The Springtime grind...

Was contacted by some lads coming on holiday to Skye, for some guiding over the weekend and I managed to make it happen yesterday. Forecast was surprisingly good but it deteriorated on the day (sigh!). Nevertheless I decided to get Dale and his large company (7 people in total) across to the island in two loads. 

We got settled and set off for the first mark of the day.  I informed the guys that as we're getting into the spawn now, it would take persistence to coax them out. Usually when they are spawning,  you get sessions with immature fish and a couple larger prespawners if they can be bothered to bite. We used mainly loud colours and metals throughout the day and we started getting some small fish straight away.  

Keen group...

On a productive rocky outcrop.

It took a while for quality to improve but Dale did it with a plump female that took his 60g metal OTD. This proved to be the fish of the day too and went back to the drink after a good fight. A few more eater-sized fish were caught but there was no real pattern. Most of the guys caught (and lost) fish throughout the day but even though conditions were good, you could feel the change from a few weeks back where even while there was a swell and big tides, the fish were more aggressive and there was a discernible pattern.

Man of the day.

The highlight of the day was when one of the guys caught a tadpole fish on a slow jig!

It's the first time I saw one alive and couldn't believe it went for a metal!!! Told the lad to go get a lottery ticket because he wouldn't get another one like that in his life... For the story, it was caught in about 23m water in an area with underwater caves and lots of boulders. It took a 40g pink slow jig.

Unbelievable!

Young gun.

Soon enough the session came to a close. The wind had really picked up and it got a bit hairy (wet more accurately) when leaving the island. We all got back at the slipway in the end and we said our goodbyes. The guys were proper troopers and hopefully they'll be back in better weather.

I think I'll only go for another session if conditions are perfect otherwise I've got too many projects that needing completion just now. 

Tight lines.

A whiff of Summer and time for Light Game!

The temperature has been slowly but steadily rising lately and yesterday I got the chance for an afternoon session on the rocks. Felt like a good opportunity to try out my new Light Game travel rod, the MajorCraft Crostage CRX-784LG. I have been looking for ages into something that could cover a larger variety and weights of light lures than the usual 7ft 0.5-5gr LRF rods as from my experience when holiday fishing you need to be more flexible.
Was on the rocks by about 16:00 and had another hour till high tide. The place was alive with birdlife and I was sure I'd find plenty of coalies to have fun with.
As I was expecting fish to be slightly deeper still, I put on a 13gr Breaden Metalmaru, a prawn imitating lure that casts well and works well with slow retrieve and light jerks. Also, it has a nice fall due to the little spinner at the tail.
Within the first couple casts, I got hit OTD near the bottom! The fish felt heavy and it clearly wasn't the intended target. I seemed to have located a group of medium-sized pollack that would intercept my metal lures (lost the metalmaru on the third fish 😭).  For some reason, fish tend to hit better OTD early on in the season and I find that the fall rate is a very important factor...

A handy little lure for finicky fish.

Seeing that there were larger fish in the area I took out the heavier gear and put on a 30g pink slow jig. I thought that it was still a small profile yet it was a slimmer model and sunk faster than the usual wide slow jigs. I suppose that the faster slow rate along with the pink colour might have put off the fish as I didn't get a single bite after 20mins of covering the same area!
I decided to switch to a more natural coloured (blue) jig, yet heavier (50g) but with a slower fall due to the wide shape. Also, this jig had more action during the retrieve. I was thinking that the most important factor was the slow fall and natural look of the lure and after a few casts over already-covered ground, I got a hit and soon after landed a decent fish.

It's a jungle down there...

After another one on the heavier gear, I decided to switch back to the light rod as its just so much more fun and I was sure that the coalies wouldn't be too far..
After a few more pollock landed and lost I started to get hits up in the water column and towards the end of the retrieve... Finally, the coalies were in and I managed to get a few nice ones!

Note the light lip hook..

Decent sized pollock..

And decent sized coalies...

The rod was made for fish like this one!

Cant wait for surface action!

