Powerful, greedy and great fun to catch on light gear, pollack are a brilliant quarry for any angler looking to investigate catching UK sea fish on the fly. Avid all-rounder Jamie Sandford is your guide to battling this obliging species.
Fly fishing in the sea, or SWFF'ing as it's globally known, is still, in my opinion, in its infancy within the UK. However, with an enthusiastic minority now getting involved across the nation, that picture is rapidly changing. More and more anglers are turning their hand to sea bass and mullet on the fly, to the extent that we now see this side of the sport as the focus of dedicated magazine articles and prime time television shows. The future of SWFFing looks exciting!
There is, however, one species that is usually much more obliging than their watery brethren (well, mullet are enough to drive an angler to insanity) and that is, the hard fighting, aggressive and beautiful pollack!
Where to catch pollack on the fly
My personal pollack fishing over the years has led me to South West Coast of Scotland. Like so much of the UK’s rocky coastline, it’s a perfect environment and fascinating to explore. Think surface of the moon...on steroids!
Hotspots and venues to try
The geographical nature of the area can be daunting as HUGE slabs of 'whinstone' rise from the ground, each several stories high! With vertical, dagger-like formations moved by the glaciers many years ago, such an environment leaves one questioning how on earth they could even tackle such a vicious and unforgiving landscape. However, just like other areas, such as Cornwall and the rocky parts of the Wales and Yorkshire coasts, the best spots can take some work.
These are magical places. The high pitched 'zip' of rock pippets can be heard echoing across the gullies and further out to sea, while the mesmerising view of gannets diving for bait fish in the main flow of the impressively turbulent 'Solway', is a sight to behold!
With a little OS and Google satellite imagery homework, marks can be found and later explored where one deems safe enough to do so. Of course, being mindful of the tide times/height is ABSOLUTELY paramount and you should always plan a 'bug out' route to safer higher ground, if necessary! It's also worth telling someone where you plan to explore prior to your session.
Thankfully on the right day the sport that can be enjoyed is world class, and makes the exertive effort of fishing such an area oh so worth it! Pollack of all sizes give a great scrap, it’s worth saying- but your best bet of finding larger fish is generally where you find very deep water close in. Or you might even consider launching a kayak or getting aboard a small boat- but that’s another story.
Seasons for pollack fishing
While some marks have pollack all year round, the best of the sport is in the summer and autumn months. June to August are excellent- but the sea is actually still pretty warm in September, October and even into November. Provided conditions are not too hostile, you needn’t hang up the saltwater kit just yet- and many typical marks will also hold bass right into early winter.
Tackle, rods and reels for UK pollack fly fishing
The tackle required needn't be 'specific' and you can often make do with what you have. Any fast action 8wt rod will suffice however a strong recommendation would be that you spend the money on a super fast sinking line, (7" p/s) to get the best from the deeper water that's consistently present along the vast miles of this *coastline*.
The faster sink rate allows for much better fly control in the flow of changing tide states throughout the session.
If you intend to make it a regular habit, it’s worth investing in a high quality fly line made for saltwater Yes, they cost a little more- but are ultra durable and tough, not to mention made to withstand the extremes of the sea.
As for reels, choose with care! In hindsight I'd have never started using a 'metal' reel in such an environment and I'd recommend using an ultra cheap, all plastic single spool reel, that once utterly destroyed can be thrown away and replaced. It's all down to personal preference, but from a functionality point of view, I've never played a pollack 'off the reel' yet!
Landing net:
An absolute must to look after your quarry in both catching and releasing from height. I'd recommend a regular sized “spoon” net and the longest telescopic handle you can find. I use a 6metre handle and it's perfect! Look towards the match fishing and LRF scenes for such equipment
Tippet and leaders
Bearing in mind the rocky ground you’ll face, it doesn't pay to fish with an overly long leader/tippet. In my experience the fish aren't 'line shy' and 6ft of 15lb fluorocarbon attached directly to the welded loop is more than ample. Armed with strong line, you then have the confidence to fish positively and apply the brakes to fish determined to find the bottom- and even modest pollack punch hard!
Flies:
Over the years the majority of fish I've found have been anything from 4oz to 4lb and everything in-between; if it's solely big fish your looking for then you may have to 'wade through' the large number of smaller fish first, however I've never found this a problem because I've always enjoyed the fun, fast action the smaller 'kelp dwellers' bring!
That said the flies used must suit the size of fish present, and believe it or not my most used pattern is a size 8/10 chartreuse clouser. Pink works equally well as does orange, however I've found chartreuse to be a consistently productive colour session after session! Could this be the best all round fly pattern for saltwater fly fishing in the UK?
How to catch pollack on the fly
The fishing itself is relatively straightforward, cast out, count your fly down to the depth in which you start to receive takes (trial/error and exploring the swim) and retrieve utilising short, steady pulls!
The trout anglers amongst us will be well versed in my next tip- but it’s worth always leaving your fly to hang at the end of the retrieve, more often than not a following pollack will rush at it and hit right at the last minute! It also gives any fish that are sat in the cover of marginal kelp time to see the fly and react.
Must have items: A fly fishing checklist for saltwater
- Tide table for the specific area
- A whistle in case of an emergency - I've found there's no signal and/or limited service when on the rocks
- Sturdy quality hiking boots (studs in the sole are a personal preference)
- O/S Map of the area/marks you intend to fish
- Sun screen, polarised glasses, baseball cap
- Fingerless gloves akin to those used in big game fishing are handy for navigating the sharp rocks and equally for stripping a salt/sand engrained fly line
- Ample drinking water for the fishing session (bearing in mind the hiking/climbing involved)
- LONG forceps for hook removal (pollack are renowned 'inhalers') A word of advice; crush your barbs flat and if you can't see the fly, then cut the tippet as short as you possibly can - you'll do more damage pulling...
- Hook sharpening tool/stone (You'll 'ding over' more hook points on the rocks behind you when false casting than you will in the water so a sharpening stone is a great way of rehoning the point to extend the flies life
Products/info:
Here are just some of the products I use and abuse regularly!
- Aron Ralston - American climber pinned by falling rock for 127 hours; ultimately he ended up cutting his own hand off with a christmas cracker swiss army knife...
- 6metre landing net from eBay (Lineaffe)
- Cortland Flurocarbon/Fly line
- I tie my own Clousers however Turralls 'crazy Charlies' and materials to create your own clousers like the 'bucktail' would be ideal
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