Pollockgeist 5 - Cork 27.10.11

[Ronnach]

People: Me

Duration: 16.00 - 19.30

Tide: High at 18:30

Weather: Bright, cool, NW breeze

Rigs: Slug-go, Xlayer, Savage Gear sandeels

Results: 5 Pollock to 8lb.

After getting the fishing visa from herself and the baby, I spent the day at work trying to decide whether to target the silver fellas or some pollock. Fishing trips are few and far between at the moment and the last time was about 4 weeks ago when I blanked targetting bass. I didn't think I could handle another blank so decided to fish a mark which is usually pretty reliable for pollock and also holds mackerel and wrasse.

I arrived around half four and a cold north-westerly breeze was blowing and causing a bit of chop on the water. I rigged up a blue/silver savage gear sandeel which I wanted to try for the pollock and cast out. After about 20 minutes without a tap, I decided to move on a bit further down and change to some different soft plastics.



Shortly after I had my first take, on a 6" black/silver Slug-go, the fish gave a good scrap and up surfaced a nice 2-3lb'er, quick snap and measure on the ruler and I released her. I fished on for another while, eventually switching to a clear / flecked coloured soft plastic. As soon as I had this one I noticed lots of 'nibbles' as I was retrieving the lure but couldn't connect. When the lure came to the surface a few wee critters rose up following it, no longer than 4-5" themselves. I'm not sure if they were wee coalies or possibly pin whiting..?



I switched to a green 4" Xlayer and immediately connected with another fish, this time a smaller pollock of around 1.5lb. Some time later I had another pollock of around the same size. It was now approaching high water, the sea movement had slackened out a bit and things went quiet for a while.



The light was beginning to fade and around 20 minutes or so after what I guessed must have been high tide, I had another take on the black/silver Slug-go. This take was more subtle than the aggressive takes of the previous pollock and I only noticed it when I felt a slow strong gradual pull down. Suddenly this turned into a ferocious take and the rod bent over as the fish took off down into the depths. The reel was screaming and I was cursing hoping to feck the fish was well hooked. I still haven't had a lure caught wrasse and I thought at that point that I had one on... after about 3 or 4 minutes of give and take I got the fish higher up the water column and eventually coaxed her in. It was only on landing the fish I saw it was another match of my PB and a pollock of just over 8lb. (apologies photos below are pretty crap as was getting dark).





The sp was neatly hooked in the mouth and easy to remove, took a quick snap and measure and released the fish off again. This is the same mark from which I caught my previous PB pollock (http://goo.gl/SUOVR), also of 8lb. a few months ago, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was the same fish I had caught again. The previous PB also took a black/silver slug-go from the exact same spot. When I got home and compared the photos though I could clearly see from the way the fins at bottom of fish are formed that they were different fish..

I fished on into darkness for another hour or so and had 1 more pollock in the 1-2lb. range. Overall extremely happy to have found some fish and one very good fish as this could well be my last lure session of the year

Last edited by Ronnach on Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

some great pollacks there, well done

nice to get some if no silvers around well done!

beautiful pollack there congrats some size:)

super session mate well done

super super session - wish I would be so successful big well done, looks as I have to add a few more miles to already very costly trips to stand a chance for a similar result - or change my fishing saint

nice fishing well done

great report,nice result

fantastic pollack there well done

well done

thanks for all the comments folks

Wowzers. Tennis Elbow inducing lol