Has anybody fly fished for pollack?go to weas coast of scotland and caught them on float fished sandeel and deap spinning..what line and flys do i use for them?i use a platenium xd 10ft 7wt rod..

Last september near larne of the rocks we caught over 90 fish in two days. Just used an old di7 with 9ft saltwater firefly mission travel rod and a silvery sandeel pattern.

We had pollack up to 6lbs loads of mackeral and even a sandeel as well.


Its great fun. I would recommend it to anyone.

greg

Geggie is right, great fun.
I do it a lot in the summer months all over the west coast of Ireland.
I use two rods an old 7wt penn and a bloke bass special 8/9. Any old saltwater fly will do, they are not that fussy, a clouser or deceiver is perfect.
What I find more important is the choice of line, you need a DI7/8 to fish the drop off's and cliff faces effectively and you need a good saltwater intermediate to take them off the top when they run with the mackers close to shore. Watch out and hold on for the initial lunge into the Kelp (this is where the heavier rod helps) great fun. I've had Pollack, Mackeral, Sandeel, Garfish, Bass, Sea Trout. I want to try for a Salmon in the salt this year if i get the chance.
If you want to target Mackeral use lighter tackle like a 6 or 7 wt as the heavier lines kill the fight too quickly.
Enjoy,
Gavan

How are you finding the sea trout numbers in your neck of the woods? Do you find that they are close to the shore? There was an article recently in Angling Ireland about sea trout fishing form the shore, the author reckoned a Dunkeld was great as the colours were close to a pollack fry or puddle joe as we call them.

__________________
Where the wandering water gushes
From the hills above Glen-Car,
In pools among the rushes
That scarce could bathe a star,
We seek for slumbering trout
And whispering in their ears
Give them unquiet dreams;
Leaning softly out
From ferns that drop their tears
Over the young streams.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Was out today for my first session of the season. The pollack are a bit lean and out of condition, like early season trout. Landed 6 to about 5lb in an hour and snapped in a 6/7 lb'er, 15lb fluorocarbon btw..

A 7wt rod is far too light, in fact my 9wt really struggles against larger fish, hence to snap off today, I could not keep him out of rocks and gully's and by the time I was about to lift him the line was frayed very badly.
Fly should be about 2in long, plenty of silver and a neutral buoyancy, the reason being the line can rest over the kelp or rock while the fly stays a little higher in the water and snag free.
Fast sinking line essential during the day, slow sink might be ok in the evenings, a no nonsense leader of 15lb + should land you most fish, but some inevitably will get away. The first crash dive over barnacle encrusted rocks can shred any tippet.
As I said they are not in great nick at the moment and it will be another few weeks before I go after them again, still half a dozen at lunch time in blazing sunshine in May was a great day out