What surprised me was that most of the fish were neatly hooked on the lips and at times only from one hook of the treble... Most missed hits didn't follow up and also a few fish got unhooked during the fight... Also, plenty of fish still with lice and worms on them...This leads me to believe that the fish though relatively well grouped, weren't actually feeding very aggressively and the 'attractiveness' of the light presentation was what made them commit. Reckon a few more weeks and they will be in proper form!
I have to say that I was very impressed with the rod... Its medium actioned and bends nicely into those better fish while still having a very sensitive tip that lets you know what a 4g blade is doing 20m down. It was more comfortable with metals up to 13g and even though its rated to 15g, its a much slimmer rod and definitely Light Game oriented than for example my KGS-832st.
Can't wait to get it for some adventures back home and elsewhere!
Ill be uploading a video of the day soon where the rod's action can be clearly seen.

Tight Lines!

Gear used
Rod: MajorCraft Crostage travel CRX-784LG
Reel: Shimano Stradic 1000Fc
Mainline: Duel Hardcore x4 PE0.6
Leader: Toray Excellent fluorocarbon 6.8lbs
Lures: Breaden Metalmaru 13g and various metals under 10g.

The fish of 1000 casts...

As the title says, one day after my very productive session on Neist, I went to a mark in the South and really struggled... The conditions changed drastically and although it was still sunny, the temperature dropped and we had strong Northeasterly winds. I arrived at the mark shortly after the high tide and after catching a coalie on the first cast with a metal, I had high hopes for this session. Unfortunately fish had a different opinion and for another two hours I got no fish.
I was fishing with my finesse gear, as this mark is one of a few up here that allows for it, and a few times I could feel some weird nibbles when the lure touched down along with a couple knocks OTD a couple times.  I went through various lures but in the end the simplest presentation with a naturally coloured (pumpkin/black flake) 3" Charlie Brewer Bass grub, on a 10g cheburashka did the business. I cast the lure at the entrance of a gully and felt a very light nibble. I worked the lure on the spot but the fish was just not taking. I then accelerated the lure and lifted it of the bottom and after a couple taps I finally felt a take! This was the hardest to convince pollock that I've ever caught!
This fish wasn't the largest or hardest fighting  pollock out there, but I felt truly victorious after I caught it...!
It just goes to show how finicky fish can get sometimes when the conditions are not as they like.

A wily pollock...

Tight Lines!

Gear Used.

Rod: Majorcraft KG Evolution Sensitive Custom KGS-862SC (2.62m, 4-18g)
Reel: Shimano Stradic Ci4 2500f
Mainline: Duel Hardcore x4 PE0.8 
Leader: Duel Hardcore Powerleader FC, 12lbs
Lure: 3" Charlie Brewer Bass grub on a 10g Cheburashka.

On the rocks of Neist...

Yesterday was another beautiful day here and I was glad that it was my day off! The wind was coming from the East and thus I thought it was time to visit the most well known mark on the Island...
In fear of the previous monster encounter at the last session I got the old gun out! (Tica Seha Graphite, 2.7m, 1/4oz1/2oz) a rod that's been with me for a long time and still going strong after some serious use and abuse...  I don't use this rod too much these days as its super-fast and lacks real finesse, but never thought of selling it either as there are times that it proves very useful. It is supposedly rated up to 1/2oz but in reality its a 10g-30g rod. I love my Japanese-actioned rods, be they seabass, mebaru, ajing etc but I don't think that most Japanese seabass rods cut it for serious pollock fishing, such as we have here. It would've been awesome if the Japanese had a similar species as they would probably have designed dedicated rods for them by now...!
Contrary to typical sea-loch marks (deep channels with rough edges, basins, deep rocky passes) most marks here are usually shallower and the Kelp is just thick everywhere and makes fish extraction much more difficult. Needless to say about the substantially larger fish sizes as well... Thus I'm on the lookout for a beefier yet still 'finessy' and sensitive enough  rod to allow the use of more delicate presentations. Until the time I find it though, the old gun will suffice!
And today it did just that. I fished mostly with 20g metals and added a sabiki teaser further up the leader as I heard of early mackerel showing up and wanted to maximise my chances.
I was fishing at about the high tide mark and I was soon in to some plumb coalfish... One of them was around 2lbs and put up a very energetic fight, although with a locked drag it couldn't do too much... On the LRF rods though it would've been a fight to remember!

