Topwater action on guiding trip.

Well we're into September now, which I consider the beginning of the best period for fishing in general! The past couple sessions indicated that the fish are aggressive and very keen to come to the surface when conditions allow (even when marginally).
I had Lewis from Edinburgh visiting the other day and he was very keen on getting some topwater action! The weather forecast for the week was horrendous! with supposedly 30-40mph westerlies for most of the week, but thankfully as it usually happens up here, it wasn't very accurate and by Friday the winds were dying down.
We met up shortly after daybreak and would fish from the high tide onwards on a shallow bay.
On arrival there was quite a bit of swell running (residue from the previous days winds) but I was sure it would dissipate with the ebb...
We gave topwaters a go but it was still too bouncy for the lures to work properly and the fish to come up, thus we soon clipped on various softplastics on 14g-20g cheburashkas and started fishing close to the bottom.
Soon the bites started coming and along with them the pollock!
Some decent fish around 3-5lbs and after a while Lewis hooked up to a better one that took plenty of drag and snagged him up... I got the rod and changed angle, after waiting a bit I gave the line a few pulls directly with my hand and realised the fish was out! Passed the rod to Lewis and after a few pumps and winds the fish was in the net! Lewis told me his previous PB was 6lbs and after weighing this one it appeared it was bigger at 6.13lbs! Now that's a good start to the day...

New PB!

More than one fish had actually been caught before and had healing prick-wounds, this is because being a shallow mark, most of the fish survive... A testament to the value of good C&R!
The fish were being quite fussy in the morning, preferring gentle and slow animation near the bottom along with natural coloured sps and lightish weights. Other presentations even with soft/active lures but on heavier weights or garish colours didn't get much attention. We didn't use metals as the coalies are usually in big numbers on this mark.

Caught before...

Another survivor...

We were a couple hours into the ebb now and the gullies started emptying, moreover the swell died down a bit and I thought it was a good time to try with the topwaters again. After trying several lures in the same area, we managed to raise a couple pollock on the Ima Popkey.. The fish seemed annoyed more than anything to this 'intense' lure but just seeing them respond was an indication that they were now closer in and higher in the water column.
We decided to move to a different spot and concentrate on the topwaters. The waves didn't allow all the WTD lures to walk properly and only a few could 'bite' well enough to have a nice and constant action. I clipped the Tacklehouse Vulture and Lewis had a cast near some weed collected at the mouth of a gully. Soon enough a fish splashed and hit the Vulture. The first fish of the day on topwaters was soon on the rocks and that was just the beginning...!
We kept at it and Lewis managed to get plenty more fish! The hookup rate was much better than on my previous session,on this day though the time was much more appropriate and most of the fish got caught on the first treble indicating active feeding...
The size of the fish was very good as well with fish of 3-4lbs and even some bigger ones hitting the lures! We both agreed that while the chances of getting, say a double figure fish were slim, catching this kind of size pollock on a 5-25ish gram rod was all the fun you could want!
As mentioned only a few topwaters worked better amongst the waves including the tacklehouse Vulture, Ima Popkey, HTO Climax while when the water calmed down, the Salt Skimmer (and its Chinese copy) were very effective.

Feisty!

Not only little ones OTT!

Another decent one on topwaters!

After the fish quitened down and the sun came out of the clouds, we decided to hit one more mark with softplastics and again the fish obliged. Lewis lost a big one that kelped him but got plenty more decent pollock after! They prefered again finesse presentations on light leads and a dark 4" paddletail did most of the damage.

Fish on!

After a few more fish it was time to call it a day and head home.
This was a fantastic fishing session that panned out as planned and I thoroughly enjoyed Lewis's company. Below is the video of the surface action for the day.

Tight Lines!

A whole day with topwaters!

The other day on my day off I had a break in the weather and decided to fish mostly topwaters for pollock! I was intending to wake up at first light but the tide state was unfavourable for the mark intended and thus I got a few more hours sleep and went fishing later...!😀
Now I knew this wasn't ideal time for topwater work but the tide was right and I thought it still worthwhile..
On the first spot I had to wait a bit for the tide to ebb and I witnessed as the gullies were slowly emptying and water trickling out just at the lip of the kelpy ledge. ideal ambush conditions... I clipped on a Dam Effzet stickwalker (a sort of pencil-popper) and made the first cast near the edge of the ledge... I had a fish boil at it straight away and on the second cast a fish went airborne and slapped the lure hard with its head, catapulting it a few meters away!!
This repeated itself a good few times before I finally managed to catch a fish..
Lure rotation was very important as the fish would soon get 'tired' of the same lure passing overhead and would require a change. Nevertheless after a good number of attacks, the surface action died down (usually when fish get pricked by the hooks they wise-up) and it was time to move to a different area.

