing the limit at every cast.

A switch rod is that nice half way house between heavy weight single handers and shorter double handers; it may require some careful thought in line choice but for whacking large gear into the middle distance it should be bang on for what I am telling myself I need......

In an earlier post Marc you asked about stripping baskets.
I do have several of different designs and do use them but - on occasion - they can be more of a hindrance than a help. Increasingly I just leave them in the car, but that probably comes down to the type of foreshore I'm fishing from. Elsewhere they will/do get used.

H  :cool:
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Marc Fauvet on 28/10/2016 at 12:43
it may require some careful thought in line choice

thought you'd get the point, H   :z16
i'd give a  simple shootinng line / Rio T tips or other T material as 'fly line head' replacement / leader combo some serious consideration.   :cool:

as for not using the basket, i gues you like tangles and crushing shooting/running line agaist sharp, nasty rocks in equal amounts...  :z4 :z4 :z4
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Eddie Sinclair on 28/10/2016 at 15:09
Euan,

after much sweariness and searching I have now found all of my saltwater fly fishing stuff including flies. Is this pollack thing justb for summertime or do they hang around the shore all year round?

If they are still catchable do you fancy looking around locally sometime to see if there are any decent marks?

Eddie. :z18
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 28/10/2016 at 15:26
Is this pollack thing just for summertime or do they hang around the shore all year round?

Eddie - My reply on page 1 of the thread might be of some help here. H
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 28/10/2016 at 15:35
thought you'd get the point, H   :z16

 :z16

i'd give a  simple shootinng line / Rio T tips or other T material as 'fly line head' replacement / leader combo some serious consideration.   :cool:

Oddly enough I'm already there....  :wink
I already have some T14 and T17 chopped into heads, on the 9' #12wt they're entertaining (for entertaining read "bloody dangerous") in anything other than ideal conditions but were food for thought regarding the development of something for a switch rod which I felt was the natural progression in gear. From experience gained in BFCC events with T120 outfits I have some prototype heads and running lines sorted, just need to prise the rod required to do the job out of someone else's store....  :X2

as for not using the basket, i gues you like tangles and crushing shooting/running line agaist sharp, nasty rocks in equal amounts...  :z4 :z4 :z4
It's honestly not been too bad so far Marc, but I can see when I've switched fully to heads and running line that fishing without the basket might be just plain silly :z4
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Eddie Sinclair on 28/10/2016 at 16:25
Eddie - My reply on page 1 of the thread might be of some help here. H

Cheers H,

I am going to to some recce missions.

Eddie :z18

Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Liam Stephen on 28/10/2016 at 17:48
Local recce's Eddie? I'd be keen for something other than Rainbows this winter!  :z16

 :z18
Liam
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 28/10/2016 at 18:05
Eddie,
PM sent.
Liam ,
Watch this space... :z4

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Rob Brownfield on 31/10/2016 at 12:42
Being someone who has used switch rods in the salt, I will throw my experience in the pot.

Leave the switch at home when on the rocks, simples. They may be perfect on the beach when you are wanting to put a fly past the last breaker, but when it comes to stopping a fish going deep, the shorter rods have the advantage.

My setup is a Helios 7 weight Switch teamed up with a 9 weight Rio Outbound for over head casting, as recommended on the Rio site. Putting the whole line out is easy, no question there, but as soon as you hook something the impracticality of a long rod on a cliff edge comes into play.

Nope, I will stick with 9 footers from 7 to 9 weight thank you very much. More command, more stopping and lifting power and easier to grab your line to pull fish up the cliff. Besides, the fish are normally within 5 feet of the rock face, no need for long casts, cast along the rocks, not out to sea and you will have plenty of good fish.

PS. Also used the switch for Pike, back to 9 footers, as are everyone else that have written about using Switch rods for pike ;)
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Rob Brownfield on 31/10/2016 at 12:51
Pollock marks around these parts are few and far between because of the pressure in recent years on the fish stocks being taken for the pot. In the early 90's when I lived in Portlethan, only cod were taken. These days people take anything, no matter the size.  :mad and set lines can be common.

