For my days off this week, I was hoping that the weather would behave so that I could visit Lochaline and the Ardnamurchan peninsula, but this wasn't to be as the forecast was gale-force winds and rain for the most part. Instead on Monday, when the weather was at its worst, I went to my local mark in loch Linnhe with my heavier gear. I knew the fish would be feeding down deep and wouldn't be affected by the storm that had pretty much passed by then. I used heavier (20g-30g) Salty baits and had good results with nice codling and pollock along with another ling. The heavier rod now feels so unnatural to my hands and mind you this was my 'light' gear many years ago. This rod is a Tica Seha graphite, 2.70m 1/4-1/2oz so not really that heavy, but because of its very fast blank it feels much stronger and in truth it can even cast 30g metal jigs with ease. I want to try using the heavier jigs on this rod and see if I get the results I want (mainly in the colder months for cod etc) before spending money for a proper shore jigging rod. I do believe that this technique should get more coverage here in the UK and especially the 'slow jigging' variant, as so far its been very productive on the light scale. I wouldn't go all out on the heavy rods rated up to 140g but the light-moderate ones seem to be perfect for here.
Added a hook in the tail for finicky bites. The loose line doesn't affect the movement.
Nice codling
No need for trailer hooks when they're hungry. They aim for the head!
That's why I add the trailer hook...
Pollock as well..
And Ling!
After the storm..
Yesterday the weather was much better so I decided to visit Loch Etive in the deep basin there, that I haven't fished for some time. This mark has always given me surprises and this time was no exception. I was fishing with cheburashka and grass minnows along the rocks and I got my first pouting after a few casts! Yet another new species from here.. Its a pretty fish and gave a decent little scrap, so I dont get the negative image it has with bait anglers...
I then proceeded in catching a gurnard, a pollock, a codling and a couple poor cod before getting back in the car to drive down to loch Fyne. There, I used heavy cheburashkas (8-12g) and a variety of paddletails and ripple/curly tail worms around 3" to good effect on the codling and pollock. I caught no monsters but made a nice little video.
My first pouting!
Cool fish..
Gurnard..
I will soon write a post regarding my Madai/slow jigs fishing but I need to make a few more outings before. Hopefully the weather will behave...
Thanks for reading!
Gear used.
Rod: Tica Seha graphite, 2.70m, 1/4-1/2oz for the Light shore jigging, Various
Reel: Abu Garcia Soron stx 40. Various
Mainline: Fins windtamer 10lbs, Various
Rig/lure: Salty baits 20-30g tipped with gulp, cheburashka.
Well the title says it all really.. The fishing has really picked up now and there is no need to venture further than my local marks. With the one in Loch Linnhe in particular, providing some fast and furious action. I fished this mark for three consecutive days (at different spots) and the amount and variety of fish has been staggering.
On the first day I focused on fishing with heavy cheburashka (12g) and medium paddletails (grass minnow M, 2.75"Swimfish) on the medium rock fishing gear. I caught plenty of plumb codling around 35cm, a ballan wrasse, a couple cuckoo wrasse (didn't take a pic of the male coz I thought the camera was on!) and some pollock. Most fish came from distance and it was the first time I caught a male cuckoo at this mark, I think there might be something with this as I encountered it in the North East as well, where the males staged further away (deeper) than females...
Decent codling.
Wrasse become bolder as well.
On the next day the weather was nice and sunny and I decided to get the Solpara and target codling and wrasse on the lrf softies. I caught a wrasse first cast but I was then getting takes OTD from active fish that made me change lure to metals. I then proceeded in catching fish after fish continuously and cursing for leaving the camera in the car! They were really in suicidal mode and I must have caught over 20 fish in less than an hour! I finished the session after foolishly loosing a much better fish by being hasty and not giving it more line. It grazed the line on some rocks...
I 've noticed that whenever I'm having a hectic session with fish a plenty, I become a bit careless and less cautious fighting the fish and this has cost me sometimes...
They love metals..
It was a mental metal session!