A nice coalie.

I soon started getting double shots of coalies and pollock on the rig but most were of a small size. It took another 30mins when the tide was starting to move again till I got some better fish. Most bar one hit the metal jig and the vast majority of bites came O.T.D or soon after touchdown. Moreover although the fish were evidently in some numbers, they weren't feeding very aggressively as I had lots of missed takes and tentative bites. Their fights were largely unspectacular as well and this can only be due to the 'skinny' condition of these fish and the still cold water. Under the sun though, it was a glorious day and I was catching!

Double pollock!

A decent one on the teaser.

Bar of copper...

Best one of the day..

 After a while the bites started to dry up as the flow intensified and I thought it was time to move to another spot. Other than a coalie though I got nothing more and decided to call it a day and go get a bevy as I had quite alot of sun...
Below a video of most of the action, check out the doubles!

I think that this was about as much good weather we could get, so I'll probably be fishing in the rain and wind next week, I just hope that the fish play along!
Please don't forget to hit me up if you would like to sample some of the fishing here!

Tight Lines

Gear used.
Rod: Tica Seha Graphite, 2.7m, 1/4oz-1/2oz (10-30g actual)
Reel: Abu Garcia Soron STX40
Mainline: Duel Hardcore X4 PE 1.5
Leader: YGK Nitlon DFC fluorocarbon 20lbs
Lures: 20g metal jigs with added sabiki teaser on the leader.

The successor is here...

The first thing I did since returning from Chile was to find a new travel rod to replace my broken Savagear Roadrunner. Being extremely happy with my Spro Mobile Stick 80UL, I looked for something in the same range but with a faster action and heavier power. It didn't take me long to settle on the Mobile Stick 80MH Dropshot/mini crank (2.40m, 3-20gr). It took me a while to locate it, but after finding it on an e-shop in Germany, I duly ordered it...
the rod arrived within a few days and I was dying to try it out. On first impression it comes in a minimalist cloth bag with individual compartments and nothing more. But it is really tiny for a rod of this length. Shorter than the Savagear Roadrunner even though the latter was a foot shorter! Something that its very important for me as I can put the rod in the hand-luggage at the airplane...
I got my chance to use the rod a couple days ago in loch Fyne. I paired it with my newly serviced Shimano Stradic Ci4 2500 and I must say it felt pretty good in the hand.
Straight away I could see that it has a very different action to the almost parabolic 80UL. Much faster and with a stiffer tip as well.
The tide was going out and it was sunny but cold. I started the day by casting 7g metals but after only getting a couple knocks I switched to a 2.5 pearl white Lucky John Troutino (slim whip-tail) on a #4 offset hook and a 7g cheburashka. From the off I got bumps OTD and for the first time in the season I found the fish tightly shoaled and way off the bottom. I started retrieving at the number where I was getting bites (countdown) and soon enough got catching small pollock one after the other.
After missing a few bites, I switched to a plain 5g jighead and put on the same lure , in order to increase hook ups and as there was no fear of snagging up.
This did the job well and I caught a shed-load of small pollock.

First of many...

The little Troutino lure did a good job...

The biggest of the day on a stickbait.

The rod...

You can see the action of the rod in the video below.

After having enough of the little pollock, I switched to a variety of larger lures and got a slightly better fish on a stickbait mounted on a 3.5g Texas jighead. I then tried 4"+ curly/ripple tails on heavy cheburashka (14-16gr) hoping for some better fish. After loads of casts and only limited interest from more small fish I finally got two bites from something better but in both cases the line was cut soon after.
Throughout the day the rod performed well, working lures from 5-16g and casting them a good way. The tip is not solid (so I don't really understand why the rod has dropshot in its features) but very fast and transmits the bites very well. I would have liked it a bit softer (working with softplastics and all) but I'm thinking that it will be ideal for blades soon enough and also other hardbaits. Thus all in all a true all rounder, which is what a good travel rod should be!
I'm expecting great things from this rod and I hope it gives me as much enjoyment as its lighter counterpart that has been truly great value for money.

