Had another trip out on the inflatable, with my fiance this time and we managed to find some good fish yet unfortunately in an area full of seals. Again most fish were shallow (10-20m) and very aggressive, hitting on straight retrieve near the surface. Had a couple boils on a topwater but the most effective lures were 20-30g inchiku like the Duel Salty bait and Hayabusa Kick tail. She also managed a codling on handlined feathers.
Lovely pollock on a lovely day!
Claire's codling..
Hanging by a thread...
Nice bend...
Bingo!
Here's the video.
The good weather has continued and I had a go at LRFing for some flatties down the harbour. They were very keen on the isome baited cheburashkas and I enjoyed their spirited fights on 3lbs fluorocarbon straight through.
Full of character!
Average size.
Unusual colouration on the underside.
There are a couple more nice days on the forecast and I'm planning to go out again before the usual order resumes. This has been a very enjoyable week for sure!
Tight Lines!
Gear used on the boat.
Rod: Tailwalk Saltyshape Dash Power Rock S90H,
Reel: Shimano Stradic Ci4 2500f
Mainline: PE1
Leader: Daiwa Tournament FC fluorocarbon 20lbs
Lures: 20- 30g inchiku jigs
Had a short session the other day under a mostly blue sky and sunshine. I picked to be on the rocks around midday as we had big tides and the low tide mark was around 12ish. Thus I was thinking to emulate last session's results where most fish got caught around low tide (supposedly being put off by the strong current). This time as the swell was considerably lower, I started at a more exposed point that I know to hold good numbers of fish, though its very snaggy and losses are frequent. I was fishing the ML setup as I was thinking the fish to be sluggish due to now having the lowest water temperatures of the year (around 7.6C) and finesse should be applied.
Rigged up with a 16g cheburashka, #2/0 VMC 7316 TI 1x Strong Saltwater worm hook and a 5" B8lab Ultimate Strike Minnow in pink that I saw the other day and thought would do the trick as they're supple, slim, UV and scented.
I cast out and counted down the lure but got hit some way off the bottom OTD! After a short fight the pollock managed to unhook itself but the action didn't stop...
More fish followed and a couple managed to break me on the snags. I went through various paddletails in more natural colours as I felt they would be better under the bright sun. To be honest I don't think it made much difference and I kept getting fish while the tide turned and started coming in. The swell got stronger too and got hit by a couple stray waves but I was well prepared with my waterproofs (waterproof socks that work as well!) and kept fishing.
Seeing as the fish were aggressive, I put on a slow jig as well that got a few fish but it was clear that the sp's were more productive. Most of the fish were of a good size (3lbs+) and fighting them on the ML setup in such heavy structure isn't ideal but fun nonetheless.
As the current and swell intensified I changed to heavier cheburashka (20g) caught and subsequently lost a nice pollock while landing it, but eventually changed spot and went to my more sheltered one.
The fish kept coming there as well, and most of them seemed to be staging in a small area.
After some more fish, I put on a Hayabusa Kicktail metal and finished the session with a fat mama that made my drag sing!
Standard size..
Metals worked too..
Fat mama..
I really need to mention again how effective my new waterproof socks were... No more wet feet!
last week I mainly targeted Rubha Hunish and Neist Point. Results were pretty decent although Rubha Hunish didn't offer any larger fish. The bay I was intending to fish had wind blowing into it and I suppose this scattered the fish. I still had a great session and caught a variety of fish. Started with pollock and a beautiful cuckoo wrasse and ended with some decent coalies and mackerel that I kept for dinner... Below some pics and videos of the day.
A bit choppy...
Recaptured..
Even the little ones are fat!
Stunning...
The next day I visited Neist Point. I haven't been there for a while now as its just too crowded during the summer months but I was lucky on this occasion to have my preferred spot to myself.
I started with the classic Savagear Sandeel and it proved to be a steady producer for most of the day. Surprisingly metals didn't work very well on that spot (quite possibly fish got educated by overuse)...
After catching some decent pollock I switched to a Texas rig with 20g Tungsten bullet weight, a glass bead and a #1 offset hook. The lure of choice was the 4" Reins Curly Curly and I was intending to catch some wrasse since they have become very active lately. I started with long casts and soon enough managed some beautiful cuckoos from the deep while towards the end I got one nice ballan close in.