Heading to Boddam (as already mentioned) gives a better chance, and the rocks around Achmittie also produce. The best I found was the inner harbour at Peterhead, but you cannot fish it anyone. Bit strange being 20 feet above the water, but a super fast sink shooting head worked wonders for Pollock and Cod.

My most successful flies have all been "rootbeer" coloured, except at Peterhead where white excelled.
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 31/10/2016 at 18:14
Leave the switch at home when on the rocks, simples. They may be perfect on the beach when you are wanting to put a fly past the last breaker, but when it comes to stopping a fish going deep, the shorter rods have the advantage.

Interesting Rob....... but I do think Marc is right about the way to achieve outright distance and this.....
Besides, the fish are normally within 5 feet of the rock face, no need for long casts, cast along the rocks, not out to sea and you will have plenty of good fish.
I disagree with, I've had fish from close in and from afar. We both know that's as much to do with the nature of a mark itself and by and large we do try to ensure a Pollock mark has certain characteristics which mean there's a bias towards fish being close in.
That said, I agree there is a real chance that 'reservoir madness' (where shore fishers wade and cast as far out as they can and boat fishers drift or anchor pretty much as close to the shoreline as they dare) can be repeated by the coastal fisher if they don't actually think about what they're doing. That's as much about the angler than anything else though.

I have a heavy-ish switch rod coming my way later this week for experimental purposes.
I don't doubt that there will be some limiting factors in their use on the coast, but I will experiment...... 9' rods still coming with me though  :z13

My most successful flies have all been "rootbeer" coloured, except at Peterhead where white excelled.

Now that is very interesting indeed..... you might say coalfish colour then......   :? :z17

H  :cool:
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 31/10/2016 at 21:13
Thought you'd get the point Rob...... :wink

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 31/10/2016 at 21:23
Interesting............
http://bestfishinginscotland.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/predator-fishing-in-sea-for-pollock-in.html?spref=fb
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 31/10/2016 at 21:58
Loved the video link. We need to get out in a boat!
Fly colour advice was good too.

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 31/10/2016 at 22:49
We need to get out in a boat!

I have a cunning plan  :wink
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Rob Brownfield on 01/11/2016 at 09:12
Interesting Rob....... but I do think Marc is right about the way to achieve outright distance and this..... 

No argument about distance at all. However, a Switch rod is a liability on rocks and for me, does not have the backbone required to stop angry Pollock diving. However, something like a Beulah Opal that is designed to be over head cast and is built for stopping angry fish may be far more suitable...if I could get one in the UK.

No argument at all regarding double handers (not switch) on an open beach and big waves.

As to finding Pollock, they are a structure fish, not an open water species. They like rocks and kelp so it you are putting a fly 150' out into open water, you are missing them. If, however, there is a kelp bed 15 feet down, then of course, I would fish over that, but as a rule, the fish are in under your feet.

Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Rob Brownfield on 01/11/2016 at 09:21
Now that is very interesting indeed..... you might say coalfish colour then......   :? :z17

Exactly!

Don't tell anyone, but Harelines UV Polar Fritz in "Rusty Copper" is the basis for most of the flies.

If I am tying "EP" style flies, then it is Jerkbait Manias Pike Skinz in "Orange Esox".

http://www.jerkbaitmania.co.uk/jerkbaitmania-pike-skinz-orange-esox-p-829.html

and in addition, I have started using the Jerkbait Mania dubbing brushes and trimming to shape in two colours.

http://www.jerkbaitmania.co.uk/pike-skinz-slinky-mega-flash-dubbing-brush-copperuv-yellow-p-1124.html
http://www.jerkbaitmania.co.uk/pike-skinz-slinky-mega-flash-dubbing-brush-coppercopper-fire-p-1106.html

All flies have gold or copper "flash" down the flanks.