Today I went again for some metal action with the rod better suited to the task (Crostage) but typically the fish shied away from the metal jigs... I caught a few and even some tiny gurnards, but they were definitely in a more subdued mood. I knew they were there though and decided to fish slim softies on 8g cheburashka and a #4 offset hook. This was much more productive and I managed some more pollock and codling. The wind was getting very strong now and I switched spot so that I would have the wind on my back. I changed lure again to something that I thought would be even more enticing. A 4" Lunker City hydrotail worm that has been very effective for me in the past for finicky fish. From the first cast the water turned alive again and I started getting bites. Curlytails/twisters can be worked extremely slowly and still provide the fish with plenty of action (tail) to home in on. I was working the lure slowly, almost dragging bottom and sometimes hopping it and in quick succession from a relatively small area managed to catch a couple codling, a ballan wrasse, a female cuckoo wrasse and even lost another ballan close in!
Even these little buggers like them..
I love pollock..
Codling seem to like blades even more than pollock!
Beautiful ballan wrasse.
Cuckoo..
I also went to Loch Awe for a couple hours targeting the pike, but other then a tiny jack I got nothing. I decided not to persevere as the sea is so much more productive at the minute and I'm having a blast! There have been significant changes though as the bulk of the mackerel are gone now but the summer species are feeding hard.
Next week I'm expecting some madai jigs to arrive along with more Gulp softies and if they arrive before my days off and weather allowing, I will try and make a last fishing trip for this season.. I want to target the area starting from the Morvern coast, then Loch Aline and finish in the Ardnamurchan peninsula! Sounds like a lot and probably is, but even if I don't fish everywhere I'm sure I'll find some good fish...
Here's a little vid as well!
Tight lines!
Gear used.
Rod: Various
Reel: Various
Mainline: Siderwire invisibraid 0.10mm, Duel Hardcore x4 0.6 PE
Rig: cheburashka, metals
lure: Grass minnows, Lunker city Swimfish, Lunker City Hydrotail worms, various metals 5g-7g.
After returning back on home ground, I wanted to pay a visit at Loch Fyne hoping for some big pollock that I didn't find up north... I reached the mark at midday and it was around high tide. Not the best of tide states for this mark as its usually much better from low onwards.
Undettered I started casting small shads near the point and after a few casts got the first pollock. I thought many more would follow but it didn't happen. I had my favourite mark to myself but the fish weren't responding so I persisted even more, I finally got a solid take and the fish appeared to be decent but unfortunately it got wrapped around a fish farm chain on the way in! I managed a couple more small pollock after that but despite my hardest efforts the fish weren't playing ball. I decided to call it a day and drive back home. On the way back, I passed Loch Awe and thought it a good idea to have a few casts with the dropshot as there was still light about. The bulrush were dying and the water level was much lower now but the fish were active and hunting. I saw a nice pike attack fry on the surface but only managed two jacks and no perch.. This was intriguing and I think I have to devote a whole day for the freshwater soon as the perch should be shoaling up now...
Been a while!
Little fella.
The next day I wasn't in the mood for driving far and went instead on my bunker-mark in Loch Linnhe. I fished on the medium rock fishing gear using heavy cheburashkas (12g) and offset hooks along with jigheads rigged with Grass Minnows and Lunker City Swimfish shads. I had a very good time catching many codling as they are now tightly shoaled and very aggressive along with a few decent pollock. The codling would typically give a couple false bites before committing and couldn't resist the lure bumping bottom. A nice and comfy session to finish my fishing marathon!
Nice colour variation on the codling.
As in Wick they were tightly shoaled and feeding hard.
Decent pollock
They love Grass Minnows bumped along the bottom.
A perfect hook-set!
On my next day's off I think a freshwater foray is in order before the perch move in the deep and also I'll try to target the codling on the LRF gear for even more fun! Its so surprising that no bigger codling have been found among the little ones.. I guess I'll blame the netting for that..
Thanks for reading!
Gear used.
Rod: Various
Reel: Various
Mainline: Various
Rig: cheburashka, jighead, dropshot
lure: Grass minnows, Lunker city Swimfish, Lunker City Ribsters.