After a while I changed spot and it was there that I encountered a relatively usual situation when fishing crystal-clear water. As in the fish were there but they would prefer natural presentations and frequent lure changes. Some interesting observations can be seen on the video.
Below pics and videos as usual.
Such an iconic mark!
Decent fish as usual on Neist...
Yet another recapture...
Wheres the lure?!
A feisty ballan..
Kick Tail doing the damage on a day that 'normal' metals didnt do much...
So fat!
Lol! How is this always happening to my fish?!
What surprised me the most was that in both days I had a relatively high number of recaptures! On one side this is a positive thing as it means there's good C&R going on but in the other hand it means that I'm fishing for the same fish over and over. Considering the resident nature of pollock this shouldn't be too surprising but still Skye is a big place! I'm now even more convinced that for targeting the really quality specimens I should divert my attention to the hardest to get marks...
Somehow though I believe that there will be an influx of fish in the autumn months as they need to feed hard for winter...
Unfortunately, Ive noticed that this time of year the pollock fight hard and also may swallow the lure a lot. This makes reviving fish problematic (especially from the deeper marks) even when kept out of the water for a short time and the losses may be high. The best solution in my opinion is not to target the same mark often and to stop fishing after a few decent fish.
On both days I also tried the fabled Fiiish Crazy Sandeel (albeit on darting jigheads since I lost the original) as I was hoping they would be more durable than the Black minnow. Alas they were very effective as expected but only lasted a couple decent fish each..
Something else to note is the wrasse becoming more aggressive and in places that I would get only a couple of their bites I now get loads! A dedicated wrasse-only session is on the cards soon. But first it will have to wait as I'm going on holidays back home on Monday and already cant wait to visit my old marks and finally get some good weather and sunshine! Will be taking the action camera too so I hope to get some cool footage in salt and freshwater...
Tight Lines!
Gear used.
Rod: Majorcraft KG Evolution Basic KGS-902L, MajorCraft Solpara SPS-1002LSJ, 3.05m. max 50g
Reel: Daiwa Freams 2500,Shimano SW Biomaster 4000XG
Mainline: YGK G-Soul WX8 PE1.2, YGK G-Soul X3 PE1.5
Leader: Duel Hardcore Powerleader fluorocarbon 20lbs and 25lbs
Lures: Various
On my days off I covered my usual areas as the weather again wasn't the best.. It has to be noted that the pollock fishing hasn't been on fire lately, something that I've tended to note every year around mid-summer and blame the overabundance of prey-fish for the slow sport... This time of the year fish are far more picky than usual and will feed energetically at only specific times. Usually early mornings are such a time but with the rainy weather we've been getting I just cant get my ass out of bed so early! Moreover slim profile lures are now the best type to use but even then the number of fish is markedly smaller than what it was a few weeks ago...
On a positive note though, more species have finally appeared with the mackerel especially showing in good numbers in some marks.
With that in mind I knew I had to cover a few areas to get some decent fishing and that I did!
I started on Wednesday fishing at one of the Southern marks and things seemed to be going well with pollock from the off. They soon quietened down though and the mackerel started... Moreover I caught a lovely short spined sea scorpion with the most vivid red colour I have ever seen!
Towards the end of the session I had an even greater surprise when, after changing lure to a metal, I caught a nice sea trout!
Below some pics and the video of the session.
A beauty!
And another beauty!
On Thursday I started the day by visiting a shallow kelpy mark with the intention of trying a new rod out (Lucky Craft ESGII 971 XHXXF, 9'7" 3-30g). I got this rod to be used mainly with hardbaits and after catching a couple fish I decided to head home and have a break as things were very quiet around low tide.
Later in the afternoon I visited Neist Point (after a while) but unfortunately the weather turned really bad and after a nice 2.6kg first fish, things slowed to a grind.. The rain intensified but I soldiered on for a few more fish taken at range and in deep water. Too much effort for little reward but you never know... I was again let down by my waterproofs as i got soaked to the bone again and also my smartphone stopped working... These issues will be addressed seriously soon...
