The way back and Skye impressions...

So for the last morning on Skye I decided to visit the mark where it all began so to speak.. The winds turned northerly and this coincided well with the mark I wanted to fish in Elgol, as it is South-facing.
After a short drive I was at the mark. I picked up the finesse/medium gear and hiked to the rocky point. I decided to use the finesse gear despite the previous losses from the other days as it turns out that Elgol is one of the few marks that I encountered on the island where such gear can be safely and effectively be used for the pollock. This is because of the mark's layout being a headland with a vertical cliff and only a few bits of reef further out. Most fish are caught close in and they are easy to fight since you're standing vertically on top of them as long as the line is kept away from the rocks. As the weatherman predicted the wind was brisk but on my back and I even had some sunshine at times which made me uncomfortably worm in my waterproofs.
I fished only with cheburashka and the AGM paddler grubs and before long the pollock started coming.
Below some pics and the video of the action.

A good start!

Stunning view..

In all it was the best fishing trip I did this year and I honestly cant wait to visit Skye again. So much so that I'm even thinking of moving there! A true fishing paradise and below I leave you with some notes, observations and thoughts about fishing on Skye, especially pollock fishing.

• HRF and stouter bass gear such as 8'-10' rods of 7-23g to 10-30g along with 3000 reels are the most suitable for most of the marks I fished at. Very little room for true finesse with few exceptions such as eg Elgol. 
• 1.5 PE braid for mainline was just about right but more importantly the leader should be fluorocarbon and around the 15lbs breaking strain.
• Metals with assist hooks of 15-30g a must! And plenty of them (slow jigs, inchikus etc included).
• Articulated jigheads/cheburashkas of 10-15g again extremely useful but don't overlook the good old Texas/Carolina.
• Use good quality hooks. Sizes #1-2/0.
• Slim paddletails of 3"-4.5" proved the most successful lures but 4" curly-tailed worms along with 4"-5" stickbaits very useful when fish are in a subdued mood. Large stickbaits on Salty Bait picked the larger fish and avoided the coalies/mackies and smaller ones. Colours should be natural as the waters are crystal clear but also some 'warmer' colours should be taken for when the water is churned up after storms or on windy days etc.
• Didn't find tide times that critical to success but time and especially light levels were very important factors with fish feeding hard every day before dark.
• Wind direction and swell are the major factors to consider in order to determine which marks to visit. I stuck to marks sheltered form the wind and waves and had good results all week. Since Skye is an island its not hard to find a sheltered mark no matter where the wind is coming from.
• When the open coast is pounded by the waves, kelpy, protected bays nearby where my best bets.
• Even unlikely looking, shallow marks on Skye can provide big fish!
• Need to get a plastic lip-gripper as my thumbs were shattered by the end of the trip and useless for days after!
• I should have taken some surface lures! Especially sinking poppers as I'm sure they could work very well in those shallow marks... 
• The lack of codling was very peculiar as some of the deeper marks should have been teeming with them...
• It is obvious that the more well known marks will provide less than the 'untouched' ones, as pollock are an aggressive species and show their presence quickly. But with a different/finer approach good results will come as even the most pressured mark in Skye is better than most of our marks down here!
• Energetic presentations were largely more effective than slower ones but in tough days finesse ruled.
• Water/windproof clothing along with studded/cleated boots are essential for fishing Skye.
• Accommodation in the warmer months should be booked well in advance and preferably somewhere central (such as Portree) so that its easier to reach most marks.

Thanks for reading and Tight Lines!


Gear used.
Rod:  MC KG Evolution, KGS-832ST 2.53m, 3-15g.
Reel: Shimano Stradic ci4 2500f
Mainline: Duel Hardcore X4 PE 0.8
Leader: P Line Halo fluorocarbon, 10lbs
Lures: 3.25" AGM Paddler Grubs on 12g Cheburashka.