Its been months now that I had my eyes set on a sheltered northern mark that is near some fish farm cages. I went to check it out last week but the weather was horrid and chose a different mark instead. Today after going to Neist and finding it too rough, I decided to try the new mark. The weather was largely dry but there was a persistent S/SW wind that made fishing uncomfortable. Nevertheless I got down to the rocks and started fishing opposite the cages (a good spot to fish in any area that has cages). I begun with a 30g Salty Bait tipped with a Gulp Sandeel. The casts weren't very far because of the wind and the depth there wasn't massive (15m approx). The ground was kelpy close in but after the first few meters the bottom dropped into broken reef.
After a few casts, I started getting sharp bites. I struck and felt the thumpy headshakes typical of a wrasse. Soon enough I had it on the rocks and then proceeded in catching a few more. Not something I expected on a windy afternoon in the middle of November! They were fairly concentrated but after getting a few and having a few shed the hook, the spot quietened down.
I decided to move to another rocky outcrop but this made getting fish up a bit tricky as access to the water was limited. Undeterred I kept fishing and caught another wrasse and some pollock. The latter were a pain to get in as I had to scramble down to the only access point to the water and in the process a few fish shed the hook or got me kelped...
Oh hello!
Pollock on heavy Texas rig..
A good presentation.
On the day I tested some new 28g tungsten weights that were just the ticket for tackling the wind...
I was also getting a lot of coalie-bumps on my lures and after a while I decided to play with them on the LRF gear and light metals. The mark seemed to hold a good head of them and soon I had some on the rocks intended for the pan..!
Scottish Aji!
Recently I purchased a Savagear Black Savage (what a name!) waterproof suit and also a Stormr Strykr jacket, so I'm now hoping to be well protected for my winter's fishing. Initial vibes from both items are very good and I will come back to them once Ive spent more time in them!😊
On my last days off, and after finally having the car back on the road as well as my heavier reels back from service, I really wanted to head to St Abbs again and tackle with the big fish that I lost on my previous session there with my friend Giorgos. The conditions weren't identical, as it was much colder now, but the winds were from the West and would change to Northeasterlies later on... I have always found that fishing just before such changes can be very productive and was hoping that this would happen again... It has to be said though that I wasn't expecting any great flurries of fish and was just counting on a few good bites throughout day.
I was going to fish from the low tide onwards and high tide was about 19:00. I reached the mark around 12 o clock and started hiking down the cliffs to a spot that I haven't fished before but looked good enough and was near my favourite rock ledge anyway.
Thankfully the rocks were dry and I didn't have any serious issues even though the studs on my boots were almost worn out. I did however realise that I should have carried some rope with me as there was a very fishy rock-point just out of reach... Maybe next time..
Bright sky early on..
Overcast and cold later in the day.
Nevertheless I started fishing with a 15g cheburashka, #1/0 offset worm hook and a 3'' Scalp Minnow by Crazy-Fish. I aimed for a protruding rock about 30m away and after a few casts, I got hit on the retrieve! I was retrieving over a reef and that's where the fish hit so my first thoughts went to a good coalie or pollock. Unsurprisingly the fish went straight into a snag and I pushed it too hard till I heard the line ping! In retrospect I should have let the fish come out but I was just too impatient...
After some more casts around, I decided it was time to move to my usual spot.
Its important to note that although cold, the place felt more 'alive' than last time, with plenty of seabirds and even a seal swimming about..
I reached my favourite spot after an energetic hike up and down the rocks and started fishing straight away. I tried some metals as well but had no joy and decide to get the 'secret weapon' out! Being nothing else than my favourite Salty Bait inchiku with Gulp Sandeel combo.
On my second cast I got hit soon after touch down and this felt like another good fish. After a couple strong runs and some drag I managed to bring it close enough to see colour, and I thought it was a good pollock, but then the fish made a last run into the kelp and got unhooked with the well known 'kelp leverage method'... My disappointment couldn't be described...
