More pollock - 8th October 2011

With light westerly winds and mostly overcast the conditions looked good for lure fishing. I headed to the bay I fished last weekend hoping for a better result other than a bunch of pollock. I got to the shore about two hours after low tide. I tried a range of soft plastics and shallow diving lures but there was no interest. I worked my along the shore and got to two fingers of rock with deeper water between them. I started fishing on the western flank of the ridge with a Slug Go and on the second cast something grabbed the lure. It pulled strongly downwards but came off after a couple of minutes. It was most likely a pollock. A few casts later I had another strong bite which again  pulled strongly downwards but this time I worked it close and on to the rocks. It was a 3 lb pollock.

I moved a short distance to the east and fished between the rock fingers. After a few casts I had another smaller pollock again on a Slug Go. I had a few more casts and moved to the next ridge and fished across some shallower ground hoping for bass. Then I spotted a huge shoal of tiny fish in close to the side of the rock finger. Then some splashes on the surface as some predators smashed through the shoal. Bass I hoped!!! But after a few casts I hooked another small pollock.

I moved back westwards to the western side of the next small bay. I spotted some activity, lots of small bait fish leaping on the surface.  I cast out a Slug Go and as I retrived I could see several mackerel following, they were making grabs at the lure but failed to get hooked on the weedless hook. I switched to a small hard plastic lure and on the first cast hooked a mackerel, shortly followed by another.

I then tried a Feed Shallow in case a bass was lurking on the perimeter of the mackerel shoal. But had no success. I moved to the western end of the main bay. As I approached I could see a lot of activity on the surface that looked like more mackerel. When I got to the edge of the rocks I could seem a huge shoal of tiny fish. The water was black with them, I have never seen so many in my life. Dark area in water close to rocks on photo below is dense shoal of bait fish:

Then it dawned on me why there were no bass - they were most likely stuffed to gills with bait fish and not interested in feeding any more. I thought I many as well catch a few mackerel while I was there. I caught 4 in a few minutes. That along with the two I had earlier was enough for tomorrows dinner.