Pollack Fishing
Pollack are a hard fighting, crash diving member of the cod family. Many anglers savour the taste of Pollack and will target them instead of the Cod. Not seen quite as much these days, but fish and chip shops a-plenty would advertise Pollack as an alternative to Cod.
Pollack fishing lasts almost all year round. The bigger specimens tend to populate the deep offshore wrecks in late winter and throughout the spring. That said though, decent fish can be caught in the blazing summer sun when the sea is like glass. They are a fish that has evolved to eat other fish with huge eyes and large up-turned mouths, they can swallow their prey in a single gulp.
Methods for catching Pollack are fairly simple and most anglers use a boom rig with a soft plastic lure. The length of line from boom to lure and size, shape and colour of lure are where personal preferences come in and we see the many different favoured methods. Some anglers will insist on the hook length being 15 ft long and above, whereas others will insist it has to be under 6ft, some will swear the lure has to be of a certain shape, colour and size, whereas others will just use what they have to hand. The greatest advise one can give, is remain open-minded and look at what others are using. If they are catching consistently and you are not, then consider changing to a lure and hook set up.
On a charter boat with maybe 10 anglers aboard very long hook lengths can be problematic, as they will almost certainly tangle with other angler's lines. It is therefore best advised to keep hook lengths to a manageable 6ft or thereabouts. Hours (days) could be assigned to discussing lures, the colour and sizes and designs, and the material from which they are made, but it is generally accepted that blue, blue and silver, blue and white and black and red are all proven successful colours. Sand eel shapes are a proven catcher as are worm shapes and sizes 4" and 6" are certainly the most popular. All of that said, Pollack have probably fallen to every kind of lure ever made and part of the fun is finding the lure that works on the day.
Pollack take advantage of the wreck or reef, the tide and the water column and the fishing can turn on or off like a switch according to conditions, they can be found tight to the wreck or 30 turns of the reel or more above it. Quite often anglers will be winding up having completed the drift only to find the lure is attacked when they thought the chance of catching was over. It's a good idea to count in your head how many turns of the reel bites occur.
Tackle is generally a 12/20 or 20/30 rod with a fast retrieve reel, 30lb braid mainline and a mono leader of 50lb and 20-30lb hook length, leads of 10oz to 1lb are the norm and a dozen of your favourite lures will see you set for the day. Many anglers favour using some kind of rotten bottom (a lower breaking strain line: to connect he lead to the mainline, this is so that if the lead should become tangled in the wreck or reef, the likelihood is that if it snaps then just the lead is lost).
Pollack fishing can be very addictive, they fight hard and the initial dives from a hooked fish will strip line from the reel. All being well a day Pollack fishing will result in returning to shore with some prime specimens. Pollock do not generally go back into the water successfully as they have a swim bladder that is affected by water pressure. However it is possible to return fish by using different tactics and the crew will be pleased to demonstrate this if you wish to release your catch.