Tight lines!

Gear used.

Rod: Spro Mobile Stick 80MH
Reel: Shimano Stradic ci4 2500f
Mainline: Duel Hardcore X4 PE 0.8
Leader: YGK Nitlon DFC fluorocarbon, 8lbs.
Lures: 2.5" Lucky John Troutino, various others.

Fishing with stickbaits and senkos on the sea lochs.

Although I have now moved to Glasgow and I'm currently on my holidays. I managed to put a few sessions through before I left and I was pleased to find out that the fish were there till the end. One method/presentation, that although I used quite late in the season, provided me with some good fish was finesse fishing with soft plastic stickbaits/senkos. Therefore below I give a few points on the way that I've used them for my fishing here.

• Better used at areas that slope fast in good depth with plenty of rocks and kelp. Steep (bluff) rock walls, points and bays are all good locations
• Presence of current is advantageous. 
• Size 4"- 4.8" best for the fish I encounter most often in my marks. Big enough to attract the larger fish but also small enough to offer good hook ups with smaller fish.
• Size 2/0-3/0, 2-4g weighted wide gape offset hooks  most suitable for the best presentation in the deeper water. 
• For my slightly shallower marks (still deep by normal standards!) tungsten insert nail weights added near the lure's centre, may be a better choice than weighted hooks as they retain more of the lure's weightless action.
• Heavier lure models are easier to fish in these depths.
• Horizontal fall is paramount. Many bites OTD. 
• Slow retrieve not always the most effective. Mix and match will show how the fish want it.
• Colour not so important although the addition of sparkle/glitter seems beneficial.
• Heavily salted/scented and with added pork fat etc can give better results in tough days.
• Better to tie the knot straight to the hook for added sensitivity.
• Solid tipped rods have worked best for me.
• Added spinner blades (blink) can 'wake' fish up.

Some ways I rig them:

With added blink...

..It does work.

On weighted offset hooks, best for deep waters.

On standard offset or twistlock hooks with insert weights,
for the slightly shallower marks.

Work well as trailers on madais...

...And jigs.

And a couple videos of fish caught with them!

Overall these lures have consistently sorted the better fish for me and I have now added another card up my sleeve.  As I've mentioned before, they are not a method for every day or every mark, but in the right place they can regularly catch you the best fish.
The weather got noticeably colder the past few days and I don't know how this will have affected the fish up on the lochs. I'm planning a short visit though so I will soon find out..!

Gear used.
Rod:  MC KG Evolution,KGS-832ST 2.53m, 3-15g.
Reel: Shimano Stradic ci4 2500f
Mainline: Duel Hardcore 4x4 PE 0.6
leader: YGK Nitlon DFC fluorocarbon, 8lbs or P-line Halo fluorocarbon, 10lbs,
lures:4"-4.8" stickbaits.

Weird night game.

The title of this post refers to the behaviour of the fish I encountered yesterday night. I finished earlier from work and I went up to my Loch Etive mark while there was still light. I intended to use some blade baits until nightfall but there was little current as it was approaching high tide and after a few casts I decided to change lure. I tried a spinner and caught a small pollock but it wasn't until I put on a 2.8" Keitech Sexy Impact on a 3g jighead that things started to liven up. I got a couple fish OTD and in the retrieve before nightfall. It is new moon this week and the sky was very dark, but I persisted with my presentation to see what could be had as I was curious if fish would attack in such dark conditions and deep water on a small finesse bait.
I then witnessed the unusual behaviour I mentioned where the fish would hit the bait OTD or a few seconds after touchdown but not really on the retrieve. The lure would hit bottom and I would usually get a nimble bite straight on but if not and I started the retrieve either straight or with pauses and jerks not much would happen. The fish didn't seem to attack the bait but more like picking it off the bottom.
I hadn't encounter that behaviour before and I was surprised with how light some of these bites where. A couple times it felt like a very gentle and steady pull but I didn't manage to hook the fish so I'm not sure if it was the pollock. After a few fish I wanted to try some 3" Berkley Gulp Alive Shrimp that I recently purchased. I mounted the shrimp on a 3.5g football jig trying to show a larger profile without adding weight as the fish seemed fixed on very light lures. After a few casts it became apparent that the fish preferred the smaller/light presentation but I persevered hoping that something else or a larger fish would go for my lure and after a couple bites from small fish I felt a single tap and set the hook on a nice fish. It fought nicely making three powerful runs before I managed to land it. A nice pollock of 55cm. I then released the fish but it was tired and needed some reviving so I bend stepping on a rock to straighten the fish and then slipped right into the water! And of course the fish swam straight away...Typical..

