During the night of October 13 1939 , Gunther Prien, captain of the German submarine, the U-47, managed to navigate his way through Holm Sound on Orkney turning his vessel to port just off Couse Point on Lamb Holm Island. He made his way through a narrow and shallow passage between the island and Orkney gaining entry to the open expanse of Scapa Flow via St Mary's Bay where Royal Navy ships were anchored. He put torpedoes in the Royal Oak and sank her.
The Royal Navy thought they'd covered all possibilities, but failed to realise the weakness of the inlets that could, with skill and good seamanship, allow a big vessel like a sub to steal in under their nose through the unguarded inlets.
Churchill, always quick on the uptake, immediately ordered the sinking of old blocking ships in the channels and sanctioned the building of protective barriers across the inlets either side of Lamb Holm, and also through Weddell Sound. Initial indications prior to me spending a few days on the island were that shore fishing was little practiced by anyone, but a few anglers did fish either from or close to Churchill's Barriers.
The chosen pier!
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I was told the middle of Barrier No 2 was the place to fish, but when I got there the wind was howling from the southwest and waves were crashing right up on the Barrier itself. Parking up and checking out the lay of the land revealed a stone pier or quay just to the side of where Barrier No 2 started, plus there was a dirt road going down to it. This was Lamb Holm pier.
The wind was coming on to my right cheek, but it was definitely fishable. My lad was fishing with me and we tackled up with that jumbled up feeling in your stomach when you fish an unknown mark in an unknown place for the very first time and expectations are high.
We fished just the one rod each given the conditions. I elected for a three-hook rig and young Mike setting up a two-hook clipped down rig. Bait choice wasn't difficult. We'd only got mackerel, but it was straight from the fishmongers and as fresh as a daisy.
First job was to cast the gear around to see what was in front of us. I banged one way out to the left, with Mike Jnr dropping mid way. Pretty much straight away I watched a twitch on the rod tip develop in to a solid kick down, then another. Lifting in to the fish I figured pretty much straight off if was a flattie, and a decent one. Mike, leaning off the edge of the pier thought it was a plaice at first, but then bawled back it was thumping flounder.
He wasn't wrong! This flat was still on the thin side after spawning but with a little feeding on it would have shoved the scale close to the 2lb mark. What also struck me was how dark this fish was on the back. A real French chocolate brown with a faint fawn brown mottling for added camouflage. We eased it back in to the sea and went for another.
Mike's rod registered a bite and the glance between us was enough to tell me he was in to a fish. My turn to lean over the pier to guess the species. Another thumping flounder pretty much the same size and with the really dark colouring again.
Now sure I've caught flounder on mackerel before, and especially when tipping ragworm or crab off with a sliver of mackie, but mackerel would not be my usual flounder bait. Our mackerel baits were deliberately big. We were fishing strips 2-inches long and 1-inch wide. But these flatties were big and wolfing it straight down on 2/0 Mustad Aberdeen's.
We'd got the ground in front of us semi figured out now. There was rough ground close in, but cleaner patches out in front and to the left side. We both had a couple more equally good-sized flounder, before we hit something different.
I was sorting out another rig when I watched my rod tip slowly fold over and stay there. Grabbing the rod I whacked back at the fish and it steamed off a few yards and all went solid. No amount of coaxing would free it, and eventually the 20lb hook trace I was using for the flatties snapped. Obviously a conger!
My lad started to drop in close just for a look see. He was in to small coalies one after the other, but then his rod tip walloped over and his instincts of a wrasse were proved right as a plump 2lber was swung in. It had beautiful blue spots all along the fins and carried a golden hue on the body. This was on mackerel remember!
Having changed rigs I was back in to the flounder straight away. This latest one was even bigger and would have gone well over 2lbs later in the year. This got me to wondering just how big these flounder go up here and poses the question just what size of fish would be caught if the local lads targeted them later in the year when the fish are big and fat after a summers feeding? I reckon the fishing would at least equal and more than likely be better than that found in the Devon and Cornish estuaries with the UK record maybe even under threat.