I soldiered on but the place went dead after that. Moreover the weather was already turning and it started raining. I headed off as I was concerned about my boot's grip again and started walking back to the car. On the way back I thought of doing a few casts from a ledge that I don't fish very often as its the one most heavily pressured (in summertime. I didn't see another angler in both sessions). I didn't even bother to take the camera and hastily put on a cheburashka and an old Berkley Pogy paddletail that I found in my lure box... As it happens I got a take on the first cast O.T.D! I gave the lure a pause and a twitch and the fish was on! It fought well but this time I took it easy and I soon had it at the base of the rocks. Now this spot is like a rock wall and very steep so I had to scramble down and perch precariously on a small piece of rock while trying to pull the fish up with the line. The line was just about holding and I managed to hoist a good pollock up to my feet. I held it there for a second while tying for a lip-grip but the fish wriggled and managed to throw the hook and back it went! I was left speechless! At least I got to see it and I touched the leader so it counts..lol
The 'lost trasure'!
I kept casting in the vicinity and then got snagged. I popped the rod a couple times and managed to set the lure free.. As I retrieved it back though, I got a good take and this felt like a very serious fish!
Unfortunately it threw the hook after a screeching run and I soon discovered why.. The hook point got blunt and bent from the snag!
Bellow the vid of the first two lost fish.
Lets just say that this wasn't my lucky day but despite the lost fish, I somehow felt positive. This maybe because I realised that all the fish were pollock and not the big coalies or cod that I was really after. It would have been soul-crushing if I lost a 5+lbs cod...
I believe that I'll give the East Coast a rest for a while, not because the fishing is not worth the effort, but because I believe it will be even more productive in a month or two, while the sea-lochs offer much more action right now.
Tight Lines!
Gear used.
Rod: MC KG Evolution KGS-902L, 2.7m, 7-23g.
Reel: Abu Garcia Soron STX 40
Mainline: Duel Hardcore X4 PE 1.5
Leader: YGK Nitlon DFC flouorocarbon 16lbs
Lures: 20g Duel Salty Bait/4"Gulp Sandeel, 15g cheburashka with 3" Crazy-Fish Scalp Minnow and 3'' Berkley Pogy.
The day before yesterday I was in two minds as to wether I was gonna go fishing this week. But seeing that the weather was getting worse towards the end of the week I decided on going even if I wasn't 100% committed. Next morning I headed for the train station only to find that many services were cancelled and the one that did make it was late jeopardising my bus trip to Loch Fyne... Moreover the train was absolutely crammed with people and I was just about to turn back and head home when I found some room to get in. After a power walk to the bus station (not my thing definitely!) I managed to get my bus and a couple hours later I was at Loch Fyne, that was looking calm and inviting. I suddenly felt much better for doing the trip (the nap on the bus helped) and was filled with anticipation for what was to come in this day's session.
It was about low tide, calm and with a slight drizzle. Very good conditions for this mark.
The plan for the day was fishing cheburashka and slim lures in the bottom for the codling that should be shoaling about now. Of course I wasn't gonna say no to any pollock or late season wrasse as well!
Despite my high hopes the session started very slowly as fish were being very picky and other than missing a bite from what felt considerable, I only managed poor cod and a couple small pollock for the first half of the day. I changed spot moving to the right arm of the harbour and by then the tide was half way in. Things started to get better though and after some long casts I started to encounter my target. Codling were there though not as bunched up as I would expect for this time of the year, but with perseverance I got the solid bite I was waiting for and after a dogged fight and with the fish taking me to the rocks a couple times, I managed to land the best codling of the day. A plumb healthy fish of approx 2.5lbs. Having not eaten cod for a while, I decided to keep this fish while I released all other codling caught.
Always greedy the poor cod..
First of the day.
A nice codling...
..deserves a second pic.
Video of the day.
Nightfall was soon approaching but the action only seemed to intensify, something that surprised me as usually things go relatively quiet soon after sundown. Not this time though and I speculate that fish are still in 'summer time mode' making the most of this settled weather. Moreover the incoming tide seemed to be a positive factor as well. After the last light, I moved closer to one of the few lamps on the harbour and changed presentation to a texas rig with a 8g cone weight, luminous bead and a #2 Decoy RS worm 101 hook. The lure of choice was a 4" Berkley Gulp sandeel.
I couldn't believe the amount of bites and activity and was really gutted that I didn't have much time since I had to get the bus back home, I made the most of it though and caught some more poor cod, codling and surprisingly pollock. The latter were very quiet today and only really switched on after dark. I love it when I get surprised in my fishing and learn something new!
Night pollock.
Still feeding hard after last light.
Eyes bigger than his belly..