I then fished with the LRF gear for a while and this saw me catch my first Skye whiting and a couple mackerel along with the usual 'interference' of pollock...
In late afternoon I drove to my last mark for the day where its a shallow bay with access to deeper water nearby and plenty of rocks and kelp. Perfect topwater fishing ground..
From the off it was clear that the fish were spread out in a wide area and were very aggressive towards the lures as they were hitting them constantly! Again though this didn't translate to hooked fish and I speculate that the fish weren't really feeding but just going for reaction bites out of aggression. Some of the hits on the WTD's were brutal! I suspect that in similar conditions early in the morning or around dusk (or even with some cloud cover as it was broad daylight) the hook ups would have been more...
Moreover as the water was slightly choppy at times, the more stable lures seemed to 'stick' better to the fish and the ones with narrower actions. Wide swaying lures would incite a lot of interest but the fish wouldnt stick..! Food for thought..
Of course this is where a good selection of various topwaters will make the difference.
Regarding the type/speed of retrieve, short burts of 'thrashing' the lure at the surface seemed to drive them wild and also when the lure was approaching drifting bits of kelp or seaweed etc, it was taken even static!
I hooked a couple fish and had one cut the line just infront of me (and taking my lure) but just seeing those violent strikes and the pollock going airborne was really enough for me!

A wee whiting...

Towards the end of the session I moved to a sheltered rock-wall that the fish tend to hold very close to and it was there that I had some fish leaping out of the water mere meters away from me! Absolutely heart-racing stuff! And many of these fish weren't the usual couple pounders but actually pretty decent fish..
Soon after I hooked up close in to a decent one on my trusty Ima Salt Skimmer and as I tried to land it on the rocks (left the net in the car 😞) it thrashed and managed to break the leader and take my Skimmer with it!
Gutted but filled with sights of leaping pollock, I decided to call it a day..
Below the video of the day... There were many more strikes during the day but it would be tiring to include them all in this...!

Thanks for reading and Tight Lines!

Gear used.
Rod: APIA Foojin'R Best Bower 96 MLX
Reel: Shimano Stradic FK C3000
Mainline: Unitika Shore Game X8 PE 1.2
Leader: Daiwa Tournament FC fluorocarbon 18lbs
Lures: Ima Salt Skimmer. Tacklehouse Vulture, Dam Effzet stickwalker, Duel Silver dog, Lucky Craft Gunfish, Zara saltwater Spook

A good day's guiding on Skye.

Last week saw me do some guiding with a fishing aficionado! George has a very extensive freshwater match fishing background but only recently got into saltwater lure fishing and wanted to get some tips and also sample the great fishing Skye has to offer... Thus we started our day at first light and the venue of choice was the imposing Neist Point, a mark that I believe everyone who comes for the first time on Skye must visit.
Conditions-wise it was looking like a textbook pollock day... Overcast, a bit windy but with mild temperatures. George told me that he would be happy with some good pollock and also a cuckoo wrasse, both species readily available on Neist.
We had spring tides this weekend which made the currents very strong around the point, thus we targeted the pollock first and when the current became too strong, moved to a more sheltered spot. After catching some fish (but also getting cut off by some very good pollock) the tide was reaching the ebb and the current slowed down. We then moved again towards the deeper water but the cuckoos proved elusive.
More pollock were caught that gave George a good workout and after a while and by persisting with bottom fishing tactics (heavy texas rig) a couple ballan wrasse were caught. The second one was a solid and beautiful fish..
Seeing as the cuckoos weren't in a mood to bite and with the session nearing its end, we decided to have a go with the topwater lures for pollock in a nearby suitable mark.
After demonstrating the 'walking the dog' to George, he made a few casts with the Ima Skimmer and raised a couple fish that didn't take. I then changed the lure to the Tacklehouse Vulture and George proceeded into catching his first pollock OTT!
We kept at it for a while longer and after a couple more boils and splashes he connected to a second fish. This was the end of a very productive day and I believe that my friend thoroughly enjoyed the fishing. For me it was a very pleasant day, George was good company and even though I wasn't fishing, I felt rewarded by seeing someone else catch fish and experience the intense action that the Isle of Skye can offer! Admittedly we didnt manage to find the cuckoos but the combination of spring tides/strong currents and windy weather definitely isnt ideal for these fish.
Next time as they say...

