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

Run and gun!

This weekend saw me adopting the run and gun tactic in order to cover as much ground as possible (and new locations) and catching as many species as I could.. Moreover I wanted to finally break my blank streak in the freshwater side and more specifically catch a fish in Loch Awe!
Thus I used mainly 'searcher' lures aiming to find the most active fish fast and cover vast distances. The lures comprised mini spoons, spinners, blade baits and some soft plastics perfect for power fishing.
My plan for Saturday was to visit Loch Avich first for a crack at some trout, then go down to the northern side of Loch Awe again searching for trout, following this I wanted to try at the Taynuilt pier in Loch Etive for a chance of sea trout and finally finish the day at my mark in Bonawe aiming at the pollock.
The morning seemed promising with overcast sky and little wind. I reached Loch Avich and was looking forward to finding some trout. Not knowing the loch's features I decided to wade and fish some bays with stream mouths running in them, hoping to find some vegetation. There was no surface activity and after wading for more than a mile of the bank without a touch (and falling in the water/getting my smartphone wet) , I decided to go to Loch Awe.
Again I focused near stream mouths and steep drop offs near them but it wasn't meant to be and I got no bites. I was getting frustrated but I was hell bend to catch myself a trout and tried the pier at Taynuilt near the mouth of the River Awe. On reaching the pier I noticed the tide was out and decided to wade here as well. I was using my new rod and reel (Majorcraft Crostage CRK-T782AJI, Mitchell Mag Pro Lite 1000) and a 5cm Hansen stripper spoon. I saw some action in the water and had a couple bumps but then I realised there was an otter around and the fish weren't feeding well. After a while the otter moved away and I made some casts near some vegetation. I got a bite and then another one and hooked a small brownie that gave a good scrap on my setup. I let the little guy go and continued fishing. I then lost another one that threw the hook on a jump and finally got another small trout only this time the fish was looking more like a sea trout, silvery and with only a few red dots. There were no pics unfortunately as the phone was still drying out!

Loch Avich.

 I then moved to my final mark and was very keen to try a different approach to the pollock. I knew that the water was coming in at the natural harbour at this time and the pollock usually sit at the entrance, ambushing whatever comes in with the current. I was going to use small blade baits (metal vibration) cast 'upstream' and worked on the bottom with the flow. I was trying to mimic more of a prawn type bait then a fish with short sharp flicks and pauses to get the lure back to the bottom. I also used the Ecogear ZX 35 blades that also look like a shrimp and I was sure the pollock would oblige..
And oblige they did with many fish falling for this little blade some good ones among them as well. Again sorry about the bad pics but the phone had just dried out a bit but there was still some moisture on the lens left..

I found it was better to wait a bit on the strike for better hooksets with the ZX.

Coalies like it as well.

This one with lamprey markings?

Today I was going to visit Loch Awe again albeit on the Southern shore aiming once more at the trout and later planning to fish some shallow bays for a chance of a pike since they are now spawning.
I picked my UL gear and set on spinning with small spinners and spoons while walking along the shoreline. It was a bit later in the day than I wanted but last nights clubbing had taken its toll! Not much was happening until I found some weedy areas and even then I only got a couple follows from small fish and bumps. I had walked a long way from my starting point and was thinking of stoping and accepting defeat for one more time... I decided on a few more casts and I also changed to a slightly larger (#2) golden spinner. On the end of the retrieve I saw a big silver fish smash my little spinner and I knew this was no trout.. I had hooked and was face to face with the king of the rivers, a shiny salmon of almost a meter not three meters away from me! The fish didn't go on a run instead it moved slowly up and down the shore with me following it and being unable to do anything.. This went on for a few minutes and I got impatient and tried to coax the fish a bit closer. This seemed to wake up the fish and with a couple flicks of its tail took around 20m of line! I noticed the drag was a bit tight but didn't think of loosening it as the line held... Then the fish went on a second even more powerful run and the line parted... I was left speechless and utterly devastated .. First for loosing the fish and secondly for leaving the spinner in its mouth. I fell on my back and stayed there for a few minutes cursing my bad luck for losing the fish of a lifetime.. After that I had no more interest in continuing fishing there and decided to try in the bays for pike and hopefully get luckier there.
I got my medium gear and put on my trusted 13cm Savagear soft 4play mounted on the offset hook but with a treble attached to it. I kept only one of the tungsten weights on as I wanted the lure as light as possible since I would be fishing in very shallow and weedy water.
I waded in to get a good cast and worked the lure in a sink and draw fashion with plenty of twitches of the rod tip. The first bite didn't wait long and it was a hard one. The fish wasn't big but it put on an excellent fight with strong runs and two spectacular jumps clear off the water! Finally I hand-landed a well conditioned jack of about 2.5kg. I kept moving and saw some disturbance in the vegetation near the shore. The pike were definitely there spawning and I hoped to get a female. In another long cast and I got a solid take not long in the retrieve and this time the fish felt much better. Strong slow head shakes showed that this was the fish I was looking for.. The pike didn't run but instead kept going left and right keeping resistance by using its body, but as soon as it came near the shore it started fighting harder and did a few runs. Slowly but surely I was gaining on it though and in the end I managed to slip my hand under its chin and pull her out and on to some grass. She was an absolute stunner and possibly my PB, unfortunately I had left both the measuring tape and the scales in the car! I used the rod for a size estimate and the fish almost reached the first guide so It looks like near the magic metre mark! To be honest I didn't even bother looking closely and examining the fish as I wanted to put her back in the water as soon as possible since the long fight had tired her. After a couple minutes she was gone with a couple powerful strokes of her tail.. I was very happy with this fish but unfortunately it was not real consolation for the lost salmon..