I then took the bus home and made a lovely dinner of my codling and some poor cod. Overall I believe I made the right decision to go fishing!
Thanks for reading!
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: YGK Nitlon DFC fluorocarbon, 8lbs.
Lures: various 2.5"-3" slim paddletails, 4" Berkley Gulp Sandeels on Texas rig.
On the fourth day of the trip the winds died down and I realised that this was the opportunity I was waiting for to fish Neist Point. Thus on the morning, after treating myself to a full breakfast at the hotel I was staying, I made the drive back up to Neist point. I was relieved to see that the waves had mostly died down and also that the tide was only a small one as this has been mentioned to be a positive sign on this mark. Moreover the sun made an appearance at times making the day very pleasant for fishing.
I scrambled down the rocks on the right side of the Lighthouse and put on my last remaining Duel Salty Bait of 10g with a 4" Gulp sandeel mounted on the hook.
The mark has a good depth and more or less clear, hard bottom and the tide creates strong sideways current. I could feel my lure slowly being dragged on the bottom and for the most part I gave it only little movement letting it swing in an arc. After a few casts about, and having caught a mackerel and a coalie, I connected to a decent fish that took off like a steam train against a very tight drag. The mark's layout helped me in fighting the fish though, as I was high over the fish, and after a few less vigorous runs I managed to get a fine pollock on the rocks. This fish was followed by a few more good pollock until all went dead and it was time to move on.
Finally!
A nice one!
The inchiku/gulp kills..
I went on the other side of the lighthouse (the most visited) but although the water was looking equally fishy, I got no fish except a couple mackerel and coalies. I started walking and casting along the shore until I reached the south-facing side of the point. I got a couple decent pollock that were staging near the entrance to a large gully and then moved to the other side of the gully where it was overlooking the bay. A few more casts and I identified an area where the pollock were shoaled up. It was late afternoon by now and I suppose dinner-time for these pollock as I had a repeat performance of the previous day... Pollock after pollock attacking my shads without mercy! The water was a little cloudy from the previous days swell and I went for bright coloured lures that seemed to do the trick. One type of shad though slightly edged it on the bites. The 3.25" AGM Paddler Grub ones in bubblegum and silver glow. they resemble the classic Ecogear grass minnow although they are 'beefier' and the tail is triangular. The tail/paddle gives them only little lift comparing to other shad tail designs and thus they can be worked faster and more linear at a certain depth.
I lost count of how many pollock I got, most of them being of a good size with a few nicer fish as well. Truly hectic action!
The action camera failed me again as it run out of battery when the frenzy begun and I even got tired of taking pics after some point. I just let myself enjoy the session knowing that it will be a long while till I encounter something similar again.
A good spot.
First of many..
Bright coloured lures were the order of the day..
Serious fighter..
Extra strong hooks...
A truly memorable day... Neist point didn't let me down! Even though it must be noted that I wasn't strictly speaking fishing on the Point..
More over the fish seemed to wise up to a certain colour after a while (a long while!) but a change in colour kept them biting.
I fished till almost dark and then made my way to the car feeling completely satisfied with my days fishing. It was hard to bear that the next day I had to leave Skye and return home.
The video of the day (although the vast majority of fish are not in).
Tight lines!
Gear used.
Rod: MC KG Evolution KGS-902L, 2.7m, 7-23g.
Reel: Abu Garcia Soron STX 40
Mainline: Duel Hardcore X4 PE 1.5
Leader: P line Halo fluorocarbon 10lbs
Lures: 10g Duel Salty Bait/4"Gulp Sandeel, 12g cheburashka with 3" Long John and 3.25"AGM paddler Grub paddletails.
I woke up early next morning to be greeted by a fantastic view. The sun hadn't risen yet but everything looked perfect for a good start to the days fishing. I headed off on foot towards a peninsula that I saw on Google earth just a short walk away from the bay I was fishing the day before. The peninsula was more or less rectangular in shape and jutting out towards the northeast. I started fishing on the eastern point as it was overlooking a secondary bay adjacent to the one from yesterday. Although there was little wind, the sea was a bit rough and in these conditions I prefer fishing in sheltered spots as I believe pollock favour them then.
I could see baitfish on the bayside area of the point and I knew the pollock wont be far.
