[Mike Kennard]

This question is mainly aimed at the CI guys who are LRF fishing at the moment but anybody who has an opinion will be gratefully welcome.

There seems to be some very justifiable excitement at catching relatively small pollack on soft plastics at night on very light soft plastics. It looks like great fun and is definitely pushing the envelope as far as what we thought we knew about this method. My question is simple, are these fish being caught only at night? Is it because nobody fished a similar style during the day or are these fish feeding during the night but residing somewhere else during the day?
Dave and myself are keen to give this a go locally but windows of opportunity due to the weather seem to be brief at best, and if we don't get there at the right time then the weather defeats us for another week or so. The place we have in mind should hold fish but as far as I am aware there are few if any caught during the day or night this time of year. So does that mean they are not there or that they are not being caught by 'traditional methods'?

 

[Keith White]

Spring thru late autumn, yes, we do get them throughout the day. You may in fact right now.

In general, from the shore, we do not especially in the very cold months in daylight.

 

[Andy Marquis]

I've tried the same things in the day and not had anything, I guess the fish are less concentrated maybe as the baitfish are attracted to the walls and lights maybe for protection during the night??

Pollack are much more of an after dusk fish IMO anyway.

 

[Andy Mason]

If I can throw something else in the ring, I've caught Pollack in daylight, on plugs, against strutures such as walls and vertical cliffs etc. Never targetted them but caught them. Personally I believe they either nip at the plug or swipe the plug before committing to eating the plug. Pollack bites on plugs for me come with a pre-warning, tap, pause, take. I've also foul hooked a number too so this may prove my theory. So in answer to your question (winter excluded as I've not caught in winter) I reckon they are there but just not caught with traditional methods. I'd also stick my neck out and say I've never done it or stood next to anyone else who's done it but a Bass & a Pollack on the same mark with the same tackle and a similar time? Has anyone combined both species at the same time? Do they shoal up together?

I too can't wait to give the UL and Sp's a go with other species but it's going to take a different mind set when the weather warms up a bit. If they are there now when it's cold, I reckon the numbers will increase especially when it's dark. Those targetted areas now showing fish will be teeming when the spring and summer arrive.

 

[Tim Griffin]

I have had a couple of small pollack (both on surface lures!) over shallow weedy marks I was fishing for bass last summer, so I guess it's possible. At a deeper part of the same mark, I had two small pollack on tiny feathers, and a 2lb bass on the dexter wedge I was using as the weight on the bottom in one drop! I was after mackerel and pollack, so I guess they are in the same places. As I say, it was summer and during the day...

 

[Mark Sleep]

I fish a place from the shore Andy, deep wading during the day, where on a day with the right conditions, you can begin fishing (only fished plugs there so far) and hit Pollack after Pollack. Nothing bigger than a pound or so. Then someone flips a switch (god or someone) and the Pollack turn into Bass (only small, but good fun!) It carries on like that until you have to abort in case you drown. But once you get a Bass, you dont even see another Pollack. Sorry off topic but I find it so weird.

 

[Simon L]

Caught this guy in Ireland last September during daylight . . . .

 

[Andy Mason]

Zonk akakin, absolute killer Pollack plug !!!!!

 

[Keith White]

I too can't wait to give the UL and Sp's a go with other species but it's going to take a different mind set when the weather warms up a bit. If they are there now when it's cold, I reckon the numbers will increase especially when it's dark. Those targetted areas now showing fish will be teeming when the spring and summer arrive.

This is the part that I believe could start to change the face of British lure fishing forever.
Lets face it, the pressure on the Bass ain't going to let up. Effort for reward will reach break point real soon.

I'm not suggesting for second that we stop fishing for Bass but, this LRF/HRF style will open a myriad of doors. I don't think anyone really knows what's coming. Fishing smaller, lighter, smarter, etc will only increase your angling pleasure and, i reckon, many people will catch many more Bass as a bye product.

 

[bob jameson]

Mike ..
Another good small lure for pollack is the megabass live x revenge, 12 .6g , nice tight action on the retrieve Dives to about 10ft :muhu:

 

[Mike Kennard]

Cheers all. Thanks for the replies.

I am just trying to get some sort of feel for what we can potentially catch relative to what is currently being caught by other anglers. From what I have read it looks like we are starting from a clean sheet of paper and re-writing ALL the rules!!!! I am definitely game for that.
Fish behaviour and feeding patterns relative to bait fishing seems to bear no resemblance to SP fishing. Even better!
Right, I am off fishing.......

 

[Ben Field]

This is the part that I believe could start to change the face of British lure fishing forever.
Lets face it, the pressure on the Bass ain't going to let up. Effort for reward will reach break point real soon.

I'm not suggesting for second that we stop fishing for Bass but, this LRF/HRF style will open a myriad of doors. I don't think anyone really knows what's coming. Fishing smaller, lighter, smarter, etc will only increase your angling pleasure and, i reckon, many people will catch many more Bass as a bye product.