Plenty of this size caught on a 2.8" Keitech Sexy Impact and 3gr jighead.

The Berkley Gulp Alive Shrimp on a jig.

.. It worked fine!

He really wanted it.

After getting soaked I kept fishing but didn't get any more bites so I called it a night.. I did hear some splashes though that I have to check out if they were from fish...

Thanks for reading and tight lines!

Gear used.
Rod: Major Craft KG Evolution KGS-832ST 2.53m, 3-15g
Reel:Shimano Stradic ci4 2500f.
Mainline: Seaguar Kanzen braid 10lbs.
Rig: jighead, jig
lure: Berkley gulp Alive shrimp, Keitech Sexy Impact

Going for the bigger ones.

I have had a couple sessions lately where I've been targeting slightly larger fish with the same lrf setup and the results have been turning out quite good as the fish seem to be feeding well. The main rigs and presentations I use are the long dropshot (40cm lead to lure), carolina rig and texas rig although not always with offset hooks as the light lines and big depths don't allow for easy hook-sets. Moreover I tried double dropshot rigs with teasers and had success on them as well. The main overall factor that determines the frequency of bites is unfortunately the weight of the rig and its sink rate as a result. I say unfortunately because they do prefer very light rigs (2g-3.5g-5g) and the wind up here gets funnelled up and down the loch and its always strong. Thus, the use of braid although advantageous in calm conditions in these depths and larger fish, doesn't work so well with the wind. Especially if we consider that so far many fish bite on the drop (OTD)..
The fluorocarbon mainline is the way to go here and I'm also going to try some over the 4lbs limit to see if they can bring better results when going after these larger fish. What troubles me is the 'behaviour' of thicker fluoro mainlines but I have to try them for the following reasons: I had a lot of tackle losses and also lost a couple good pollock that managed to cut the line as their teeth are more developed and chafe the line on even a medium drag..
As I have mentioned previously slim soft lures are proving to be the most effective and if they have some glow built in then its even better. Recently I have been using some 4" Berkley gulp sandeels that I had forgotten somewhere in my tackle bags, and the fish seem to go mad for them even though they are quite stiff.. Another very successful softbait, mainly for the pollock, is the 3" Jackall Mebaru Bushi Long in pink, but I do think that any lure with similar profile and a bit of glow would do good if presented right at these aggressive fish!
Bellow are some pics of the fish I got with the aforementioned setup and rigs.  Today I managed two nice pollock of about a kilo each but also lost a good specimen that cut the line..

On long dropshot and Berkley sandeel.

Lure disappeared!

This poor cod is almost the size of the lure!

Some codling here have very vibrant colours.

A good pollock

Their teeth are quite abrasive to the thin lines.

Another good one. Never get tired of them!

 Overall I think that the results are getting better and with some adjustments and tweaks in tackle and presentation I will find even more and better fish from this mark.. I think that this kind of lrfing for the medium sized fish is the more serious side of light game but also the most rewarding, both due to managing to fool the larger fish but also because of the fights that are spectacular.

Thanks for reading!

Gear used.
Rod: Awa Shima Qlite spin, 1-5g, 2.40m
Reel: Mitchell Mag Pro1000
Mainline: Sunline Siglon fluorocarbon, 4lbs
Rig:carolina, texas, long dropshot, double dropshot.
lure: slim glowing lures proving very effective, 2.5"-4".