At last - fish to put a bend in the rod - 2nd June 2012

Upon my return to Ireland after the holidays I was very keen to get out and catch something bigger than the small fish I got in the Aeolian Islands. So on Saturday afternoon I grabbed the lure fishing gear and headed to a bay which has a number of deep water marks where I had caught a few sizable pollock last year.

Although the bay was sheltered from the westerly wind the sea was still very choppy and the water rather coloured. I tried a couple of deep gulleys first without a bite. Then close to high tide I moved to the western end where there is a deeper embayment. I tried a range of soft plastics (Xlayers, Slug Gos, Wave worms, Senkos) and a few small metal lures but there was not a hint of a fish. I was almost going to pack up but had one last try with a yellow tailed jellyworm. I cast it out to sea, parallel to the side of the embayment. On the second cast I was hit by a strong fish which was pulling downwards - it had to be a pollock. It keep deep all the way in and fought strongly as I pulled it up. It was a 52 cm fish, weighing just over 3 lb.

I then tried the jellyworm in a deep gulley at my feet and a few casts later it was snatched by another strong fish. This stripped some line before I got it under control and fought well until I eased it on to the rocks. This was a larger chunkier pollock, 58 cm in length and weighed just over 4 lbs

A little later I had another pollock on the jellyworm from the same gulley. This was much the same size as the first at 52 cm.

Shortly afterwards a torrential rain shower started. I fished on a little longer but by 5.20 pm decided to pack up. So despite all the expensive SPs I got all the fish on the cheapest lure in my collection. A few years ago I got a packet of 12 of those yellow tailed jellyworms for about 3 euros!!!