Lastly, he has started supplying very large diameter Mylat rubing...I will be trying this as an upscaled "Zonker" with the Copper tube and reddish/brown magnum rabbit strip for a back.
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 01/11/2016 at 09:28
Pictures please Rob!  :z14

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Rob Brownfield on 01/11/2016 at 09:51
Pictures please Rob!  :z14

 :z1

Will have to have a root through the garage..all my salty stuff is still packed away from my move.
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Rob Brownfield on 01/11/2016 at 09:52
Just thought I would share this YouTube video of a bit of Pollock on the Fly... the guys excitement is rather funny, but he gets some nice fish, and off the top as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvXXLNatuy0
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 01/11/2016 at 17:33
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m7vfv16JQE

This one interests me very much.......  :z16
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Eddie Sinclair on 01/11/2016 at 17:45
This all looks like a lot of fun,

Got some pointers from a nice gentleman on this thread for local marks (thanks Euan) so I am off out exploring on Thursday and will report back later.

Eddie.
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Euan Innes on 01/11/2016 at 21:32
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m7vfv16JQE

This one interests me very much.......  :z16

Aye, me too! :z16
And I have a #9 salt floater.... :z13

 :z1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 02/11/2016 at 11:25
Oddly enough.... I have floating lines for use in the salt from 7wt upwards.... not that I'm a geek  ;D
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Derek Roxborough on 05/11/2016 at 14:35
out this morning with my 5/6 wt. just caught the top of the tide , cold hard wind , ( where're me Neoprene gloves?) some hail showers to the north , but I was there so I had an hour , I was catching fish but only tiddlers from this mark, however it kept my interest up, it was funny watching the small shoals chasing the flies in, even leaping out as I retrieved, I ended up with about a dozen none bigger than 6 ins. I did get a decent jag but it took the point fly ,it could have been weed, still it got me out of the house , I heard that the cod are making a come back here so I will have to look into that  :z12 easgach 1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Rob Brownfield on 07/11/2016 at 07:51
I heard that the cod are making a come back here so I will have to look into that  :z12 easgach 1

Cod on the fly are a possibility as I have found out a couple of times by mistake :)

I use lead core shooting heads to get the fly very deep. Its not pretty, its actually a bit dangerous but when you hook a cod in the tide, boy does the rod bend!!

They tend to open there gobs and use the tide against you. Peterhead breakwater is the easiest mark to fish this style.
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Derek Roxborough on 08/11/2016 at 20:00
went down again this morning but one of the local fishers had beaten me to it, I got one small one and the local(cormorant) stopped play , I didn't see another fish, looks like I'll have to avoid this place, but the cormorants will have the advantage  :X2  easgach 1
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: James Laraway on 07/12/2016 at 16:38
having recently moved 'up norf' to Inverness are there any opportunities for pollock or other fishing in the salt with the fly ?
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Hamish Young on 07/12/2016 at 17:30
Yes - loads  :z13
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Munro Reid on 15/12/2016 at 13:30
I have done a few trips out for Pollock fly fishing but only from a boat.
Fishing was awesome with some big fish coming to the boat.

As said above your gear will get wrecked so dont buy top end kit.

I use a SKB overdrive reel and a Airfow Di9 line.

As for flies they will take almost anything.
Title: Re: Pollock adventures
Post by: Rob Brownfield on 06/02/2017 at 13:03
I have done a few trips out for Pollock fly fishing but only from a boat.
Fishing was awesome with some big fish coming to the boat.

As said above your gear will get wrecked so dont buy top end kit.

I use a SKB overdrive reel and a Airfow Di9 line.

As for flies they will take almost anything.

I used to use my Helios off the rocks, I now use a Power Matrix..less precious to me lol.

I buy lines from Tacklebargins as often they are ex display and only £15 for a Sniper or 40+ Di7 or Di9. Not too worried about the rocks then. If the running line gets damaged, I just replace with heavy mono (40lb Amnesia) and use it as a shooting head.