One of the many fish caught..

It was a bit windy at times...

A decent pollock.

Best fish of the day. A hard fighter!

George with a beautiful ballan.

OTT!

 
 Next week Im expecting my friends Scott and Lee for a long-awaited joint session! Seems that the weather will be reasonable so I'm hoping we'll experience some more good fishing...

Tight Lines!
                                                      

They are growing larger...

Last week was my birthday and thus I spend most of my time with my brother instead of fishing but after he left I quickly drove to one of my northern marks for a bit of shallow water fishing. The tide was nearing its ebb but the sun was out so after using the various shallow running hardbaits, I switched to a simple ripple tail worm on a Texas rig. The fish weren't in great numbers (end of the season its teeming with fish) but I managed to get a few literally under my feet! And these weren't small fish by any means!
I covered the area thoroughly with the Texas rig and then put on a metal for distance work. I got hit midway in and after feeling good weight initially, the line then went slack and I started winding it in steadily until it was too late... The crafty pollock was swimming towards me and into the snag! This happened again on the next cast and both fish were lost... I had bass swimming towards me in the past but never pollock in such a determined way! I also had a fish that was clearly caught again recently with a hook mark on its lips. Good C&R!
After a while I changed spot and being still a bit hangover, decided to just sit on a rock and make a few lazy casts around while waiting for the tide to turn... Well this is Skye though, and you should never drop your guard as I was hit by a serious fish soon after! It made a couple frantic runs but I soon had it under control and landed it with the help of my new lip-gripper. A lovely fish that went back soon after a couple pics.

Now that's a good birthday cake!

Some decent fish on the day...

A bit of wildlife...

...and a good'un.

I decided to move to a nearby mark after this as I thought I would get better action there as the tide was now on the rise. After a short drive and a hike, I was down to the second spot and the conditions looked ideal for minnows and maybe even topwaters...
I begun with softplastics to see if the fish were there and after getting busted by a fish on the first cast, I put on an Ima Hound Sonic 100f to search the area thoroughly (as it casts like a bullet).
A couple casts in and I got hit after some jerks, managing to land an average fish and that was followed by plenty more afterwards. I tried more hard baits and softplastics but as the sun was dipping lower in the horizon I felt it was time for topwaters. I tied a Duel Silver dog 90 but after some casts the fish ignored it. I persevered and switched to the Ima Salt Skimmer and the results were instantaneous! I'm convinced this is due to the slim profile of this lure but also its subtler action.

Ima hound..

Chinese cheapo!

Ima Salt Skimmer.

After catching a fish and witnessing a few explosive blow ups things quietened down and I decided it was time to go as I was also being eaten by midges! A very satisfying session and the first topwater fish of the year!
Something else that I've recently done is to upgrade the teflon ring on the roller of my Daiwa Freams 2500 with an actual roller bearing as its so much better when working with braid. Recently I felt the roller a bit 'sticky' at times and after realising that my Freams doesn't have a rbb (cheeky Daiwa!), ordered the upgrade kit from ebay for about 15 quid. The whole thing took only a few minutes to put in and I recommend it as I already feel the improved performance.

Damn you Daiwa! lol

Below some videos of the session.

Thanks for reading and tight lines!

Gear used.
Rod:  MC KG Evolution KGS-902L, 2.7m, 7-23g.
Reel: Daiwa Freams 2500
Mainline: Duel Hardcore X4 PE 1.0
Leader: YGK Nitlon DFC flouorocarbon 16lbs
Lures:Various

I just couldnt resist!