The first jack.

A beauty!

The eye of a predator.

Shallow bays are the best spots in Spring.

Feeling full of the days fishing I decided to head home and go for a curry with my brother in Fort William. After the curry I tried some lrf on the pier wanting to see what was out there. And after a few casts the coalies started coming! I was focusing mostly near the bottom and close to the walls as I was hoping for a sea scorpion since Ive never caught this fish before. A few casts later i get a bite and after striking some resistance without the crazy coalfish dives. And I finally did it! My first scorpion fish and a very pretty one too with  an almost fluorescent yellow belly.. After this fish I couldn't ask for anything else and headed home..

Coalfish always there for some action!

My first one!

Amazing colours.

What a weekend that has been! If only I had landed that salmon I would be the happiest man on earth.. I'm sure it will haunt me for the rest of the summer...

Tight lines

Gear used.
Rod: Major Craft KG Evolution KGS-832ST 2.53m, 3-15g, Majorcraft CRK-T782AJI
Reel:Shimano Stradic ci4 2500f, Mitchell Mag Pro Lite 1000
Mainline: Seaguar Kanzen braid 10lbs, Sunline siglon fluorocarbon, 4lbs
lure: various

Trying for more.

The past week I tried to cramp in as much fishing as I could, due to the weather being fair and wanting to try more spots. I put in a couple of night sessions without finding the target species I was after, that being cod, but managed to get a few pollock to avoid the blanks.
On Saturday I went on my usual mark in Loch Etive and was planning to target the pollock at the mouth of the basin and then move further up the coast towards some marks I found on Google Earth. I got a codling at first and then a nice pollock of 53cm that gave an excellent fight!
I decided to move straight after this fish to check the new marks as I was pretty happy with the session so far. After a bit a of a walk and a hike down the rocks I could see there was a good depth in the water with plenty of kelp close in. After a few casts I realised the depth was considerable and was hoping for something special but I got no bites in the deep. Instead I caught two codling when the lure was almost vertical on the base of the rocks. Obviously the codling prefer the structure and feed where the rocks meet the silty bottom. The light was fading fast and I decided to go back at the basin for a last crack on the pollock but only managed a couple small ones. In several other night sessions I have found mostly smaller pollock while the bigger ones feed closer to sundown.
On Saturday I tried again at Loch Awe for trout but again had no luck although I saw some small fish near the shore and that gives me hope for the following sessions. In the evening I went up Etive again but with no luck this time.
Overall Im satisfied with the results except on the freshwater side but I will intensify my efforts there soon. The new marks in Etive definitely need more sessions to see if something better comes out from there but the fishing is getting better.

A lovely pollock!

Steep drop offs should provide the surprise..

Codling are always near structure and kelp.

Massive mouths!

Night pollock.

I have been mainly using different variations of double lure rigs fishing hard on the bottom. I prefer to use Berkley Gulp or  Ecogear aqua bait as the main lure and adding smaller fluorescent soft plastics as teasers. In this way I combine scent and something appealing to the eye as well. Appears to be working well and I'm hoping I'll soon get some larger codling on it.
If weather stays calm again this week I'll try and finally get a freshwater fish somewhere!

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: double lure rigs
lure: Berkley gulps mostly

Finding the culprit...

As I mentioned on my previous post, I had problems with fish cutting the thin fluorocarbon mainlines I use and at the time I thought they were bigger pollock.
Trying to get to the bottom of this I visited the loch again a couple days later for a session with my medium rock fishing gear and much stronger rigs. More over I was starting to doubt that these fish were pollock as Ive caught plenty of good sized ones after long fights with the lure lost in their mouths while the line held... Something else was going on and I had to find out what...
The day was horrible with strong wind and constant rain, quite heavy at times, but I knew the fish would be there. I started fishing with a 4" Berkley Sandeel on a texas jighead and on the first cast something picked it OTD and shoot off taking some drag.. Moments later it was off cutting the line.. I could not believe my bad luck and tied an articulated jighead with a 3" Berkley Gulp Baitfish (was using 7lbs line) after some more casts I got a poor cod, then a pollock and then lost another fish that bit the line clean.. I was clueless and really frustrated..
In addition to the lost fish the weather turned even more sour and I was already soaked through.. I persevered but after a small coalfish I had to go home as I was gonna get frostbite or something!
Back home I thought about all the fish I lost and their behaviour etc in order to get all the pieces together and figure out the best approach.

