THINK LIGHT, THINK LURES
August through October is a great time forboat anglers targeting inshore pollack. The pollack numbers peak in September with fish well in to double figures resident right underneath the cliffs from Cornwall to the north of Scotland. It’sa time for light tackle and lures.

The spinning rod needs to be about 9 to10-feet in length and capable of casting no more than 3ozs. A fixed spool carrying 250-yards of 12lb line completes the outfit.

There’s such a vast array of lures now a days, it’s easy to get confused, but pretty much anything with a waggling tail in rubber will catch fish. The best though, are the Mr Twister type worms or small 4-inch shads mounted behind a lead head. Top colours are black, red,white and green, but also highly effective in coloured water are the luminous yellow lures, which often pick out the bigger fish.

You need lead heads covering 1, 2 and 3ozs.These can be bought at good tackle shops, or make your own. All you need is ashort section of 18-guage stainless steel wire. Pass a drilled bullet, or two, to make the required weight on to the wire. Form an eye with long nosed pliersin one end and the same at the other, but before you close this last eye, slidein a size 3/0 Mustad Viking 79515 hook, and the lead head is complete.

You fish these lead heads over rising rock pinnacles and over general undulating rough ground. Simply drop them down andslowly retrieve them until you feel the “tap tap” of the pollack and keep windinguntil the rod tip pulls fully over to hook the fish. Have your drag setslightly light, as the initial run of these pollack on this gear is awesome.

The other technique, and one I’ve mentioned in the column before, is to risk the lure by letting it sit on the bottom byreleasing free line as the boat continues to drift. After 30 to 40-yards, start to slowly retrieve. This brings the lure up at a shallow angle for the first30-yards or so. This not only takes bigger pollack, but also occasional cod and ling. I’ve even had big gurnard on this technique in Ireland.

Also try the lead head without the lure,but add a 6-inch strip of mackerel to the hook. This tactic often works when the lure fishing goes quiet as you approach low or high water slack and fish gooff the feed, but slow your retrieve right down. I also use the fish strip andlead head over clean sand about now for targeting gurnards, rays, turbot andbig whiting when drifting in shallow water areas where the tide run is minimal or again approaching slack water.

TIPS AND TRICKS
A good tactic on sandy beaches in flat seasfor finding a few fish during high summer is to drop small baits in at the very ends of wooden groynes and any other similar structures.

The ends of the groynes tend to concentrate the tidal current effect and will gouge out small deep depressions and form small deep gutters either side of the groyne end. These hold food washed alongby the tide and bring flatfish like sole, flounder and dab in to these holes tofeed. These holes can also hold eels to if the sea is coloured.

In turn, the patient angler can even pickup the odd decent bass that will work around the edges of the groyne targeting any small food items, plus maybe hope to ambush a slow thinking flattie or eel.

Ideally fish the downtide side of thegroyne as a taking fish, especially a bass will head downtide after initially taking the bait and could be lost on the groyne if you’re fishing the side thetide hits first.

EARLY AUTUMN FLOUNDER TACTICS
It might still be summer to us but the flounder realise about now that autumn is kicking in and after a summer lull start to feed avidly trying to bulk up weight for the winter. Though you will catch fish off the beaches, you’ll do better inside the estuaries.

Any deep holes in the main channels holdfish, as will the shallower side creeks, but these tend to be the smaller fish. For the bigger flounder target the mussel beds inside harbours or put baits tight down alongside any structure that juts out in to the estuary, such as a breakwater or stone jetty. It’s the seed mussel and the crab living in the holes in the structures that lure the flounder in.

Another area for big flounder at this time are the edges of the deeper channel pools where the sand starts to come up at a shallow angle. The fish sit on these banks, just off the edge of the main current half buried, but watching ever vigilant to intercept any food that washes past.

Regards baits we’ve already hinted at the best. Fish peeler crab, soft crab or mussel for the better fish. If you want numbers use worm, but you will get a lot of smaller fish and probably be pestered by very small bass and eels to boot.

These big flatties like a bait that moves naturally in the tide, so go for a long trace. Something about 24-inches is about right with a size 1-hook and a bait about the size of a 50p piece. These guys are hungry and will cram the whole lot in without a problem.

The best of the flounder fishing seems to be on the middle sized tides rather than the very biggest. They will feed equally well by day and night. Some say flounder catches are poor at night, but they feed just as well in the dark if you target them.