Last week I was given a surprise three days off from work and not being able to control myself, got the ticket for Oban and went to get the car from my brother. Although I wasn't gonna fish my usual area but instead chose to drive up to Skye yet again! I blame the weather for this (!) as the unseasonably mild and dry days were absolutely perfect for fishing. The only factor I didn't calculate was the moon phase as it came to play a critical role to my fishing success (as I will describe further down). Moreover I only have videos from my fish and sessions there, again for reasons I will mention...
For this trip I was better prepared with new leader line (16lbs), more metal jigs of 15g-20g, more cheburashkas (15g-20g) and lots more soft plastics along with a few hardbaits that I thought could work so I was looking very optimistic...
So as the winds were from the south, It was yet again a good opportunity to head to the northern marks. Thus I drove in the night at Aird were I slept in the car.
I woke up to a lovely day and headed to the rocks. First order of the day were topwaters!
Unlike last time, I took a few with me including poppers and WTD lures as I was sure I'd have fun with them on Skye.. After seeing some disturbance on the water's surface (definitely from hunting coalies) I made a cast and after a couple more I got a good take and a lively fight. I then landed a very good coalie of 2lbs thus making me think that surface fishing might be a legit way of catching the bigger coalies as well... After fishing some more on the surface and having a laugh with all the smacks and hits along with catching a few more coalies and pollock. It was time for some serious fishing..
I started with the usual cheburashka and paddletail but was surprised to see that the fish were being a bit picky... Last time I had great success on this mark with senkos/stickbaits and of course the
Salty Bait inchiku/stickbait combo, thus I put on a 5" stickbait on a weighted offset that did a much better work. Still, I noticed that the water was receding very fast and it was then that it dawned on me that we are near the full moon and that means big tides. Now this may be advantageous for some species (like bass etc) but I think for pollock and other structure-oriented fish may not be so positive.
In combination with the mild weather and sunshine it felt as if the fish were dispersed and the action was not as hectic as last time. More over the bigger fish didn't show with most fish being in the 2.5lbs-4lbs bracket.
I walked towards the deeper water spot  thinking of trying some new inchiku/madai jigs where I caught the ling and cuckoo wrasse before, only to find a completely altered mark. The water was very low now as the tide was ebbing and a torrent was pushing past the rocks. It was impossible to hold bottom but making the most out of the situation I used some normal metal jigs, casting them uptide, letting them touch down and jigging them near the bottom and adjacent to the rocks. I lost a couple jigs doing that but got rewarded with a hard fighting pollock.

I had planned to fish this mark for most of the day but facing these conditions I thought it best to change mark. I headed back to the car and then made my way to the middle peninsula in the area around Waternish that I had great success last time. I reached the shallow kelpy bay and by now the tide was on its way up. I started from the same rocks in the middle of  the bay and put on a Salty bait/stickbait combo. After a few casts I got a good take and after a strong fight managed a nice pollock of 2.7kg. Unfortunately I messed up with the action cam buttons and only got the release video...

Thinking this was a good start and that there would be more of them about I made my way for the rocky point overlooking the bay. I was shocked when I realised that the water was too high and I couldn't access the point! This was disappointing as it was near sundown and I knew there would be a host of pollock waiting for me there... Anyway I went back to the rocks i was before and just played around with the surface lures. Again I had so many hits and splashes with only a few fish to show but I got some useful notes afterwards.
After the sun coming down I called it a day and had something to eat. Moreover I formulated a better plan for the next day so as not to be caught out unprepared by the tide state again. I was going to fish the same area in the morning as the tide would recede and then maybe have a quick session on Neist point before the drive home.
So, early next morning I was back on the bay. the water was still high but receding and I decided to play around with various lures until I could access the rocky point. I started with cheburashka and paddletail but other than a couple smaller fish I didn't get anything. I could see birds diving about though and a seal so I knew the fish were there. I changed to the inchiku/stickbait and got a fish first cast. I then lost the lure with another fish (!) and seeing that both takes were quite high in the water column, I decided it was time for the hardbaits...
I put on an Xrap in mackerel but after a few casts, nothing. I switched to a Max rap 15 thinking it would imitate a sandeel and on first cast I got a coalie. Second cast and after a few jerks I get a proper fish on! It fought well and it was clearly a decent fish but it took me to the kelp just a few meters away from me... Not having another Max rap, I used a sinking pencil lure by Taps and after  letting it sink I started retrieving it with constant jerks and some pauses. In one of those pauses I got hit and landed an average fish soon after. By now it was time to move to the other spot though but I was glad I tried the hard baits.. I'm pretty sure that in marks such as this and in places like Skye they can be an added weapon when the fish want something different as in this case.