Exciting times indeed. It will vary a lot over the entire UK. Harbours and piers are the ideal and where most testing is happening at the moment, but in reality, a lot of anglers in the UK will only really have access to your standard 'rough' ground marks. There will eventually be a myriad of methods and techniques for all species over all sorts of ground. I wish I had the harbours to fish (can't be driving an hour each way to be a copycat) but can see this area needing something different - whcih far from being a bad thing, is actually a quite exciting thought and does push the boundaries. We're all talking aqbout harbours at the moment, but really I think we just need to all get out there any conquer any water we find. This forum can then be used to keep the ideas moving and methods shared, and from there we'll eventually get it all sussed.

Pollack wise, with the lack of harbours mentioned again, I'm willing to get out in daylight on some more traditionally rocky marks to see what can be done with smaller baits. As has been said before, in the summer I can imagine some serious numbers of fish being caught! But for now, I'll be happy with just the occasional fish to answer the odd question in my head and keep things moving and improving.

 

[Keith White]

Exciting times indeed. It will vary a lot over the entire UK. Harbours and piers are the ideal and where most testing is happening at the moment, but in reality, a lot of anglers in the UK will only really have access to your standard 'rough' ground marks. There will eventually be a myriad of methods and techniques for all species over all sorts of ground. I wish I had the harbours to fish (can't be driving an hour each way to be a copycat) but can see this area needing something different - whcih far from being a bad thing, is actually a quite exciting thought and does push the boundaries. We're all talking about harbours at the moment, but really I think we just need to all get out there any conquer any water we find. This forum can then be used to keep the ideas moving and methods shared, and from there we'll eventually get it all sussed.

Pollack wise, with the lack of harbours mentioned again, I'm willing to get out in daylight on some more traditionally rocky marks to see what can be done with smaller baits. As has been said before, in the summer I can imagine some serious numbers of fish being caught! But for now, I'll be happy with just the occasional fish to answer the odd question in my head and keep things moving and improving.

Taking each bold item in turn from your quote....

Yes Ben, it will be different.

Harbours and Piers are being used right now to help people along. We have, some of us at least ventured out away from the Harbours and connected with larger fish with the same light gear.

I don't see why people are so afraid of rock marks in the dark ? Ultimately, I'd like to see this LRF/HRF live up to its name of actually seeing people fish from rocks.

I don't see anywhere legal being off limits.

I'd wait 3 or 4 weeks before hitting the rock marks Ben. Get some harbour practice or go freshwater fishing to master the feel required and get the techniques down.

Like our guys are doing here. The pain of blanking now and the learning curve (not rocket science btw) being mastered will set them all in great stead for the spring, summer and autumn. I reckon our blokes will be party to an onslaught of lure caught fish the numbers of which we haven't yet seen or imagined.

Personally, I believe Jersey and the CI's are perfect for this style of fishing. We just have so many species that fit the 1/2lb to mid sized bracket and the two main rod rating's covering 1-7g and 7- 28g it's unreal.

I can't even start to count them and I think, week by week, as spring turns to summer, there will be so many reports and photo's of new lure caught species, tactics, new guys catching on lures for the first time and more women and kids taking part.

Our lure bumbles will get people going and they will, if successful and well attended, continue right through the year.

 

[Andy Welch]

Here's a greedy little Pollack caught on the ledges on Portland, the lure was nearly bigger.

 

[Jon Bunyard]

Andy
Had exactly the same experience at the Weymouthfestival, catching 170mm pollack on 150mm lures ! Similarly at the Jersey Festival the wife and Icaught 15 polllack to zero bass................

The lures that caught were maria chase, bass bandit II, zonk, and the sidewinder joey!

I think that as long as I target bass, I can catch a pollack on anything.....

 

[Andrew Wilson]

I'd also stick my neck out and say I've never done it or stood next to anyone else who's done it but a Bass & a Pollack on the same mark with the same tackle and a similar time? Has anyone combined both species at the same time? Do they shoal up together?

Generally like you Andy I've found its normally one or the other. We have caught both in the same session once but not mixed, the pollack went off before the bass. That spot where we met you and Vidar at Portland has produced lots of small pollack, standing on the ledge on the left side looking out to see and casting so as to retrieve back down the left side, the pollack normally hit at range as you start reeling in. the last time I fished there with Mike had about 6 off portland early morning.

Andy Welch, this could be the same pollack, same spot.

I would like to try the SP's on them at some point on lighter gear, it would be interesting to see what other species you might get whilst targetting them.

 

[Andy Welch]

Generally like you Andy I've found its normally one or the other. We have caught both in the same session once but not mixed, the pollack went off before the bass. That spot where we met you and Vidar at Portland has produced lots of small pollack, standing on the ledge on the left side looking out to see and casting so as to retrieve back down the left side, the pollack normally hit at range as you start reeling in. the last time I fished there with Mike had about 6 off portland early morning.

Andy Welch, this could be the same pollack, same spot.

I would like to try the SP's on them at some point on lighter gear, it would be interesting to see what other species you might get whilst targetting them.

The Pollack in my photo, was one of six i had just after surise, all about the same size.
This year i intend to give the softies a serious go around the ledges to see if i can better my personal best wrasse.

 

[Retired]

I...Those targetted areas now showing fish will be teeming when the spring and summer arrive....

Hopefully Andy. But the fish move around too. Later in the year in bad weather they start turning up in numbers over less turbulent shallow broken ground in two or three places, not feeding, just resting it seems. There are bass in the same areas at the same time, but they don't mix. A guess a lot of night anglers here will know spots like this.