FISHING WITH BARHAM
Enjoy exciting sport with summer pollack.
The initial dive from an angry pollack is the main reason why so many anglers love to fish for them. Because the takes and dives from the big ones can be so violent, it’s essential that you tackle up to get the best sport, while still having enough beef to stop the fish.
In years gone by, most anglers used a rod in the 12lb to 20lb-class, with a suitable multiplier reel loaded with 30lb braid.
In recent years there has been a growing trend for using far lighter gear, with 20-60g lure rods, fixed-spool reels and 20lb braid now becoming the norm for the ultimate sport fishing.
Whatever type of gear you decide to use, it’s a good idea to use a mono shockleader on the end of your braid because the latter isn’t very abrasion resistant, and when fishing over wrecks and reefs you’re going to encounter a lot of abrasion. I prefer 25lb to 30lb fluorocarbon for my leaders, and I use enough to give me half-a-dozen turns on the reel plus the length of the rod and a 4ft drop.
Before you start fishing, it is essential to set your drag. The initial run from a decent pollack will tear yards of line from your reel, and if you’re not ready for it you could get smashed up. Set your drag so that you can pull line from the reel under pressure. It takes a bit of getting used to, but the more you practise the easier it gets. If you have the drag set too tight you’re looking at a smash-up, but if it’s too loose then the fish will take you back down to the safety of the wreck or reef.
LURE SELECTION
There have been huge developments in lures for catching pollack and cod during the past decade. We’re spoilt for choice. To be honest, there’s not a lot between them when the pollack are obliging, but some styles do work better than others on any given day. For this reason you should go armed with a large selection of styles and colours when summer pollack fishing.
My favourite colours for summer pollack are natural sandeel-types (silver/green), or garish pink, orange or red.
I always take some trusty artificial sandeels, like the Eddystone or Red Gill patterns. The Kiddy Sidewinder is also a firm favourite, especially in the bubblegum pink colour.
More recently, I’ve been using the Fiiish Black Minnow for a lot of my pollack fishing. The ‘weedless’ set-up of these lures makes them ideal for working over snaggy ground, and the pollack absolutely love them.
Another recent addition to my armoury is the HTO Slow Jig, a metal lure with two assist hooks that has proven deadly on many an occasion. The art of slow jigging or Slow Pitch Jigging is becoming increasingly popular with anglers who use the lure rod and fixed-spool reel option.
SLOW JIGGING
Slow jigging is basically vertical jigging slowed right down with the aid of specifically designed lures. The aim is to keep the lure in the strike zone for longer. It is particularly effective when fishing over structure.
There are two distinct approaches when it comes to the physical working of a slow jig. You can either drop it down to the bottom and impart a sharp lifting of the rod, followed by a controlled dropping of the rod tip to allow the lure to flutter back down, without retrieving.
Alternatively, you can lift the rod and wind down as you drop the rod tip at a steady pace, repeating the process to bring the lure slowly up through the water column. This is where the term Slow Pitch comes from, because you’re pitching the rod tip and lowering it again in a constant fluid motion. It’s this latter approach that tends to work best for the pollack.
TRADITIONAL METHODS
For those who are not confident in using ultra-light gear, or for those who simply don’t have the means to kit themselves out with a complete new set-up, it’s a case of sticking to the basics.
Traditional wreck-fishing tactics are still the norm for most folk, and this usually means using a long trace with a running boom that carried a small amount of lead weight. The rig is simply dropped down to the seabed and wound in at a steady pace for, say, 40 turns, then dropped back down again and repeated.
When fishing this way, you need to be up to speed about where the wreck is in relation to your line, so take note and wind up off the bottom when you hear “we’re coming up to the wreck now”, or you may lose your kit.
The biggest mistake that anglers make when fishing for pollack in this way is striking. Nine times out of 10 you will feel a pollack nipping at the tail of the lure as you retrieve. It’s at this point you have to keep telling yourself to just keep winding – don’t be tempted to strike, even when your rod tip starts to hoop over.
Striking will simply pull the lure out of the pollack’s mouth and you will miss it, and you’ll get a load of stick from the skipper and other anglers on board. It’s such a common mistake that most anglers still do it a few times before they get into the swing of things.
When you feel something plucking at your lure, keep winding at the same speed. You can even speed up a bit, which often provokes the pollack into taking the lure. As you keep winding you will gradually feel the weight on the end of your line get heavier, then all of a sudden your rod tip will hit the surface of the sea and line will start to pour from your reel – that’s the real buzz of summer pollack fishing.
SENSIBLE TAKE
I really do love my summer pollack fishing, but tend to only keep half-a-dozen to eat when I go, and that often means I have to stop fishing for them. I could quite happily fish for pollack with light tackle all day but, for the most part, I’m fishing in deep water over wrecks, and the pollack rarely go back down once brought up.
Be sensible. If you’re not planning on taking everything you catch home, don’t keep fishing for them. This is where slow jigging can come into its own.
Rather than working the jig up through the water column to attract the pollack’s attention, I can work it in the bottom two or three feet near the wreck to pick up other species, such as cod, gurnards, wrasse and even the occasional bass, minimising my chances of catching yet more pollack. ■