Fishing off Arbroath

[henry d]

Gave myself a day off from everything and went with the `keeper/beaters etc. from a local shoot. It had been raining hard all night and there was lots of standing water. There was also lots of running water, the first picture is of the burn that runs alongside Arbroath harbour, normally it is a wee trickle and you can see the size of the drain it has to go into at the far end of the photo :o

 

The boat was the Ultimate Predator and as there was too much fresh water and too much colour we went out to the Bell rock, which is ideal on this catamaran as she can fairly tank it out there.

I tried to get down to the bottom using large Hockies(sp) baited with squid, but the mackerel were too dense at times and after the first drift and 10 mackerel I didn`t intend to catch, I changed to an large Eddystone eel on an 8 foot trace. I missed 2 hits on the second drift and decided to sharpen my hook, this is what made all the difference as second drop down I had a hell of a thump as a pollock of about 4-5 lb hammered the eel about 5 foot off the bottom. Two drops later and I got another the same size and shouted for the net, which came too late and it quickly disappeared into the depths The hook had only just nicked the top lip.

 

Anyway there were lulls and manic times as we found different areas of the rock to drift over and I even managed to hook and release a large scorpion fish. Bag as below, all are mine except for the codling.

 

Enjoyable day and some good eating

[Beardo]

sure beats a day in the office!

[sako751sg]

Nice bag and good to see someone else getting the fine weather we are.Wouldnt fancy being oot on a boat today with the winds here the now.

[Salop Matt]

I must fish out my sea fishing gear ive not fished in 10 + years now ! The only sea fish ive ever caught is mackerel ! But I would love to be able to catch some pollock ! I have a sea rod and reel but only feathers and some big weights !

 

 

Whats the normal sort of setup for pollock and whens the best time to catch from the beaches and peirs ?

 

Would love to catch a few for the freezer etc

Edited August 8, 2011 by salop sniper

[Blackpowder]

I see a couple of ,"red" codling in the bag HD, is there much shallow water around the Bell?

 

Blackpowder

[Fishermanpaddy]

Nice box of fish. The Mackerel can be annoying when your trying to get down to the bottom.

[henry d]

I see a couple of ,"red" codling in the bag HD, is there much shallow water around the Bell?

 

Blackpowder

 

Yeah, there are patches of shallow water with kelp beds and deeper rocky gullies, ideal hunting ground for cod and pollock.

[MM]

im in need of a holiday. top stuff mate.

[bullet boy]

Well done Malc.

[POPPY-72]

nice bag of fish, well done

[Alpha Mule]

It's been years since I had my last Smokie (you don't see many down here in south Wales).

Good catch too.

[docholiday]

well done H. cant beat it fishing and shooting, the food of Gods, and a cracking day out

[ack-ack]

Nice going fella, love the kelpy codling, don't get them round my way.

[garygreengrass]

Nice bag

[Evil Elvis]

Nice one dude, pollack is very underated as an eating fish, batter it like a bit of cod and its bloody lovely, and just as nice in a fish pie or curry, nice firm texture

[Salop Matt]

So whats the script with Pollock then:

 

Best time of year to catch and method etc ?

[Evil Elvis]

Rubber lures all day long!!!!

[ack-ack]

So whats the script with Pollock then:

 

Best time of year to catch and method etc ?

 

Ill fitting underwear works for me all year round.

[henry d]

So whats the script with Pollock then:

 

Best time of year to catch and method etc ?

 

They are a fish of(generally) deep and/or fast water. They have large eyes so can see in low light and murky water. I`ve caught them all times of the year, but summer and autumn are good times as they are preoccupied with sandeels etc.

We were using large (6" or so) rubber sandeels in red and it seems to bring the better fish, especially if the water was alive with mackerel and small pollock. I used a s/s boom with a short length of lower BS mono to the weight so that it would break first if snagged by a diving fish and a trace of anything from 6 to 15 feet dependant on the depth and flow of water.

[Norrie]

Hi Henry, Great pics and a very good writeup.. I know that wee burn well, theres usually some ducks on it, not that day tho eh???... How was the trip out to the Bell on the cat ?., good I bet...Could you poss PM me contact details for it, I didnt know there was a cat in Arbroath, I've not fished there for a few years now...BUT, love going out to the Bell, a great place to fish..

Well done..

 

Re Pollock fishing, In Luce bay, they/we use live rag, or a long sliver of Mackeral, preferably the silver belly bit....works a treat...Had them to 10lb down there..

Edited August 13, 2011 by Norrie

[Chard]

So whats the script with Pollock then:

 

Best time of year to catch and method etc ?

 

If you're not out in a boat, you'll more than likely be looking at much smaller Pollack, between half a pound and 2 pounds. They stick close to rocks and structures, especially if they're weed-covered. Pier legs, harbour walls and rocks are the spots to try for them, so long casting is seldom required, usually straight down the side, but you'll want deepish water. Float fishing off rocks is fun, using ragworm or fish strip as bait. Alternatively, you can use feathers or lures, keep them moving round the structures or rocks and be prepared to lose some gear. I prefer float fishing for them, sliding float, because you'll want to get your bait down deep as possible, trial and error till you find the fish. Rock marks on Anglesey are good for this, where they drop off into deep water. I tend to think of this as Summer fishing, but they're probably there in Winter too, though Coalfish tend to replace them round the rocks where I go in Winter.