Sandeels for Pollack?

I'm heading up to Connemara next week, was wondering is it too early to go spinning sandeels for pollack?
Or is it too early to target pollack at all??

I'd appreciate any views onthis

Blackie

According to recent posts, lads in the north seem to have got a few. Got to be worth a try....

8) Aye Pat, But we're special. :P

8) Aye Pat, But we're special. :P

you said it :D :D

you should have no problem getting pollock, i prefer to float fish a whole sandeel 8 - 10 foot between float and hook, get monsters that way(caught personal best pollack that way) :D :D :D

Cheers

Will deffo try that

Blackie

whole sandeel 8 - 10 foot between float and hook,

Hi Steve ,
Just to clarify , is that exactly as you say ie freeline below the float , or might you put a weight below then 10 ft flowing trace beyond that ? Sorry to be picky but fancy the method and want to get it right .
Cheers , nick

Were getting good polock in black head spinning sand eel so its not too early..........

weighted float, the just let it slowly sink down, frozen sandeel floats so make sure it is well thawed..

its not east to cast, unless you use a stopper type float, but that wont work cos there's no weight to drag the bait down to level...

this setup has worked well for me up in clifden, blackhead and ballyreen (anywhere the water is deep from a rocky ledge)

Not too early at all, thought it might be but we chanced a session yesterday on Slea Head and had good wrasse to just under 4lbs and pollack to 5lbs.

[img]http://usera.imagecave.com/Liamo/pollack3-temp.JPG[/img]

Never tried for them this early in the season before, couldn't believe the quality stamp of fish we had.


Liam

:shock: :shock: Niiice fish, what way did you catch it?? 8) 8) 8)

Quality Fish Liamo. 8)

You Beauty!!!! (No offence Liam but I mean the fish!)

The photo says it all, gives me lots of hope heading up to Connemara, fair play dhuit.

As with previous I'd love to know method and depth, any chance??

Blackie

Ya,

Fairly simple stuff lads, big big 6inch shads fished on an 1 1/2oz leadhead. Find monster shads great fish catchers, avoids all the smaller ones but anything over 2lbs will regularly grab a lure this size - I'm always amazed at how greedy even small fish can be!

Tried various jelly worms etc. including Berkley Powerbait worms with meager succes but big translucent green shads were the killer yesterday taking all the better fish. Had a few knocking around the 3lb mark too which are nice fish.

Wrasse were taking hard backs AND those Berkley Gulp! plastic crabs fished under floats :-) We got quite a few good wrasse and pollack on them last year too - amazing, thought that crap never worked until my mate started using them.

All the pollack were very very deep, didn't rise in the water as the light dropped at all. Fished hard into the kelp and lost quite a few lures but with fish like this coming I reckon it was worth it. This sounds wierd but I always like losing lures when I'm poillack fishing - then you know you're fishing the structure right! Besides we never bat an eyelid when we spend 10 quid or more on a days bait for bottom fishing so why not lose a few lures along the way...

Liam

Nice one liamo...... cracking fishing.

Good point you raise about loosing lures..... I'm allergic to it. :shock: I hate loosing them..... I'm mainly talking about rapala's and such though. With the excellent value in soft plastics now, surely loosing a few should be standard procedure in pollock fishing. :roll: I'll have to get acustomed to this year..... :lol:

Well done again

Kev

Ta for the info,
I have a half a dozen of those shads in the boot of the car for 2 years, I think I know how I'll go about losing them now!

A six year old with a savage tummy bug is putting the brakes on our trip to Connemara, back to work next Monday tick-tock...........

Blackie

intersting to here the gulp crabs worked!!! anyone else had any sucess with either these or the storm crabs?

Yup,

They work alright, couldn't believe it. I had to see it with my own eyes! I still refuse to use 'em and broke my back the last day picking hardbacks but Shane took wrasse and pollack on them ledgering and floatfishing. I've challenged him to spend a day beach fishing with them to really see what they can produce but he continues to politely refuse :-)

nice fish liamo. i`ll def try those crabs this year.what size of hardbacks are you using for the wrasse?and what do you find is the best way to put them on? i`ve had some success using them and plan on using them alot more this year but im not too sure about sizes.i would usually use crabs about 1 inch or 1.5 inches across but we have such a good supply of big rag thats its easier to dig worm than to collect crab but i`ve got a few traps which will save getting a sore back from lifting rocks. :roll: :D

"Personal Note, Raid Davys Crab traps". :lol: 8)

Find worm for wrasse a nuisance, too many small fish. Hard backs are the only way to go. I know lots of anglers use big crabs and I've seen Bob Moss fishing big ones 1.5 inches across and bigger. They look too big to me. Have a look at a wrasse's mouth - it's small. With those bigger crabs I find either the wrasse either pull too many of them off the hook or else just bite chunks out of them - either way too many missed takes...

Prefer something slightly smaller. Crabs with a shell the size of a 50 cent piece and bigger up to maybe 1.5 inch max are perfect.

Hooking them correctly makes a big difference too. Take off the second last leg near the back - not the last one (crab is more brittle this way). Insert the hook through the socket and then out through the middle of the belly in that kind of V just above the flap.

Make sure they're alive and kicking.

Liam