Weekend in the West: Part Two - Pollack

I had a blog post up the other day about my Wrasse exploits from the weekend. We also nailed a few nice Pollack but I thought it was best split into two separate posts so here we go ...... BUT before we start some of you will be wondering - those fish aren't 5lb ..... And you are right I only have up the ones up to 4lb, the bigger ones are still being edited so watch this space.

At various stages last year we witnessed some very large Pollack follow the lures to our feet but not committing. We watched fish in excess of 7lb swim right past us with no inclination to feed - it was frustrating and just down right odd. This year we haven't encountered any beats of the same calibre but we did manage a few up to just over 5lb, which believe me certainly puts a bend in the rod.

The first few casts attracted some interest but no solid hook ups. Simply fished sink and draw the action of the Black Minnow lure is unreal.

A Pollack of around 4 lb came up from the depths, hung for a second and then crash dived, smashing the lure on the way down. The rod nearly was pulled from my hand. After a very close quarter battle we netted the fish and got a few snaps before sending it back to the depths.

The Fiiish Black Minnow really does the business when it comes to Pollack fishing.

After fishing for a while on our first spot we decided to grab a bite to eat and relocate around the corner to another nice spot. The granite rocks step down into deepish water and there is a nice current flooding through a narrow gap - perfect Pollack territory. It wasn't long that my Dad hit this fish on a chartreuse paddle tail lure.

The one thing I noticed was all the fish were in great condition. Some of the Pollack we have had in the past can be lean and a bit slim but these fish were solid and packed full of food.

Along with some slightly bigger fish we hit the usual carbon copy Pollack all between 1lb and 2lb weight.

Switching over to the Illex Element Rider Stalking Special made for great sport with these smaller fish. I also switched down to the 90mm Black Minnow fished sink and draw.

This is the kind of fishing I love - getting out on the rocks with minimal tackle and roaming around searching out the fish. A great way to pass a weekend away from the town and cities.

The Illex rod performing to its best as always!

That rounds up the weekend and hopefully if the weather stays settled we might get out for a few trips yet.

Tight lines.