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Torsk, Brosme brosme

Introduction: The Tusk, aka Torsk is a rare enough encounter in Irish waters - it is a deep and cold water species, so the northern seas from Mayo across to Antrim offer you the best possible marks.  It can grow to a substantial size with fish of over 60 lbs recorded by commercial fishermen... but if you do come across one, it will probably come from deep and very cold waters, e.g. over 10 fathoms or 30 metres down.

Boat tactics: Tactics for finding Torsk are very much in line with Cod, although they are not likely to exceed 15 lbs (7 kgs) in Irish waters.  They like to wander around on the sea floor, and have a partciular liking for mud and mixed ground marks.  A fairly substantial rod and reel is required given the depth and the nature of the marks, and you could always pull up other species like a Cod or big Pollack from off the same marks... 

Shore tactics: If you want to have a shot at them from shore, try deep water marks in Donegal, Derry and Antrim.  A few have been reported off Mayo but these were in very deep waters off the continental shelf.