Something else to add is that most of the fish came on the Hayabusa Kicktail and the biggest one on the lovely slim Hayabusa Jack Eye D-Slide (from an area already covered by another angler) and I speculate that the slim (sandeel) profile along with its exacerbated irregular fall are the cause...
A serious fighter...
The video.
A great couple days in all and I'm glad I got the camera working again!
Last week I had the rare opportunity to go on a boat with my mate Dylan. He had just bought a boat in Lochmaddy and was meant to get there by ferry and then return with the boat to Skye.
Without a second thought I agreed to go with him (obviously with fishing-stops included) and we were very lucky to have very good weather.
On reaching Lochmaddy (North Uist), the first thing that struck me, were the cliffs surrounding the inlet and the many rocks in the bay on the way to the harbour. I now knew where my first fish-stop would be later on...
After waiting for a while for the boat to arrive and getting it in the water, we jumped in and set off. The outboard was only a small one, and the trip across would take most of the day but we were well provisioned and enjoying the fine weather.
We had a sounder on board and it was my first time trying out such equipment. It was only a basic one but it clearly showed the depth and bottom contours and proved to be extremely useful..
We stopped on the first fishy looking rock and I told Dylan to get close enough so that I could let a few casts. I tied on a 30g Salty bait with a 4.5" Sluggo for a trailer and cast near the rock. The current was strong but the lure didn't have time to sink for more than a few seconds before it was intercepted by a fish! A short fight later and a pollock was on the deck. This fish was followed by many more in varying sizes. They were practically stacked around the rock and feeding actively. I couldn't believe how easy it was and to be honest I now realise the great benefits of having a boat... I do love my rock fishing but this was just pure fun and no effort!
One of many from the rocks at Lochmaddy.
Salty bait and Sluggo. lethal combination.
So much fun!
Decent scrapper!
Fish on!
Go back!
After spending about 20mins on the rock, we decided to move as there were too many areas on the way that I wanted to cast a line at!
It took us a few hours to make the crossing and we then hit Waternish Point. This is an area Ive yet to fish, but with clear potential (as so many other similar areas on Skye!) that I just haven't gotten around it yet. We noticed large shoals of sandeels in the sonar and I started picking up some fish. The usual pollock but also s few mackerel and coalies that were trailing the sandeel shoals.
Waternish Point..
A very welcome mackerel..
..and a nice coalie!
Again we didn't spend too much time there as it was getting late by now. We headed towards Uig and after passing next to the cliffs, I identified a hump in about 30m depth and thought to make a couple casts. I had a 30g Hayabusa Kicktail on and casted out over the hump with the intention to bounce it on the bottom back towards me and over the hump. Soon after touchdown though I felt weight and habitually struck. The rod tip stayed down and after briefly thinking I was stuck, I felt the 'snag' move and heard the drag letting of line at a slow, constant pace. This was very similar to the 'thing' that took much of my line a few months ago but I thought now I had a good chance of seeing what it was..
I fought the fish for well over an hour and chased it with the boat a few times. I managed to get it off the bottom twice and on the second time I brought it to a depth of about 12m and we could clearly see it on the sonar. Moreover it seemed to have company as another shape followed it up! The fish refused to come up though and made another near unstoppable and determined run, although it felt slower this time and seemed to spend more time in a single place on the bottom. Unfortunately we were loosing light and the wind was picking up. Unprepared for navigating at night (no lights) I tried to hurry the fish and tightened the drag more. This lead to the leader breaking at the knot and my second chance of landing the 'Skye monster' was lost...
After that I lost all appetite for fishing and we went straight to the harbour.
I'm now 99% sure it was a common Skate and I'm surprised it took the inchiku lure (there was no fish caught on this time). They are clearly more predatory than I thought. Alas it was the same setup I had as last time and its just not enough for fish of this size...
Below a little vid I took on my mobile as I'm experiencing problems with my action cam (one day I needed it!)
Regardless of the lost monster it was a great day afloat and it certainly opened up my eyes on the potential of boat fishing here on Skye. We are planning to make these outings more regular now as I'm now hooked!
Just when I though I had most of my gear sorted for my fishing here, I now realise I need more!