Plenty caught like this yet the line held..

The coalfish was no consolation...

The lost fish seemed quite large, prefer larger baits with strong smell and bite better when there is some wind. My thoughts were that I'm dealing either with some larger codling or Spurdogs (?!).
Knowing that both these species prefer to feed at night, I decided on a night session.
Yesterday I got the opportunity as I finished relatively early from work and headed up the loch. I reached my mark and the conditions seemed good with little wind and the tide slowly starting to ebb. I put on a light wire trace made from my favourite Knot 2 Kinky and a 5g articulated jighead with a 3" Ecogear Aqua Bug Ants as these lures have a particularly strong scent. I started making long casts and working the lure on the bottom with short flicks and twitches to mimic a fleeing prawn or crayfish. After some casts I got the first bite but I reacted too quickly and didn't hook the fish. This happened a couple more times before the bites drying up and then I changed to the Berkley Gulp Baitfish. The pack I had was fluorescent and with a charge from my head torch I cast it into the depths. A few casts later and I got a subtle bite. I let it develop and feeling weight on the rod tip I struck and set the hook. I got good resistance and the fish was taking drag but it wasn't like the crash dives of pollock, slower fight and with some head shakes. The fish came up and it proved to be a much better codling than the ones I get during the day. Around the 4lbs mark with a huge mouth! I thumb-held it to let it go back and then saw blood on my thumb from its teeth so I'm pretty sure that this is the culprit of the cut lines.. I continued fishing a bit longer and after losing what felt like another codling I got a small pollock and decided to call it a night..

The main rig used.

Fatty!

Big mouth!

What became apparent is that most of the little fish are not active at night ant the bigger ones come out. This makes for a more boring fishing without all the little bites but also more rewarding in terms of fish size. These fish seem to clearly prefer smelly lures and a slower presentation bumping the bottom. Both the Ecogear aqua and Berkley Gulp draw bites and the fish seem to be happy munching them for a while so I'll try and give them more time before strikes next time. Again a little glow in the lure draws the fish but scent seems more important at night.
I was quite pleased with the result of my first night session up here and I'm sure there will be many to follow with hopefully even more predators of the night.

Thanks for reading!


Gear used.
Rod: Major Craft KG Evolution KGS-832ST 2.53m, 3-15g
Reel:Shimano Stradic ci4 2500f.
Mainline: Seaguar Kanzen braid 10lbs.
Rig: K2K trace articulated jighead
lure: Berkley gulps mostly.

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".

More action and then a blank!

A few days ago I visited Loch Etive again for my weekly fish-fix. I arrived at the loch around mid day and although there was a strong breeze coming down, I was not disappointed as I thought to use the wind to my advantage. So I started fishing near the start of the basin and was planning to make casts towards the middle of it and allow the lure to sink on a tight line and be drifted by the wind. The casts weren't very long but fish seemed to be holed up quite close in. I fished a 2g jighead and a 2" Sakura AJ worm as it was heavy enough to cast but also light enough to be moved by the wind in a controlled manner. Moreover the AJ worm is of glow material something that Ive found to really attract these deep water fish.
As soon as the lure hit bottom it got attacked most times and although I was using nanofil instead of fluorocarbon, I was usually able to tell when the fish bite by the line movement changes. The reason why I didn't go to fluorocarbon was because I intended for the line to be lighter and easier to move with the wind. Fish started coming thick and fast with codling and pollock dominating the catches.

Id never think codling were so aggressive!

After a while I got my fair share of these little fish and I decided to move towards the mouth of the basin to target the larger pollock with the Carolina rig. I followed the same tactic like last time where I would cast near the opposite rock wall and let the rig fall on tight line. The fish weren't as aggressive as last time but they seemed to commit a few turns in the retrieve after the fall. I got plenty of fish close to a pound along with a nice fish of around 2.5lbs that fought superbly but lost a much better specimen after it manged to chafe and cut the line on it teeth. I was not using fluorocarbon as a leader opting for a strong mono but alas it doesn't have the abrasion resistance of braid. Lesson learnt...
I also got a bonus species as a little trout attacked the lure just as I was retrieving it fast to get it over some weed and out of the water!

What else will I catch in there?!

A good fighter.

The next day and after getting my license I went for my first freshwater session in Loch Awe. A truly awe-inspiring loch that I'm sure holds some good fish although it may take some searching.. I fished for a few hours changing several spots but without seeing any action.. Although there were dead insects in the water, I saw no surface activity and I guess Ill have to persist..

Loch Awe at the Castle.

beautiful place.

Lets see what this week brings..

Tight lines

Gear used.
Rod: Awa Shima Qlite spin, 1-5g, 2.40m
Reel: Mitchell Mag Pro1000
Mainline: Berkley nanofil, 6lbs
Rig:carolina, jighead
lure: slim glowing lures proving very effective.