I started with metals and the pollock were on them form the start! The average stamp of these fish was around 3lbs but there were bucket loads of them and they fought hard and dirty.. The depth here was not great, maybe 6-7m at the end of the cast but the bottom was covered with kelp. I lost a few of my conventional metals and decided a Salty Bait/senko combo would be more suitable for this situation, as its relatively weedless, rises fast on the retrieve and offers a larger profile so that it could sort the bigger fish out.
And that it did getting a few good fish before something much larger got it and cut me off! This was going to happen again after I tied a 5" stickbait on a weighted 5g offset hook. The biggest mistake of this trip was not taking a thicker diameter leader fluorocarbon. Most of the marks here are very different to the layout of my marks in the sea-lochs and there's little room for true finesse and light game.. Although the 10lbs fluoro leader was adequate for the majority of fish, there were more instances that I would have liked were a thicker (just slightly say 12-15lbs) line would make things easier and decrease my losses.
From that point onward I tried to double up some length of my leader by making a loop and this did help a lot.
A perfect start to the day.
Magical...
Slow jigs were very successful but I lost most of them..
Salty Bait/senko combo..
Pollock love stick baits.
After loosing the two fish and also my only 5" senko as well as one of my two 10g Salty Baits (ouch!) I decided to move towards the northwestern point as it seemed deeper and also relatively protected by a small island. I picked the most forward looking rock to stand on and put on a 3" Crazy-Fish Vibro Worm (UV and scented) mounted on a #2 offset hook with a 16g cheburashka. I made a long cast and was surprised at the depth of the mark as it took more than 40 seconds to reach bottom. Moreover the current was strong and I could feel my lure moving very slowly. This seemed more familiar...
I started getting short 'snappy' bites and I was certain of the culprit. Cuckoo wrasse..
I sped up the lure as I didn't want to hook them in such deep water and was aiming for something better. As the lure reached closer I started a steady retrieve to bring it higher in the water column. This saw a fish attack and drag started singing! This felt like a very good fish and took line at will, but as I was fighting from an almost vertical angle, the fight was much easier to control and after a few more runs I got the fish up. I took a pic and quickly threw it back. I then got another decent fish but lost it at the base of the rocks I was standing, as I couldn't dislodge it from the kelp.
Having had enough of the pollock I drew my attention to the bottom species and started targeting the cuckoos. I would bring them in very slowly so they wouldn't puff up so easily. I caught a good number of females along with a lovely male over a pound. Such a beautiful fish!
In amongst the cuckoos I got a different take and a more solid 'cod-like' fight and was delighted to bring up a ling! My first for 2015. Always a joy catching these.
Apart from the cheburashka I also used my 30g Salty Bait tipped with a Gulp sandeel and this made the cuckoos even more willing to bite. of course I couldn't avoid the pollock altogether and some more were caught in surprisingly deep water. This caused problems with their revival and one fish wouldn't make it so I kept it.
A hard fighter.
Such a fun fish to catch..
Very aggressive.
These teeth!
A predator from the deep.
Cant escape them on Skye!
Vibrant colours worked well in the deep water.
I decided to head back to the car for a snack and also to scout another likely looking area for closing the day. After a bit of driving I reached Duntulum where the area looks good with cliffs and kelpy bays. I took my medium gear and fished some rocks and around boulders for wrasse but I only got a couple finicky plucks before switching to metals. A few average pollock and some nice coalies later and I decided to head off as I was going to spend the night in a hostel at Broadford and I had a good hours drive ahead of me. I would have preferred somewhere much closer but I didn't realise that Skye is still busy with tourists this time of year and almost everywhere was fully booked or very expensive!
On the way back I stopped at Portree and had my fish battered and fried at the chippy there. It was a great ending to a good days fishing as its hard beat fresh fish and chips. I also attracted some more customers to the chippy after they thought that the fish comes in that size.. lol
The shoreline near Duntulum.
A nice coalie.
Supper!
Below some videos.
Tight lines.
Gear used.
Rods: MC KG Evolution, KGS-902L, 2.7m, 7-23g. MC KG Evolution, KGS-832ST 2.53m, 3-15g.
Reels: Abu Garcia Soron STX 40. Shimano Stradic ci4 2500f
Mainlines: Duel Hardcore X4 PE 1.5. Duel Hardcore X4 PE 0.8
Leaders: P line Halo fluorocarbon 10lbs. YGK Nitlon DFC fluorocarbon, 8lbs