I scrambled the rocks to my spot and since there was still plenty of water I decided to work a 5" Powertail worm on a Texas rig with a  #1 Decoy RS worm 101 hook, an orange luminous bead and a 7g cone weight. I would work this until the water pulled out and the kelp would be too tangled to get the lure amongst it. This certainly did the trick and I had fish after fish all of a decent size and fighting well. They were all in tip top condition and really fat (like the ones I encountered on the East Coast). The new thicker leader line seemed to be working better as I lost fewer fish from close in. This was to change as the tide ebbed even more and I had to change presentation to cheburashka and metals for longer casts. A true kelp forest, was like a wall in front of me and I lost some fish as they went straight in the kelp-wall and even the 16lbs fluoro along with the 1.5PE braid weren't enough to bring them up. I'm starting to think that the sort of proper shore jigging gear or the setups used for 'punching' in largemouth bass fishing maybe whats needed for these situations but I don't encounter them often enough to warrant such a purchase...!
Below the video of the action.

I fished hard till the bites died down although I could get fish on the metals far out but couldn't bring them up. As I was bringing another fish though and while bending on the side of the rock to thumb it, I didn't realise that the water had gone so low now, so I bend over even more and extended my hand when I felt my boots slipping! I quickly managed to grab hold of some kelp roots just on the side of the rock and was thinking that I managed to avert disaster only to slip again and fall in when I tried to take a step! The water wasn't as cold as I expected and after a couple attempts I was back up on the rocks but I was horrified when I realised that my 'water resistant NOT waterproof smartphone' wasn't working... Thus the phone is dead now and all the pics with it! On closer inc=spection afterwards I realised that the front studs of my boots were worn out...
I made my way back to the car and changed to some dry clothes. Not dissuaded I stuck to the plan and drove to Neist Point for a quick session before it got dark. This time I didn't take the action cam as it was almost out of battery and this was a pity as the session was yet again spectacular. The water was rough and some major waves would crash on the rocks from time to time making for a very scenic background. Taking the water clarity into consideration, I started by using a bright pink 3.25" paddler grub on a 14g cheburashka that had given me good results previously on the same mark. Casting straight out from the rocky point I could feel the lure being dragged with the current so I opted for fishing the inside of a gully. I got a couple sharp bites but no hook ups and thinking it could be a wrasse, I changed lure to a UV green/chartreuse 3" vibro worm and got the fish first cast. It turned out to be a fat kelp pollock and after a few more casts in the gully, only yielding a couple good coalfish, I decided to concentrate at distance again. I changed to a slightly heavier cheburashka (16g) and a silver Paddler Grub. I would let the lure being carried away by the current, only giving it a couple hops on the bottom from time to time until it reached the rocks again. Most times it didn't reach the rocks as it was intercepted by fat pollock staging near the entrance to the gully. These were fish that judging by their length would probably be around 4+lbs but in this case they were more likely 5-6lbs! Around the end I managed a better fish as well that I just couldn't lift its head up from the bottom!
An excellent session and the best way to end yet another visit to this magical place. I honestly think this is the start of an addiction!

A video from the surface fishing.

I will close this post with some further notes on the fishing and conditions I encountered.

• Good weather but with big tides around full moon, transformed marks. Fish feeding hard but more dispersed.
• Fish somewhat more particular than other times. Possible keying on a particular food source? Simple paddletails didn't cut it all the time, while the inchiku/stickbait was ever reliable!
• Good potential with slim jerkbaits at certain marks (shallowish, plenty of kelp) definite slim baitfish pattern.
• On surface fishing the Ima Skimmer was by far the most effective lure. Poppers and popper/wtd hybrids much less so. Always best at around sunrise/sundown.
• Coalfish are much more efficient surface predators than pollock. The latter would at times jump spectacularly clear out of the water but would miss the lure completely!
• All fish were well conditioned and very well fed. May well be the best time (except spring perhaps) for the big fish. Also could possibly be the best time for a large coalfish...
• The upgrade to 16lbs leader made a slight difference when fishing at close range and also I had fewer outright cuts on the runs but from the deeper water and generally when the fish tangled right up into the thick kelp they were lost. Moreover it seemed at times that the more stick I gave them the faster they would burrow...
•  Greenish/silvery slim paddletail lures usually more universally effective.
• Takes little wind to roughen up the water at Neist Point but its usually worthwhile fishing there. 
• In rough conditions, larger, dark paddletails on heavier leads were very effective as well.

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 fluorocarbon, 16lbs.
Lures: 10g Duel Salty Bait/4.5" stickbait, 12g-16g cheburashka with 3.25"AGM paddler Grub paddletails. 5" stickbaits on 5g weighted offset hooks. Ima skimmer 11cm, Rapala Max rap 15cm.