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OTHER FISHING OPPORTUNITIES
There are a host of rock marks around Orkney that will give conger, huss, ballan wrasse, mackerel, coalfish, herring, haddock, and on the clean patches flatfish including potentially a shore megrim or witch.
As I said trying to find shore fishing info is hard as so few anglers here bother with it. Those that do occasionally wet a line told me they have taken shore pollack to 14lbs and coalfish to 9lbs, mostly on feathers.
There are several beautiful sandy beaches that in a surf will carry coalies and codling, with calmer nights seeing flounder, whiting and dabs. By day there are bound to be turbot and plaice. Look to the Sands of Evie just off the A996 near Stenso, also the Bay of Skaill near Sandwick and The Point of Baits off the B9053 near the Distillery.
One of the top trout anglers living on Orkney is Sandy Nicholson. During a long conversation he mentioned he'd caught a couple of school bass on the beaches when fly-fishing for sea trout. Now Dunnet on the Scottish mainland is not a million miles away, and they get bass there, so maybe there is a high summer bass fishery here that nobody has sussed even exists yet?
The quays in Stromness and Kirkwall give access to deep water. A night session here has to produce conger, codling, dabs and who knows what else. The whole area is crying out to be attacked with shore gear, and I was bitterly disappointed a tight work schedule didn't give me the opportunity to fish more of these venues.
TIME & TIDES
The best time of year for weather the locals tell me is July and August, but the fishing is top notch then and right through to late October when hardly any shore fishing is done. Remember Orkney is an island so you can always get your back to the weather and fish somewhere.
Because you're fishing in an area where you have a myriad of islands and sounds, then tides will be fierce, but not everywhere. We fished big tides by the Barriers and had no problems at all. Off some of the quays and rock ledges you might hit some tide run.
The key to unlocking the fishing here is to obviously fish night tides. The water is unpolluted and night time will obviously put you in with a better chance of bigger codling, conger and huss. The same applies to the beaches. The boats take thornbacks, so rays might also venture close in at night over sand.
BAIT
Fish bait is no problem. The best source is Billy Jolly's shop on Hatston Industrial Estate just as you enter Kirkwall. He's got the lot including herring and mackerel.
Take a fork with you too, or borrow one, for there are masses of big lugworm inside most on the sheltered inlets. We didn't have the time, but it looks easy digging. There are also big razorfish on many of the beaches. We also found mussels, but they are not common surprisingly up here.
TACKLE
That's easy, take the lot! You'll need tough reels like 7000's and 9000's loaded with 20lb and 30lb line with pulley rigs and powerful beachcasters for the rock ledges. Switch to multipliers or fixed spools loaded with 15lb for the clean sand and 18lb for the rougher beaches.
I'd also take a spinning rod. Not a Mickey Mouse trout job, but something with some backbone to handle potentially double figure pollack. I'd also carry plenty of lures and leads, as losses will be high, but catches very rewarding.
PLACES OF INTEREST
Most anglers will be interested in popping in to see the 5000 years old Neolithic village of Skara Brae. The dwellings are stone built and the people fisherman who built cupboards for storage and hook baiting tables out of stone.
Nearby is the Ring of Brodgar, a stone circle similar to Stonehenge.
I'd also recommend if you fish the Barriers dropping in to the Italian Chapel. It was constructed during the last war by Italian prisoners who were building the Barriers. They created an incredible place of worship from minimal materials. The ceiling lamps were fashioned from bully beef tins.
TACKLE SHOPS
W. S. Sinclair, Fishing Tackle Specialists, 25-27 John Street, Stromness, Orkney Tel: 01856 850469
Colin Paterson, Fishing Tackle Supplier, Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney Tel: 01856 876767
Eric Kemp, Sports Outdoor Centre, Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney Tel: 01856 872137
BAIT
Billy Jolly Fish Retailers, Scott's Road, Hatston Industrial Estate Kirkwall Tel: 01856 850526
FOOD & DRINKS
Food on the island is excellent with a variety of restaurants. Trust me and go for the scallops, haddock and halibut!
If you're in to beer try Red MacGregor or the Tartan Special.
The best whisky is the local Highland Park.
More information can be found on the Sea Angling in Orkney web site