Tight Lines and more to come...
Rod: MC KG Evolution KGS-902L, 2.7m, 7-23g.
Reel: Daiwa Freams 2500
Mainline: Duel Hardcore X4 PE 1.0
Leader: Duel Hardcore Powerleader fluorocarbon 20lbs
Lures: Various (mostly inchiku type metals)
Ive recently got a Light shore Jigging rod (Major Craft Solpara SPS-1002LSJ) in order to help me target the bigger fish from the rougher marks here. The plan was to use it with my trusty Abu Garcia Soron 40 Stx but in truth the reel is showing its years of hard use (and abuse!) lately even though its been serviced fully (not a very good idea in the end). Thus I was on the lookout for a powerful reel in a similar size and weight to the Soron. I could well get something larger but I'm intending to get a new 10-30g rod soon and would like to use the reel on both rods. After a bit of searching around I decided to settle on a new Shimano SW Biomaster 4000XG from Japan that cost much less than even the cheapest price from European e-shops. I received the reel on Wednesday and spooled it straight away with the YGK G-Soul X3 PE1.5. This may not be the best braid around but I couldn't pass on its price (around 9 euros), besides I also have a dedicated jigging braid to fall back to (YGK G-Soul Super Jigman X4) if things don't workout.
New shiny toy!
More recently I have bought some Hayabusa Kick tail inchiku jigs as they are of a similar style to the Duel Salty Bait and could be very useful for sorting out the pickier fish especially in the deeper marks.
On Thursday I decided to try out the new setup and visited one of my favourite Northern marks after a slow session in a kelpy bay. The day was rainy but with little wind and a neap tide. The latter made fishing on this mark much easier as there was less current and the fish seemed to be liking it! As soon as the Kick tail hit water I was getting bites even before touching bottom. Moreover the fish seemed to be everywhere (!) with some surface activity and I was also getting bites even at distance over relatively clean ground and not just at the usual holding spots (reef, rock base etc). The Kick tail has got a little muppet at the back that has that sway side to side but instead of an offset hook, it has a double assist hook. I had some missed strikes due to the hooks being a bit small in my opinion but then again I didn't snag it!
It didn't take me long to start hooking up though and I had two decent fish over 5lbs that gave a very good scrap! On the second one I thought I had a seal/tuna again...! After catching a good few fish on the inchikus, I switched to softplastics and then hardbaits and had success with them all but not as much as the inchiku.
The reel performed very well with effortless winding of the fish from the depths and no trouble with wind-knots etc while the casts were superb. I hope it will continue to do so for a while!
Unfortunately something went wrong with my action cam on the day and Ive got no video from the session, hopefully this wont happen again...
Xrap opens the day...
A nice coalie on the softplastic.
A hungry one hit the DUO...
First decent fish of the day on the Kick Tail.
The Zonk 120 sw...
The little Volkien inchiku.
The second good fish of the day on a softie..
It was interesting to note that the fish were so active at this deeper, 'reefier' mark yet not so much at the shallower 'kelpy' bay I fished earlier that day. Admittedly I was a bit late reaching the first mark and fished some of the incoming tide (soon after the low tide point) instead of my preferred outgoing tide. But nevertheless I don't think it was a coincidence. The weather was textbook pollock-weather (westerly breeze, overcast, wet) and only the tide being a small one seems to be the most significant factor for the fish feeding activity. I theorise that in shallower waters fish like larger volumes of water pushing in and out the bays, bringing more food, while in the deeper reefs this current can get too much and turn the fish off... More on this soon..
All in all it was a great day out and I really enjoyed my new toys! Definitely onwards and upwards as they say...
Tight lines.
Gear used.
Rod: MajorCraft Solpara SPS-1002LSJ, 3.05m. max 50g
Reel: Shimano SW Biomaster 4000XG
Mainline: YGK G-Soul X3 PE1.5
Leader: Duel Hardcore Powerleader fluorocarbon 20lbs.
Lures: Hayabusa Kick tail 20g and 30g, Volkien Soul Mini battle inchiku, Rapala Xrap, Megabass Zonk 120 SW, Duo Realis Jerkbait 120sp, and slug type soft plastics on darting jigheads.
